Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern at Rātana. File photo Photo: RNZ / Rebekah Parsons-King The annual celebration of the church's late founder, Tahupōtiki Wiremu Rātana, is closed to political parties and manuhiri this year, as the church grapples with internal arguments. It's only the second time the Labour Party won't be at Rātana in the 84-year history of their alliance - however, some Labour MPs with ties to the church will attend. While the Rātana Church was established in 1925, it began as a political movement. Church leader Tahupōtiki Wiremu Rātana sought redress for land confiscations and breaches of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, founding his own political party in 1919.