Tamatha-Kaye Erin Paul (born 1997) is a New Zealand activist and politician who is a Member of Parliament for Wellington Central.

[2] She is of Māori and European descent, with her father of Waikato Tainui and Ngāti Awa origin, while her mother is of English, Scottish and Spanish genealogy.

[3] Paul received a $30,000 First in Family scholarship from Victoria University of Wellington, and in 2018, she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in international relations and political science.

Paul was inspired to run after she clashed with councillors over a plan to introduce a liquor ban in Kelburn Park, a popular drinking spot for students in Wellington.

Paul won selection and became the Green candidate for Wellington Central, an electorate largely recognised as a Labour 'safe seat'.

[24][25] On 30 October, Paul resigned her seat on the Wellington City Council effective on 10 November 2023 and was sworn into Parliament on the 5th December 2023.

[26][27] Paul is the Green Party's Justice, Housing, Police, Courts, Corrections, Youth, and Wellington Issues spokesperson.

[29][30] During her time as councillor, Paul chaired the Kōrau Tūāpapa Environment and Infrastructure Committee, where she led the IRRS 4 All campaign, which helped thousands of low-income tenants access rent subsidies.

[34] The plan included targets for social, public and private housing development as well as initiatives to reduce homelessness in Wellington.

On 10 November 2020, Paul voted in favour to sell 0.3 hectares of land and lease a further 0.6 hectares in Shelley Bay to The Wellington Company for housing development along with Wellington City councillors Day, Diane Calvert, Jenny Condie, Fleur Fitzsimons, Laurie Foon, Rebecca Matthews, Teri O’Neill, and Nicola Young.

Paul challenged these changes, specifically the re-introduction of 90-day no cause evictions of tenants and the reduction of landlords' notice periods for tenants,[36] stating that "Housing is a human right, and every person deserves a warm, safe and affordable home, whether they own that home or not [...] The playing field is uneven and these changes to tenancy rules further tip the balance in favour of landlords.

[38] Paul stated that this plan would make cycling safer and encourage non-traditional cyclists such as children, women, and gender diverse people to bike around the city.

[43] During her time as councillor, Paul also led investigations into how we can achieve a carbon-free future for Wellington, plans which looked at how the city can use more public transport and reduce our reliability on cars.

[44] Paul incorporates Te Tiriti o Waitangi - Aotearoa's treaty between Crown and Iwi, and its principles into her politics regularly and advocates for a Treaty-based model of governance.

[46] Following this protest, discussion arose as to whether or not the museums should keep the damaged panel up, a symbol they could show visitors that displays the continued issues between Crown and Iwi in Aotearoa.

During this time, Paul led several initiatives which aimed to increase safety for people in Wellington, including The Pōneke Promise.