Rana Waitai is a former New Zealand politician. He was an MP from 1996 to 1999, representing the New Zealand First party. He was first elected to Parliament in the 1996 elections as MP for the Maori seat of Te Puku O Te Whenua, having previously stood for the Gisborne seat. In 1998, when New Zealand First splintered, Waitai was one of the eight MPs who left the party. He eventually joined with four other MPs to form the Mauri Pacific party. In the 1999 elections, he was ranked fourth on Mauri Pacific's list, but the party failed to win any seats. Before entering politics, Waitai was a policeman.