Last night a friend and I attended a Maori Party hui in Lower Hutt. The candidate for Te Tai Tonga was launched - a youngish lawyer who has a pleasant way about her but waffles a fair bit - and Derek Fox, Te Ururoa Flavell and Pita Sharples all spoke. Tariana was a no-show but I wasn't disappointed.The Maori Party is seeking the electorate vote only. That was the first message. Seven candidates in the Maori seats seeking only the electorate vote.
But then that changed as the meeting went on and they began explaining the MMP system quite extensively (including an innovative slide show presentation) and decided they were trying to grow their Party Vote in the general electorates as a basis for future growth. This seeming switch may come about because they speak to two different audiences at once. The handful of Ngati Pakeha present may have been noted.
The Maori Party take a long term view. The past three years has been all about building credibility and they are very proud of having spoken to every bill that has passed (and so they should be), their conduct in the house (and so they should be) and their expanding array of policy positions.
But unlike other political meetings little was talked of policy. Their catchcry is being a voice for Maori, BUT an independent voice. They do not want to be in a formal coalition with either party because they fear being swallowed up and losing their ability to vote for their constituents when their constituents may disagree with the passage of certain legislation. Sharples believes that Key will reach out to them for support if he wants to form more than a one-term government. Much scorn (good naturedly) was heaped upon the Maori Labour MPs but certainly supporting Labour was not ruled out either. (Winston is now smiling at them but he is smiling too late.)
So the method is very much emotion-based. The tribal identification is subsumed by the new tribe - the Maori Party. The Flags, the Identity, the Family, the Celebration. The vibe is a good one. There is humour aplenty. They are a young party despite having older MPs (Pita can't wait for someone younger to come along and replace him) and brimming with enthusiasm.
It would be very easy to be seduced by the newest political gang, especially when one sympathises with their big issue - trying to hold on to their property rights (which goes beyond just the seabed and foreshore legislation). But I do not see separatism as good for New Zealand. Factionalism of the fighting-over-resources kind is anathema, it is a divisive and destructive feature of socialism. Although the mood was very upbeat the overriding message is still one of Maori difference and Maori need and from what I could discern the really tough issues never got a look in.
7 comments:
Lindsay,
the Maori Seats - especially now that we have MMP and the Maori Party - that is, the Maorimander - is an absolute disaster for New Zealand.
If we reintroduced a property qualification, or geographical proportionality to our electoral system (both of which I advocate) then there could be a rationale for the Maori seats - with a written constitutional arrangement where by their votes had no effect on confidence or supply . Under MMP, the Maorimander is a disaster waiting to happen, and it may well happen at the next election.
Here's why. The expected outcome is that National+ACT will be the largest coalition in the parliament, but the Maori Party will be the balance of power. When that happens, the Maori Party really has only two choices: support National, or support Labour. Abstaining will effectively support a National government at that point.
Now the Maori party will use a Marae based process to decide what do to, but their supporters' preferences will be shown by their Party Votes. And unless the Maori Party campaigns strongly for both votes, those Party Votes will be overwhelmingly for Labour.
so the choice is simple: support National after closely fought and bitter election -against the wishes and inclinations of its own supporters. Sorry to rain on your parade, or every other centre-left (i.e. National & ACT supporting) blogger but it's just not going to happen. At the very least, self-interest will prevent it: such a choice would result in the Maori Party being wiped out at the next election, the way NZF was hacked out of the Maori seats after they supported National.
Now, NZ's in the worst economic times for 80 years, and we've pissed away the 10 good years when we might have made some progress. It's absolutely clear the corrections that National+ACT will have put in place in December will make Richardson's 1991 budget look like something Cullen might have brought in.
So the Maori Party won't go with National. They'll go with Labour. They will ignore that hardworking, taxpaying, General Roll electors want a National government 60% to Clark's 20%. They will do it to protect their own short term interests.
And when that happens, I honestly fear for NZ. Maraes and Wharenui's will burn; the truckers & farmers will be out on the streets in force; we will be back to the Springbok riots - but about the core of NZ's constitution not some ultimately inconsequential rugby game.
If Labour forms a government on the back for the Maorimander, I'm sure Rodney will have the guts to boycott parliament, and (unlike Brash, who should have done this last time) Key will probably join him in refusing to accept such a government as legitimate, and calling on the UN or the Australians to resolve the problem.
either way, the next few months are going to be tough, especially for the Maori party. And, funnily enough, it mostly depends on whether the "Iwi" vote like "Kiwi" (Maori/National or Maori/ACT); whether they have enough confidence to vote for themselves (Two Ticks Maori) which will undermine the Maorimander; or whether they do what the Greens & Labour hacks who set up MMP want: the Maorimander vote (Maori/Labour) or (Maori/Greens), create a 7 seat overhang, and let Labour "govern" over the wishes of the other 120 seats in parliament, and over the wishes of the NZ people.
anonymous - I wish you had the balls to put your name to your comment because what you have written in the most part is complete bullshit.
anonymous - I wish you had the balls to put your name to your comment
It's not a question of balls.
because what you have written in the most part is complete bullshit.
Which bits? That the Maori Party vote goes mostly to Labour? That MMP was set up to do that? That the last Maori party who went with National then lots all the Maori seats? Or that the consequences for NZ could be disastrous?
Or that ACT/National bloggers are dreaming if they think the Maori Party will support an ACT/National government (and, gee, with NZF gone, thanks to MMP there can't be an ACT/National government without them)?
Do explain.
1. there won't be a 7 seat overhang.
2. the Maori seats are not an absolute disaster for NZ
3 NZ First was " hacked out" after they DIDNT support National after 1998, not because they did.
4. Every thing in paragraph 9
etc...
Dave - please give up on your clearly-state-school provided education and at least look at wikipedia.
3 NZ First was " hacked out" after they DIDNT support National after 1998, not because they did.
Nope. The NZF and ex-NZF MPs (i.e. three of the tight five, then calling themselves Mauri Pacific under Tau Henare) where unceremoniously wasted for supporting National - in fact so was NZF.
The rest of your points similarly rest on socialist assertion, rather than rational fact.
ok anon, quit the personal attacks and start to learn how to spell. Then you'll have more credibility.
Never under estimate the power of a free feed of kfc on election day to sway the floating voter.
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