GUEST BLOG: Joe Trinder – Mana Maori alliance

14
4

Screen Shot 2014-10-02 at 6.08.22 am

Most Maori you speak to on the street can’t understand why Mana movement and  Maori Party don’t combine it confuses them why Maori are divided cross benches in Parliament instead of a unified political power that represents 15% of the New Zealand population.  The primary reason for the existence of both Maori Party and Mana movement was labours decision on the foreshore and seabed to breach the Treaty of Waitangi. The Foreshore and Seabed Act 2004 legislated against customary interests and was basically an attack on indigenous rights. This was later repealed for the Marine and Coastal area (Takutai Moana) Act 2011 this bill has been so far unsuccessful for Iwi and Hapu in establishing customary title.  In my opinion the best legislation is the “Treaty of Waitangi” and no firewall legislation is necessary.

Both Mana Movement and Maori party have a common goal for the Treaty of Waitangi to be honoured in full not legislated against and watered down to appease racist hate groups like John Ansell’s “Treaty Gate” or radical pressure groups like Muriel Newman’s NZCPR that have a  low tolerance of the Maori race. Combined Mana Maori would be a very formidable political organisation and could make real gains in acknowledging the Treaty. If Labour wanted to disarm this political movement it would need to make a pledge to repeal the Marine and Coastal area (Takutai Moana) Act 2011 in its first hundred days of government with no replacement and arrange for Helen Clark to announce on national television “I was wrong”. Unfortunately Labour doesn’t have the courage to do what it takes to reside honourably over the Maori seats.

In the 2014 Elections the Maori party and Mana Movement cannibalised each other an example in Tamaki Makaurau, Mana movement candidate Kereama Pene got 2092 votes and Maori Party’s Rangi Maclean received 5262 both lost to Labours Peeni Henare who got 6497 votes. This happened in many electorates where both parties cannibalised each other and labour slipped right through the middle. The same outcome happened in Te Tai Hauauru, Ikaroa Rawhiti and Te Tai Tokerau to the detriment of both parties.

The Maori party has a Kaupapa that they will work with whoever is in power and they are neither left nor right but above as purely Maori sitting at the table of power with Whanau Ora as their flagship policy. Mana Movement is a left wing indigenous rights socialist movement for the poor and impoverished that prides itself on its Robin Hood policies.  Both organisations have identical policies of living wage and the Treaty of Waitangi to be honoured in full.  For a Mana Maori alliance both organisations need to have a willingness to combine and negotiators that are willing to make it work. Negotiations have been attempted before but collapsed because of these challenges

*Mana won’t work with National due to its punitive policies against the working class poor

*Maori party will work with National –this relationship has diminished support

*Negotiators need be open about policy and plans

TDB Recommends NewzEngine.com

*A neutral party to negotiate the terms of engagement

*Avoid negotiators that are unwilling to develop a relationship

Both Mana and Maori are hurting from the elections and should consider unification on the left as Maori voter’s natural home. There has been a suggestion both parties not stand against each other and come to a compromise on who stands in what electorate, there is no guarantee this strategy would work.  If Mana and Maori are unified politically and control all seven Maori electorates New Zealand’s approach to indigenous rights will improve dramatically not the lip service we get from the major parties.  A strategy needs to be fleshed out for the next elections or it’s a clean sweep for labour come 2017 and the foreshore Hikoi was all for nothing. A combined operation in local body elections could be the litmus test.

 

 

Joe Trinder – Ngāti Awa Born and born in Ōtepoti Ōtākou, Ex-RNZN he is an Information Technology Analyst based in Mangere South Auckland. Chairman of Mana Tamaki Makaurau and Chairman of the Manukau Urban Maori Authority.

14 COMMENTS

  1. don’t understand why Mana movement and Māori Party don’t combine

    because they hate each other? The Maori Party (rightly) see Hone & Mana as traitors — which is why they were cheering when Hone was beaten by Davis. Similarly the Maori party — especially Tariana Turia — see Labour as traitors for the reason you point out above. On the basis that “the enemy of the enemy is my friend” the Maori party were willing to vote for Davis to take out Mana.

    Unfortunately Labour doesn’t have the courage to do what it takes to reside honourably over the Maori seats.

    well of course not — no colonist party ever can give this guarantee. A New Zealand where bourgeois wealth is tied up in private property cannot coëxist with an Aotearoa where whenua is the inalienable possession of Māori.

  2. Hone is trying to do something about our declining statistics under a National led government, Maori party ignores & manipulates them for 2 weetbix & a Kura!
    I could go on for days about how Ngati-national have sold us out but the gist is Honi will never work with the Maori Party again because he has morals te ururoa flavell does not!

    • As I see it there are left wing Maori and right wing Maori just as there are every other type of people. Hone represents one and Flavel the other.What’s more the Mana Movement isnt only about Maori but is presenting us with an opportunity to form a genuine left wing party for all. Big difference.

      • The Maori Party exists to represent Maori aspirations as they exist across Maoridom, and it cannot do that by restricting their political leanings in advance. (Whether they succeed is a separate issue)

        The Mana Movement is fundamentally socialist, with specific ideas about how Maori interests can best be served.

        Even if and when they agree on policy, they have incompatible kaupapa.

    • when you talk about Whanau ora just how many maori people have been helped and exactly what kind of help are they been given. There are hundreds of maori people that are not helped. How do maori people excess this assistance.

      • When the TTT candidates were on Native TV Hone said that funding had been cut from services like woman’s refuge to fund Whanau Ora, and that his staff was taking in these woman cause there was no longer any where for them to go.
        Paegna said that whanau ora is helping communities & whanau to help these women?? What about the woman that are trying to get away from abusive whanau? But anyway, I’ve heard of thousands of woman that have been helped by woman’s refuge, and TBH I hadn’t even heard of whanau ora till the elections, still waiting to hear of one person that’s benefited from it!
        Another one from paegna that cracked me up was putting wifi into Maraes.. Our marae hasn’t even got a fridge ow!

  3. Good post Joe. I would like to see it happen.

    If the stars aligned, a combined Maori-Mana party would not only have a shot at getting a number of the Maori seats but also if seen as an option for the left could attract party votes from people, like myself, not on the Maori roll.

    It would be a balancing act between being a left wing party and a party with a focus on Maori issues and might it be very tricky to pull off but if done right it could bring in a respectable amount of Mps.

    I cannot see Labour’s fortunes changing dramatically over the next 3 years so there is a window of opportunity.

  4. “Most Maori you speak to on the street can’t understand why Mana movement and Maori Party don’t combine…”

    Have you conducted a comprehensive survey, have you? If so, I’d sure like to see the results.

    Unlike yourself, I can’t claim to speak for ‘most maori,’ but all of the Maori I know (including myself) that are left wing, most definitely would not want Mana to join up with the Uncle Tom sell outs that are the Maori party. Ideologically, they are almost diametrically opposed to one another. They both have a kaupapa Maori/Maori nationalist perspective, but their political economy stances are poles apart. Mana gives a voice to the disenfranchised, whilst the Maori party represents corporate iwi. To act as if the Maori party are some kind of post-ideological party that doesn’t sit anywhere on the political spectrum is just straight stupid. For the last 6 years they have helped to legitimate the current government, and, in doing so, they have clearly positioned themselves on the right. If, like Mana, they truly gave a fuck those Maori who are overwhelmingly overrepresented in this country’s social deprivation indices, then they would not have helped to keep the current National government in power as it has waged war on the poor.

    Maori will always do worse under a right wing government. ‘Sitting at the table’ won’t help you here because neoliberalism is basically designed to fuck the poor and the working class.

  5. The poor should rise up against this corrupt and evil government and, err, vote. 45% of Maori didn’t even bother voting. The ones that did in the Maori seats mostly voted labour, putting four mps in parliament where, without the support of the hated National party they can do precisely. . . Nothing. Good though that everyone stands on their principles and refuses to sell out to John Key, the trouble is “the poor” can’t eat principles for lunch, nor can houses ad built or repaired with them. Don’t worry though, only three more years, then mana and Maori can combine, and once national win again all the Maori seats will be held by opposition mps. So that’ll be six years. These poor kids we all pretend to care about are growing up while we all stand on our principles that make working with National too bitter a pill to swallow.

  6. Tena koe Joe, these sentiments of a joining between MANA Movement and the Maori Party would likely result in success for either or both. While both have similar kaupapa or purposes as the Chair of MANA Te Tai Hauauru I know we have a huge difference in view of how to achieve each of our purpose. We could keep banging our heads away at trying to reach an agreed compromise but I’m not holding my breath. What I believe is more important is the relationship between Labour and the Greens! We Maori and the many other poor and dispossessed in this beautiful country of ours have been so marginalised and disenfranchised by this National Government that we need more than a combined MANA and Maori Party effort (one which is fundamentally at odds with each other). Sure if MANA and Maori Party did come to some agreement it would not necessarily ensure a change in government. We need to also be sitting and having discussions with Labour and the Greens, sooner rather than later and come up with a combined strategy to absolutely win the 2017 elections! And lets not forget that the 6 Maori MPs within Labour that have the majority of the Maori electorates should be recognised also and in Nanaia Mahuta they have a tremendous opportunity themselves to help our Maori and poor and dispossessed! For a kaupapa Maori strategy the question is not about MANA and Maori Party only but has to include Labour and the Greens. I wonder who would be bold enough to bring that to fruition? I will then end on this note … MANA Movement will regroup, continue to build on what we have achieved and be the better and stronger for the lessons learnt at these 2014 elections. MANA as a cause can and will continue to have a presence in our country’s political landscape despite not having a presence in this current parliamentary term!. Mauri Ora!

  7. Mana and Maori getting together would be like Slater and kiwiblag getting together, just because they support some ideology doesn’t mean they are compatabile.
    Maori Parti are Sellouts to us forever
    Mana Parti is Fearless.
    Most Maori know this and no Maori I know want the 2 parties to combine,
    they all say “that’s just dirty politics, mudding the waters, dilution of kaupapa.”
    That’s a Hell No.

Comments are closed.