As the planet reels from the extraordinary police violence erupting in America and the Black Lives Matter movement gains global mobilization and social media dominance, the Māori Party launch their own Election 2020 campaign over the weekend and the message was very clear, Maori Lives Matter.
The focus is on the post-Covid 19 world NZ now lives in and the argument is that Māori is always left behind when any rebuild is undertaken.
The Māori Party are promising:
- Confirm that all government funding for projects over the next two years guarantees 25% Māori direct resourcing combining the delivery of a Māori workforce and the services of owned businesses and organisations.
- Confirm that 25% of all projects will be Māori-led recovery projects and business recovery initiatives that partner with hapū, iwi and Māori organisations and Māori-led businesses.
- Guarantee that 25% of all government projects that are prioritised through the COVID-19 Recovery (Fast-track Consenting) legislation partner with hapū, iwi and Māori organisations and businesses.
- Emphasise that all COVID-19 recovery bodies reflect the Te Tiriti relationship in their structure and membership.
- Reinforce that COVID-19 recovery projects must enhance the mana o te whenua, the mana o te wai, mana o te moana and protect wāhi tapu, rights and interests of the natural environment.
The message that the Māori Party have been keen to push this election is that National can’t expect their support with Todd Muller’s Māori blindspot so evident in his Shadow Cabinet and that the Māori Party could work with Labour.
With the Māori electorate so tightly tied to Labour, working with Jacinda gives the Māori Party access to far more sympathetic Māori voters who could vote split between the two parties and double their Māori representation in Parliament.
The Māori Party could be the surprise performer on Election night and with a real possibility that Labour might win a majority Government, that would make the Labour Māori Caucus the largest faction inside the next Government.
This could all add up to more Māori political representation in the next Government than ever before. The question then would be, ‘what are Māori getting for that increased political representation’?
First published on Waatea News.
Could the Maori Party be a kind of green party?
(like the one that so many are disillusioned with)
Anti Neoliberal and enviromentally friendly policies?
If the MP pull their heads in, stop the “place at the table” sycophancy they displayed under our glorious ex leader Key, and state they will not enter into a Govt. with National, then they will certainly have a path back and deservedly so.
The current line up looks more contemporary too, “Front bum” notwithstanding, maybe Mr Tamihere has had an epiphany, people should be allowed to change I guess. The Māori world runs in some respects like a parallel one to the Pākehā world. Many white people just do not get it, let alone interact with it. There have always been Māori sell outs and a small bourgeoisie. But the bulk are working and some middle class. Unity between Māori and Pākehā is one of the things the ruling class fears most–whether a rejuvenated MP could move that forward is another matter perhaps at this stage.
Hone Harawira seems to have made tentative steps back toward the Māori Party, and after all he was significantly responsible for Mana Party and the interesting history!
I agree with you Martyn because if our Maori whanau voter strategically we can have many more Maori in parliament.
Colour coordinated I like that.
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