Dame Tariana Turia – one of the most influential voices in NZ Politics has died
Dame Tariana Turia, one of the most influential voices in NZ Politics has died.
Her courage to face off against the Labour Party’s racist land confiscation set in motion one of the most powerful forces in Māori politics – The Māori Party.
The Labour Party’s decision to embark upon the largest land confiscation in NZs history to hold the racist centre of NZ politics was always a dire decision that has tainted the mana of the Labour Party ever since.
Her courage and certainty of Māori identity were her strengths, but the battle with Labour came at a cost.
The MANA Party formed out of the Māori Party because Turia’s blind hatred towards Labour cemented a deal with the Devil in the form of a political partnership with National that ultimately saw the Party thrown out of politics.
It is ironic that all the gains the Māori Party did make from National during her time in parliament have all been swept aside by this new anti-Treaty right wing Government.
Her courage, her legendary fearlessness and her all knowing chuckle all mark her as an extraordinary New Zealander and a true Māori leader without peer.
It must have generated an enormous amount of pride for her to see the promise of the Māori Party come to fruition during it’s most stern of challenges by this racist new Government.
She would chuckle at how awkward Luxon, Helen Clark, Winston and Seymour will all look at her funeral.
There really won’t be another intellectual of her standing in politics for a long time.
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Big loss. “Courage” a rare quality in her day, near on extinct today.
She would chuckle at how awkward Luxon, Helen Clark, Winston and Seymour will all look at her funeral.
That’s if they show up at her funeral.
I doubt they will show up but then it might be a photo op for Luxon pretending to be sadened by her death and Winston could pretend he is a Kaumatua
By crapping on Labour from a great height, Tariana certainly helped put events in motion that are finally having a more positive outcome for today’s iteration of Te Pāti Māori. TPM has got a mass movement going and involved a whole new generation in political action and Parliamentary political affairs.
Identity vs class politics was rarely illustrated better though than when Māori Party Mk1 made an MMP deal with Nashnull! Negative statistics dive bombed further, though some Tiriti settlements continued to be done–but with never enough compensation.
Tariana Turia deserves a good send off but has a mixed record.
My main thought about her is that she enabled almost 9 years of John Key so while any death is sad and I can understand the loss to her family and friends overall she was just another politician with an ego to me. If she had made a meaningful lasting improvement it the economic circumstances for Maori I would have a high opinion of her.
By siding with Key they got more for Maori than teaming up to Labour who took them for granted. It all kept a useless disjointed Labour Party out of the running for 9 years.
Bonnie I so agree she enabled John Key to stay in power for 9 years and for what. There were no markers established for Maori that improved their lives under their watch. Unfortunately they were used and abused because of her total dislike of Helen Clarke and the Labour Party of the day. RIP
Yes the day she sided with Key was the day she sold her sole for money. Not quite the wonderful person people thought she was.
She did believe that her whanau wouldn’t have died if they’d not smoked, but suggesting that motorists toot at drivers smoking in passing cars wasn’t well thought out.
Hilarious at Winston pretending that he respected Turia, when he referred to the Waitangi Tribunal process as “the path of Black Africa” (pejoratively).
Winstone respects no one except his self
Whanganui, back mid eighties, two Wahini, Tari, and Jo Maniopoto, working inside te Iwi, for better. those days Union organiser and sub branch, secretery of the then new C.T.U.. Douglas, get the Maori, people involved. I did, as our paths crossed in my other job elected Union official, Tari, and Jo, would come to our quasi F.OL.. MEETINGS, WITH A BACKUP, WHANAU, and did for some time, tosser C.T.U. HAD AND HAS NEVER HAD CARE LIKE KELLY, YET, ASKING, ALWAYS, our people, Tar,i AND Jo . Maori Labour you still that, no what, form your Maori Party. History and now.
Bomber ,no need reply, if other tossers have replied, let them.