Extraordinary Māori Party rhetoric will radicalize violent AntiVaxxers
The Māori Party want a tangata whenua led COVID-19 response and for mandates to be abolished, saying the government has failed to provide equitable opportunities for Māori.
On Wednesday, Te Pāti Māori co-leaders Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer launched their COVID-19 Pandemic Response Policy.
Jesus wept, what the Christ are the Māori Party doing?
To give them the benefit of the doubt, let’s first appraise their suggestions before damning them for rhetoric that if spoken by anyone else would justify Police attention.
Te Pāti Māori’s COVID-19 Pandemic Response Policy policy proposes:
- Empower and resource Māori to lead our own COVID-19 response
- Establish an independent statutory Māori Pandemic Response Group
- Abolish government mandates
- Affirm autonomy to set tikanga for tangihanga
- Invest in holistic wellbeing
- Implement a Māori home isolation strategy
- Support whānau who are struggling and have been impacted by COVID-19
- Keep our international borders closed until Māori vaccination rates hit 95 percent
We can all agree that Maori led health providers are one of the success stories here. They have shown outreach capacity within their own community that is unparalleled to Pakeha dominated DHBs. They should be properly empowered and resourced.
The establishment of a Maori Pandemic Response Group makes sense and should be implemented.
You can’t abolish Government mandates, this is a public health crisis not a racist policy against Maori and attempting to portray it as such is disingenuous in the extreme.
While Tikanga for tangihanga must always and will always be set by Maori – again these restrictions are a public health issue not a racist crackdown on Maori funeral customs!
Investment in holistic wellbeing is great. Let’s do that.
Implementation of a Maori home insulation strategy is wise and good.
Supporting struggling Whānau is righteous.
I agree with keeping our international borders closed until Maori hit 95% vaccination rates.
So all up some great ideas, most of which I agree with but that’s not all they have said.
The Maori Party have disgraced themselves by using rhetoric that if used by any other politician would see them criticized and asked to stand down!
Rawiri Waititi said the party was fundamentally opposed to mandates because they were a direct attack on our constitutional rights under Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
“Their [government] latest mandate programme is a knee-jerk reaction to a failing system that has not been well thought out,” Waititi said.
“They have consistently provided a one size fits all approach. A narrow-minded approach that has vilified the unvaccinated people in this country,” he said.
“This has caused vaccination hesitancy and the division we see in this country.”
“Māori constantly find ourselves having to pick up the pieces of reckless government legislation that continues to marginalise and criminalise our people,” Waititi said.
“We are still recovering from legislation forced onto our people and for this reason we do not trust.”
Debbie Ngarewa-Packer said the government had failed to provide equity for Māori in accessing information, resources and vaccinations.
She said they had actively blocked efforts to protect our communities.
“I have witnessed the gaps with my very own eyes. Every piece of advice given by Tangata Whenua over the course of this pandemic has been ignored by this government. And they still don’t have a plan,” Ngarewa-Packer said.
“Their blatant willingness to ignore Māori health expert advice is committing us to beauracratic genocide.”
Describing this as a ‘beauracratic genocide’ while using the wild rhetoric of Rawiri is deeply offensive and a direct play to the AntiVaxxer electorate.
The Maori Party are flirting with a segment of society who should be pacified not celebrated.
If they had simply left it at their suggested ideas this would have been a good addition to the debate but by framing it in such divisive terms they are actually the fanning themselves fires of extremism.
Any other political party would be called out for such dangerous tactics.
AntiVaxxers are not a fringe group who should be rewarded politically.
There are already example after example of AntiVaxx lunatics screaming ‘genocide’ at School staff and MPs.
The Maori Party are playing a very dangerous game by using words designed to create fear and anger at a time when leadership requires calm legitimacy.
This isn’t that.
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Nothing wrong with the wish list at all, but “genocide” is a word to be used very sparingly and in the correct context. Similar to describing merely officious people as Nazis or fascists.
Rawiri may feel that way personally, but it is out of line for a sitting Parliamentarian (though being an MP obviously does not stop Mr Seymour from being a twat). The media will focus on those two words rather than the reasonable suggestions, just like they did when Tariana Turia used “holocaust”. The continuing grinding reality of colonial fallout will get ignored in the stampede to chase the provocative headline–and the Māori Parti managed it all by themselves!
p.s. It is true that Māori significantly due to the dominance of younger people were towards the end of roll out rather than at the front like older Pākehā. Protecting the old first was the strategy before Delta. With hind sight it becomes obvious that people more likely to spread due to being out and about, like essential low paid workers should have been prioritised as well. All very well for those locked down in the leafy suburbs with full pantrys and a well equipped home office to get by uninfected.
Seems like sitting right next to Seymour in parliament, the idiocy is rubbing off.
This always happens to the Maori Party. Start off well then go all radical and racist. Now inviting the AV mob into their fold is fucked. This is right wing dogma so they can fuck right off.
slow news day . .
not sure what Waititis’ trying to achieve here – i don’t think it’s the outcome he thinks it will be . .
stay clear of this
https://twitter.com/Te_Taipo/status/1460540909506891782
something mandates . . something crime . .
Maori Party won’t be radicalising fuckall
if Maori are isolated then like he did with the prison riots will get up go and help them .
The government invested 120 million fund to accelerate Maori vaccination rates on 20th October, on 2nd Nov. 23,5 million for 8 Maori oranisations. The vaccination centres are open and there is still one month to go till 15th Dec. Maori represent 42% of cases (2560) and 31% (110) of hospitalisation rates which should be an incentive. There were 35 deaths of Covid in NZ, 7 of delta variant. So genocide, really?
Nahh bro. Auckland has done ALL the mahi of this pandemic. Locked down for 4 months and getting 95.4% jabbed. The rest of Aotearoa should be thankful, not spreading fear of opening up. Let’s all get the Shot for Summer and have a great Christmas together.
Rob Logic, I am thankful. Auckland bought is all time and just in time. A hearty thank you Auckland. Here we go now for Tauranga.
No wonder they are at 1 percent
Rightly or wrongly Trevor, this is why Labour have all but two of the Maori seats and one was very marginal, Rotorua.
The covid pandemic, a health crisis, has revealed and shone a light on our already divided nation/planet. No government is responsible for any individual citizen’s choices including their beliefs (however loony tunes they are). Come election time, all kiwis will have experienced SARS-CoV-2 firsthand one way or another and many will be grateful that our leaders made a lot of good righteous and difficult decisions. Those of us still alive, or suffering long covid, will forgive a few regretful decisions by government (with hindsight). And those who won’t or can’t or whatever will be a small minority. Jmo
Acts not the only one chasing the anti vax vote. I see. Gross.
It’s funny maori up and down the country told the Maori party they wanted them to work with labour and rule out national, since they came back into office they’ve cooperated with noone and tbh after this and all the pointless stunts that the two electorate mp have made and now this .. I wouldn’t be surprised if they increase their party vote but lose their seat if labour runs a better candidate.
I remember when the greens were so full of alt health crystal people that there would be no way the greens could ever be considered a coalition partner in a pandemic situation like this … They did purge those people, mostly.
Maori party just ruled themselves out of any future coalition arrangement with labour. Even Winston wont stoop to pandering to the anti vax crowd for votes
Too bad it’s not hone and mana in parliament instead of these two
How much more radicalized can the anti-vaxxers get! By golly this mob makes Isis, Al-Qaeda, name your patsy group, look like rank amateurs…..
The Maori Party is easily manipulated – the polls show that only approx 1/3 of Maori actually party vote for the Maori Party (33,632 votes in 2020, 30,580 votes 2017, 31,850 votes 2014) so they have never got much traction. It’s a turn off to 2/3 of Maori voters and their votes are largely static over a decade.
The reason that Mana were successful to grow the vote was that they did not have a race based policy as their flagship. Therefore in the 2014 election, there were 31,850 for Maori and 34,095 for Mana. So The Maori Party were better off with Mana supporting them and growing that sector of the vote.
That is why Mana terrified the other parties and the neoliberals. They actually had a unique message for those that were not happy with the status quo.
If The Maori Party really want to support Maori then look at where it’s going wrong (dirty politics) , and a bit more money and a separate race based approach isn’t going to solve anything very efficiently.
What does beauracratic mean ?
Really this dude should stick to being a fashion icon
Like so many other Maori “leaders” during this crisis ranting at the health system for trying to minimise Covids effect on Maori is as constructive as putting a shotgun in your mouth and pulling both barrels
Undermining confidence in the Heath services (which incidentally have done a brilliant job- particularly for Maori and Pacific communities ). is tantamount to treason .
The brutal truth is not a single Maori ( (or Pacifica) “Leader” has provided a jot of benefit to the people they are pretending to represent
The most glaring failures are the self satisfied seat warmers in the Governments Maori Caucus
Remember all those fem fatale LLB geniuses who were destined to lead us into a new and better world
During this crisis most of them didn’t even get out of the starting gates let alone crash at the first hurdle – now Labour is stuck with them
While the Maori party John Tamahere. Hone Hariwera and Effosa Collins blunder. about in a very dark room full of ghosts and goblins
Ngarewa-Packer vaccinates
https://www.teaomaori.news/ngarewa-packer-im-not-about-allow-anyone-die