Waatea News Column: Could Dame Tariana Turia’s musings cost Labour the Māori vote?
How hard will Jacinda and Grant make it for Willie Jackson to deliver the Māori vote for Labour again?
Jackson’s defection to Labour in the last election was the crucial lynchpin in a Labour strategy to eliminate coalition partners for National making a Government with NZ First and the Greens more likely.
Standing a solid centrist candidate like Greg O’Connor in Ōhāriu locked out Peter Dunne and United Future while Jackson’s deal for a Labour list position saw the Māori Party lose its urban Māori vote and removed the Māori Party from Parliament.
As the Māori campaign manager, Jackson not only won Labour all 7 Māori electorates, he brought in enough Party vote from Māori voters in the general seats to put Labour into a position that made negotiating with Winston a possibility.
However, the hope of Jacinda’s transformation promise and the the politics of kindness sound hollow in the wake of the Oranga Tamariki baby uplift scandal, the dumping of vast amounts of Māori input into the mental health inquiry and the ongoing arguments of Māori health deficiencies alongside the day to day struggles many Māori still face are collectively putting an enormous pressure on Jackson to deliver those votes for Labour in 2020.
The Māori Caucus managed to strong arm some meaningful Māori specific resource in the most recent budget but an inability to direct Government agencies to respond in culturally appropriate ways towards Māori are eclipsing those gains with news headline after news headline highlighting bias and structural racism.
This all makes Dame Tariana Turia’s recent musings on TVNZs Q&A about the need for a Māori political voice so much more dangerous to Labour.
If the Government can not show Māori voters that they will receive the same level of care and agency that Pakeha enjoy from universally provided social services, then Dame Turia’s musings will gather momentum and burn Jacinda in 2020.
So, how hard will Jacinda and Grant make it for Willie Jackson to deliver the Māori vote for Labour again?
First published on Waatea News.
They will make it very f**king hard is the indication at this early stage!
The Govt. are achieving some needed reforms, and repairing various Nat damage, but majorly failing in two areas–Political Management and Framing, and retaining the Fiscal Cap on borrowing to GDP.
To be frank, they need some battle hardened class warriors as advisors and strategists if they are going to convincingly win a second term.
It will take more than musings to lose those seats
Our front page headline should say ‘National party have failed Maori’ the suicide numbers speak for themselves from 2008 the numbers of Maori suicides increased and continued to climb upwards and in 2012 we saw a spike and the same picture is there for cyfs this is but two arms of our government. I believe when and if they look a bit deeper they will see other government departments failures and they will see they TOW has been tramped on by national who claim to be good economic managers.
I don’ agree with what kelvin Davis said about Maori wanting a short cut to power its a bit like them passing legislation under urgency and us not being consulted on many issues yet we are suppose to be a Treaty partner. We are sick of the scratch record saying they will consult us what a load of bull and this is ongoing. And that is load of bull about us being able to out vote Pakeha when there is more of them than us and we have too many old crusty white men and women in our councils with outdated old fashion ideas. Now the councils are going broke they want more power fuck of bad enough we have put up with central government who aren’t delivering for our people.
Somebody said Maori need to vote for there own people. Sounds like common sense why isn’t this happening?
We are voting for our own people in the general elections but we aren’t voting in the local body elections i always have but many don’t even if we did we would get out voted so you can put that one to bed now
Yeah I see what you mean Michelle. Most people all colours don’t vote local elections. Until Maori wards are established and they may not be or come and go then your stuck. Gotta vote!
Didn’t Tariana Turia state she also uplifted her own family members child?
Don’t think she can play the Mother Teresa card on this one.
Yes and given the years she and her party propped up the corrupt self serving National mis-government of chronic neglect and its punishing war against the poor and vulnerable Tariana Turia doesn’t have a moral leg to stand on.
we do vote for our own people but many don’t vote in their local council elections
I see judeath gollins is Maori bashing again she is one racist swine and she is racist towards our Maori people. I have never ever heard her embrace anything Maori including our language even though she is married to a Samoan she is a bloody racist and divisive to our Maori people. I for one will be glad to see the back of this nasty piece. She claims she has a Samoa husband she isn’t racist but she is and always will be.
judeath gollins is a racist i can see from her interviews and her twitter account she hates our people (Maori) nasty cow moo moo moo
yes mr coloniser im right
yes mr coloniser (im right)
yes mr coloniser (im right) your the one that should be ashamed if we are kid killers and you are pedophiles
yes mr coloniser (im right) your the one that should be ashamed if we are kid killers and you are pedophiles
yes mr coloniser (im right) your the one that should be ashamed if we are kid killers and you are pedophiles
Go Michelle! Bomber, I don’t know why you think Jackson is the main player in making the Maori Party collapse and all Maori seats go to Labour. I am a fan of Mahuta who is a more experienced politician and has a lot of clout among Maori. Better to listen to more Maori, not take Turia at face value.
think Parihaka im right your history is pretty fucked up you sound like you are losing it does the truth hurt
Yes I have much respect for Nania Mahuta as many Maori obviously do,
she is not ego driven.
I only wish she had been part of a Government for more years and able to make more progress for Maori.
She has been in parliament for a long time and achieved very little. She is there for the gravy train.
Rosielee, you could say that about every single MP there. But without evidence your comment means little.
Rosielee,
Sadly you do not seem to understand how Parliament works and the difference between being in opposition and being in Government [it is
government who hold the purse strings] and most recently we have had nine years of a National Government . Maori have always been a minority.
Rudeness is no substitute for knowledge.
[ spelling correction Nanaia]
Could Dame Tariana Turia’s musings cost Labour the Māori vote?
No.
Tariana Turia doesn’t have a moral leg to stand on, particularly after the years she and her party propped up the corrupt self serving National mis-government of chronic neglect and its punishing war against the poor and vulnerable. People see the hypocrisy and will take no notice.
im right so the British saved Parihaka by raping and killing their women and children and sending their leaders to gaol without a trial and these people were passive these people were ahead of there time they had a bank and thriving community but your colonisation saved them from what exactly?
Parihaka comes to mind but you wouldn’t know aye im right you have selective history