WAATEA NEWS COLUMN: Does the Maori Party need a MoU with the MANA Movement?
The Maori Party need to become a Party of Government rather than a Party in Government. They need to be prepared to sit at every Parliament if they wish to be effective. The speed of the change in internal polling post the Memorandum of Understanding however puts the Maori Party in a difficult position.
If Labour put a concerted effort into Waiariki, they could tap into the support MANA generated and tip Flavell out, ending the Maori Party altogether. You can see the way Labour have let loose Te Tai Tonga MP Rino Tirikatene onto the Maori Party as proof positive Labour have taken the gloves off.
The Memorandum of Understanding makes the Maori Party irrelevant to a new Government post 2017, and if the new reporting of the polls gives the perception of momentum, the Maori Party suffers.
In such a changing strategic landscape, the Maori Party need to take the same MMP approach and look at creating their own Memorandum of Understanding to ensure there is an independent Maori political voice at the table while giving the Maori Party a chance to be part of a new Government and cement in their position as a Party of Government.
The solution is obvious. The great schism within political Maoridom needs to be repaired. The MANA Movement and the Maori Party need urgent discussions to discuss their own Memorandum of Understanding. The Maori Party don’t run a candidate in Te Tai Tokerau and urge their voters support Hone and the MANA Movement doesn’t stand in Waiariki, urging their voters support Flavell.
This would guarantee both parties get elected plus they can give a reason to boost their Party vote because their entry is assured and under the coat tailing rule they could bring in an MP each off their lists if they hit over 1.2% Party vote. As a bloc they could have 4 MPs that give real power to Maori interests.
If the Greens and Labour can set aside their animosity to get the best for their voters as the economy turns, why can’t the Maori Party and MANA Movement?
Yes without the Mana Party the Maori Party is dead the evidence is plain to see…Maori Party supports National equals all things Maori decline…
Mana don’t need the dead toxic tory Maori party imho.
the Maori party got into bed with key and national they are traitors and i will be quite happy to see them gone
Agreed. Not a truer word spoken. I am with you Uma.
Labour should withdraw their candidate in Waiariki in 2017 and support Annette Sykes.
Labour should withdraw their candidate in Te Tai Tokerau in 2017 and let Hone win.
It’s called MMP. National do it for ACT in Epsom. National have a strategy. This is why the far-right don’t hate National, but the far-left hate Labour.
Time for Labour to open their broad tent to the left instead of to the right
1000% Fatty bang on there.
They can’t have a chat over a cup of tea until Hone indicates what he wants to do. Hone hasn’t even said if he wants to run in next year’s election yet. If he stands independently then there’s hope for a nice cup of tea, if he doesn’t, well then, you can forget it.
NO. Why taint Mana with the treasonous toxic tory Maori party? Mana doesn’t need that. A vote for the tory Maori party is a vote for National. The Maori party hasn’t been the voice for Maori in 8 years. Maori are worse off and have sunk deeper into poverty, even Te Reo has declined since the Maori party has been propping up this government of destruction and self serving personal greed. Kick Flavell out and get rid of the Maori party. Expect Labour to go after all the Maori seats like they did last time, unless Hone and Labour/Greens have a chat with a cup of tea.
mana could make a deal with the lab-greens mana gets electorate vote labor gets the party vote Maori party gets kicked out kelvin would get in on the list