Waatea News Column: Māori Party victory reminds everyone how MMP can transform NZ politics into true Treaty partnership
The extraordinary wins for the Māori Party are historic and paradigm-shifting.
While the Specials remain to be counted, the scale and wave of the Māori Party win and its new increased influence in politics has been generated by the new demographic realities of the Māori electorate where 70% of the population is under 40.
No where can the scale of that demographic shift be seen better than in the remarkable win by 21 year old Hana Maipi-Clarke against Nanaia Mahuta.
As we await the Specials, the unique features of the MMP overhang are in sharp focus and it is time for the Māori Party and the wider Left to think long and hard about the journey in front of us.
The ideas shaped in He Puapua to see Māoridom given the promises of Treaty Sovereignty has generated a cultural and political backlash as the Right successfully managed to frighten White NZ into believing it represented a secret agenda to steal NZ Democracy.
What the overhang shows us however is that there is a direct means within the current MMP rules that could actually deliver Māoridom that Treaty Sovereignty without actually requiring the painful and inflammatory fight He Puapua has descended into.
If the Māori Party ran in all Māori Electorates for only the Electorate seat while advising the Party vote should go to Labour, the Māori Party would generate an enormous ever present MMP overhang that would forever keep them in the heart of Government.
Why push He Puapua and fight the reactionary white backlash when the solution to real power lies within the existing MMP rules?
First published on Waatea News.
Can you imagine the 1 man one-vote complaints from the leafy suburbs if that happened? They don’t mind if they do it in Epsom but it would be hissy fit central if they felt that the rules disadvantaged them. It’s a pity they didn’t decide to do this a few months ago when the polls showed the low left vote. this is more a reflection on the issues within Labour who appear to be almost incapable of relating to the country outside of the PMC.
If TPM wanted real change they could offer to go with Nat/Act and keep Winston on the side line . They will achieve little for their people from the side lines.The party worked with Key and made some wins for Maori.
“If the Māori Party ran in all Māori Electorates for only the Electorate seat while advising the Party vote should go to Labour, the Māori Party would generate an enormous ever present MMP overhang that would forever keep them in the heart of Government.”
That almost seems to be in play already. Despite four electorate seats going to Te Pati Maori and marginal loses in a further two, Labour received the highest party vote in all seven seats.
What? Are you suggesting TPM try and be democratic? They don’t like democracy…
You may not know what it feels like to be a part of a community that feels good because they trust you and respect you and can make decisions for each other in parliament makes for a better mood.
‘Feel good’ can occur with dangerous ignorance, Sam.
It happened in Germany in the 1930s.