Waatea News Column: On the Māori Party as Queenmaker
It is very clear that the Māori Party have ruled out making Chris Luxon and David Seymour the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister of NZ in the next Government, but the Polls are clearly pointing to a slumping Labour & Green Party who will require the Māori Party to form a majority for the 2023 election.
While some will claim the Polls are too far out to give any definitive picture of where 2023 is heading, polling data over decades tend to suggest Polling becomes static as early as 12 months out so these numbers can be banked and debated.
It demands the Māori Party step up and push for policy that not only resonates with Māori but stands for a better New Zealand.
The danger is that the Māori Party’s agitation activism focusing on identity and expression of identity has an electorate outside Māoridom.
The Māori Party’s GST off food policy has the same ability to bring in wide community support as the ‘feed the kids’ campaign run by Hone Harawira did.
If the Māori Party wish to avoid handing ACT and National political ammunition by playing up fears of co-governance, the Māori Party must push for policy that impacts the majority of people damaged by free market capitalism.
Free dental care, Free public transport, State Houses for life and GST off food are all powerful policies that would have the most material impact on the poorest Māori and the poorest pākehā.
The mana of being the Queenmaker demands an obligation by the Māori Party to advance policy that helps bring everyone trapped by poverty forward.
First published on Waatea News.
The mere possibility that “caucasity” Waititi has any say in government will poison the prospects of the Left.
There’s precious little evidence that the Maori party give a rats about struggling European or Asian Kiwis, the interests of the country as a whole or even the value of liberal democracy itself.
Every time Waititi opens his mouth it’s more votes for National, ACT or NZF.
What is good for Maori is good for all of NZ. If Waititi is poisoning the left Seymour’s policies will kill the centre right and that is National who will have to deal with him.
Well that might be true, just as what’s good for New Zealand is good for Maori is probably true. It’s not as if Maori aspirations and obstacles are manifestly different from everyone else.
The ACT party have long been aligned with National so I think voters have the expectation they will be part any Right government and have factored that in already. TMP on the other hand seem determined to offend as many people as possible – the openly expressed distain for the 80% + non Maori part of the population (European and Asian) for example.
After some of the things Waititi has said Labour, if they had a shred of decency, should point blank refuse to have anything to do with them.
I can agree with your first statement but the Q&A interview with Waititi left me in fear of race wars if they got any power especially if it was with Labour and Greens .They would all be chasing the same 15 percent of the population and poor and middle income pakeha would not get a look in
ma he has to win a seat and if they get a percentage of the party vote they get more seats depending on the total percentage or the Maori party have to get over 5% of the total party vote to get back in. They are in the same position Winstone was in and he didn’t win an electoral seat and out they went cause they didn’t reach the 5% threshold or win a seat.
The opportunity will be there in the 2023 election for the Maori Party to side with a major political party which reflects its core principles and values. A third term labour government with Maori in key roles would promote the best interests of the New Zealand people in general, in my opinion.
The reason for this is that National believe in free market economic theory, so no rent controls will be established even if they’re needed, no third State run supermarket to break up our current Duopoly, the minimum wage traditionally goes up more slowly under National than under Labour, superannuation stays at 65 even though it would be more appropriate at 66 or 67 as a big influx of Baby Boomers are about to hit retirement, State assets get sold.