WAATEA NEWS COLUMN: Without Kakariki Alliance, Te Pati Māori risk being eclipsed by TOP

The terrible civil war instigated by the Kapa-Kingi’s against Te Pati Māori leadership crushed supported hopes and burnt their pakeha allies. Without a Kakariki Alliance MMP voting strategy, Te Pati Māori risk being eclipsed by TOP this election.

Te Pati Māori can argue as much as they as they like that they are the guardians and political representation of Te Ao Māori, but what good is that when Māori Unemployment is 11%, Māori Youth Unemployment 19%, 51 percent of Māori households are experiencing moderate to severe food insecurity and 16.5% of the total population are now living in relative income poverty after housing costs?

Hakas in Parliament are great, but getting rid of this terribly racist Government is better.

The dramas inside TPM have driven desperate voters looking for change to push TOP up to the 5% threshold and this poses a real threat to TPMs influence in any change of Government because without a Kakariki Alliance MMP voting strategy, Te Pati Māori risk being eclipsed by TOP.

There is power within MMP to change Governments, and the Māori Electorates are the key to that power. If TPM embrace a Kakariki Alliance MMP voting strategy they have a chance of not only changing the Government but to influence the next one.

Candidate vote TPM in the Māori Electorates while telling TPM voters to party vote Green generates an MMP Overhang WHILE recycling their Party vote into the Greens.

Part of this arrangement would be a united voting front between the Greens and TPM when negotiating with Labour to ensure Labour’s incrementalism doesn’t smother the hopes of those 860 000 Kiwis now living in poverty.

TPM, despite all the madness, all the internal strife and all the needless dramas still have one shot to make a difference this Election by endorsing and promoting an MMP voting strategy that makes them relevant.

If they don’t TOP will eclipse them.