Issue 85 - editorial

Taking a punt?

In our last issue we predicted there was going to be a new government, which wasn’t too hard to do really because the polls had been pointing in that direction for months.

The Maori Party has ended up in a very interesting position. With five seats in the new Parliament, without going into formal coalition with National, it has secured two full ministerial positions and a number of key – no pun intended – associate ministerial posts.

It’s a good result for the only minor party that held its nerve and went into the election not aligned to either of the main parties. And it is a courageous and responsible decision to step up to the plate now and have a shot at introducing some of the policies the party took into the campaign.

The deal entered into is far better than any offer Labour was willing to enter into and in complete contrast with the nil arrangement between Labour and the Maori Party after the 2005 election. Labour tried its best during this campaign to demonise the Maori Party and indulged in dirty tricks, like announcing a $90m agreement with Ngati Porou two days out from the election and other agreements – not necessarily final settlements – in the weeks leading up to the election.

Then again, what was going on in the heads of nearly 50 percent of people on the Maori roll who didn’t bother to go and vote? It’s hard to fathom when you look at countries like South Africa where people have died trying to get a vote and – as was the case in Ikaroa- Rawhiti – 15 000 people registered to vote didn’t quite make the trip to the polling booth.

You may know I ran for the Maori Party at the election and lost again to Parekura Horomia. But that’s okay because slowly but surely the Maori Party is taking the Maori seats. Today they have five.

That is the whole point about voting for the Maori Party. If you vote for Labour or National, about half of the time your representative will be out of the loop in opposition. If however you vote for a strong Maori Party presence in the House, your party can be in government and influencing policy, all of the time.

Mind you, the approach that all major parties have taken to Maori voters in the past has been laced with cynicism, as you will discover in Danny Keenan’s in-depth article in this issue on the history of Maori seats.

Well Christmas and summer is upon us again and you’re probably dreaming of your favourite beach or bush setting. Before you head off we want to say a BIG ‘thank you’ to you our readers and especially to our loyal subscribers for your support. It’s been a tough year and we all appear to have tougher times ahead as the recession bites in.

Maybe more than ever we’re going to have to pull together to get through. As usual I’m heading for Mahia over Christmas –New Year, meantime nga mihi tino nui ki a tatau katoa.

Kia ora