Maori Party

You’ve just got to laugh at Winston promoting a story that involves financial misrepresentation. The man has no shame…

Millions of taxpayer dollars have been handed out to organise family reunions, it has been alleged.

New Zealand First leader Winston Peters said this afternoon that about $6 million of tax-payer cash had been “squandered” on a Whanau Ora programme that funded “family reunions”.

“Whanau Ora is a waste of tax-payer’s money. It’s going to be a disaster for Maoridom. It’s a pet idea of the Maori Party and John Key is selling out on separatist policies,” Peters said.

The Maori party is playing like they are important over the government’s mixed ownership model:

The Maori Party is considering breaking from the National-led Government over asset sales.

Maori Party co-leader Tariana Turia says the party will consider walking out of its relationship with the National Party if a Treaty clause is not extended to those state owned enterprises tagged for partial sale.

Ms Turia said today that the issue was similar to the foreshore and seabed issue for Maori.

“If it comes down to the wire, the Maori Party will have to consider its position with the Government.”

Yep and if it comes down to the wire the Government would have to consider a referendum on the continuation of race based seats in parliament.

It isn’t like Maori aren’t already selling land when it suits them.

Labour have given up. They are ceding the left, the only question that remains is to whom:

Labour isn’t commenting on the dispute.

Industrial relations spokeswoman Darien Fenton says she doesn’t think it’d be helpful to do so while negotiations are still ongoing.

The Maori Party meanwhile seems a little deluded about the impact contracting out 212 jobs will have:

The Maori Party has come out on the side of workers in the Ports of Auckland dispute.

Co-leader Pita Sharples is concerned about the impact the row will have on the livelihoods of thousands of workers, particularly young Maori.

He’s written to the tertiary education and labour ministers asking for an assurance employment opportunities for those affected are on their radar.

He’s also concerned about the decisions of Maersk Line and Fonterra to re-route trade to Tauranga and Napier, and what impact there may be on jobs.

Someone needs to sit down with Pita and have a wee chat and explain that striking actually hurts more, literally in the thousands, workers than the 212 greedy, rich prick wharfies, who BTW are mostly poms, not Maori.

One thing is for certain is that Labour are all at sea with this dispute, their leadership, through their absence are telling us with their silence that they back the ports.

Yesterday I posted a photo taken from security camera footage of an alleged Christmas present stealer in South Auckland. There were quite a few comments.

One was from a Helen Leahy:

I like people to own their own comments. Helen Leahy at least posts under her own name, so kudos there, but she also posted using her state funded email address…from parliament.

So I searched for her and it turns out that Helen Leahy is the Acting Chief of Staff and  the main communications person for Pita Sharples and Tariana Turia and a senior ministerial advisor. Apparently she is also well respected by members of the press gallery:

The Maori Party caused a small furore in the press gallery this week. A staffer sent round a form that journalists would be required to fill out if any of them wanted to interview their MPs on election matters. It took the intervention of the party’s long-time adviser Helen Leahy, who carries much weight with journalists in the press gallery, to calm raised hackles. She made a quick bolt downstairs to assure them that the Maori Party wasn’t suddenly blocking access to its MPs.

She may not block access to Maori party MPs, but she sure as hell is justifying the theft of Christmas presents as justified because “whites stole from” her. Kia Kaha Mean Maori Mean indeed!

I wonder if Pita Sharples or Tariana Turia condone comments like that from senior ministerial advisors?

UPDATE: Helen Leahy has called me and categorically denies posting this comment. I have advised her I will update the post to reflect this. I will also make a note on the comment that it is from an impostor.

The governing arrangements are largely complete now with the Maori Party signing a confidence and supply agreement with the John Key led National government.

John Key has proved once again his willingness to be inclusive rather than marginalising:

Developing Whanau Ora, a Ministerial Committee on Poverty and a new focus for Te Puni Kokiri are the centre-pieces of the National Party-Maori Party confidence and supply agreement.

It also allows the Maori Party to vote for legislation on a policy-by-policy basis, meaning it is free to oppose National’s policy to partially sell state assets.

The announcement was made in Wellington this afternoon, and follows confidence and supply arrangements between National and Act, and National and United Future.

With the support of Act and United Future, the National-led coalition holds a majority of 61 seats in a 121-seat Parliament.

It does not need the Maori Party to form a Government, but the agreement gives National an extra buffer of three seats for confidence and supply.

Prime Minister John Key, in announcing the “Relationship Accord” and confidence and supply arrangement, said he looked forward to continuing to work constructively with the Maori Party.

The agreement means the Maori Party will support confidence and supply, but differs with the arrangements with Act and United Future in that the Maori Party is allowed to vote on a case-by-case basis.

The Maori party has clearly decided that it is better to be inside the tent than outside in order to deliver for their constituency. This is something the Greens are yet to learn.

Both Stuff and TV3 are making the news not reporting it. Both organisations are talking about a leadership change within the Maori party. Stuff calls it a “leadership struggle” with no evidence to back this up and TV3′s Patrick Gower (no nickname anymore, doesn’t deserve it) uses words like rolled, challenge and the like.

Patrick Gower, especially, is now over egging a valid leadership change in the Maori party. With 3 MPs and both existing leaders signaling retirement, along with their policy of having co-leaders it makes sense to change Pita Sharples out for Te Ururoa Flavell. It is best to do it now as well straight after the election.

Regan at Throng comments on the difference between the way the media are ass-kissing Labour for their leadership change but spiking the Maori party:

Patrick Gower’s story only covered the potential negative aspects of a change in leadership within the Maori Party and none of the potential positives. At the same time, the Labour Party leadership changes are being reported as a potentially positive rejuvenation. Prior to this election, it was common knowledge that Pita Sharples would be retiring at the next one. Phil Goff, on the other hand, never hinted that there would be a change of leadership within the Labour Party after the election. What is the big surprise here then?  And isn’t straight after an election the best time to make changes?  What is the media’s agenda in presenting the stories like this?

Regan makes valid points. When you look at the electoral activism, by TV3 in particular, in the mainstream media you have to wonder whether or not they do actually have an agenda, even if that agenda is simple nihilism and chaos.

John Pagani, in his Stuff column talks over why minor parties do deals:

“Nothing.” That’s how Tariana Turia frankly answered when she was asked what the Maori Party would get out of going into Opposition.

It was never likely her party would change its relationship with National, despite losing two of the five seats it won three years ago. The party campaigned on the basis of the progress it is making from its involvement in the National-led Government.

Coexistence in government isn’t easy for a small party. But parties exist to make a difference. If you want easy, stay home.

Every small party that has gone into government with a larger one under MMP has been damaged at the following election, losing votes and seats.

Smaller parties see themselves as uncompromising alternatives to the major ones. Once they have to enter a government, high expectations can’t be met, so disillusionment sets in.

They get blamed for unpopular policies, while the major party takes credit for their popular successes.

Activists wonder what the point of supporting a small party was, when the large party consumes their efforts. They drift away, and media ignore them unless something goes wrong.

You only need to look tot he Greens to find out how ineffectual life is in perpetual opposition. One day the Green party will wake up cut a deal.

The Maori party has called for parliament to act on name suppression:

The Maori Party is calling for name suppression laws to change as soon as possible, after a former All Black was granted name suppression after pleading guilty to assaulting a child.

He appeared in Auckland District Court yesterday charged with the September assault, the New Zealand Herald reports.

Another former All Black appeared in Wellington District Court two weeks ago, charged with assaulting his partner while celebrating the All Blacks’ World Cup final victory, resisting police and possessing cannabis. He was also given name suppression.

Maori Party co-leader Tariana Turia has slammed the most recent name suppression.

“In this morning’s paper we have the ludicrous situation of two individuals involved in cases of child assault – one protected and the other exposed to public scrutiny,” Ms Turia said.

She was referring to the case of Auckland mother Mellissa Anderson, who was refused name suppression while facing charges for allegedly slapping a 14-year-old girl who attacked her daughter, Summer, outside school last week.

Ms Turia says it “makes a mockery of the justice system” that a 13-year-old girl’s identity was released into the public arena, while a former All Black can keep his name secret.

“For former All Black players, there appears to be another set of standards at play,” she said.

I said at the time that Simon Power’s law changes would be ignored by Judges. I know the law doesn’t come into effect for several more months but I rpredict that the status quo will continue to exist. The law changes didn’t go far enough in removing name suppression and protecting the innocent victims.

Now an ex-All Black is smearing the names of other former team mates through his cowardice.

The Maori party appears to shored up its base, now looking like retaining 4 seats:

The Maori Party looks set to retain its four seats in Parliament, giving National a potentially powerful buffer if Saturday should turn out to be a tight race.

The latest Te Karere DigiPoll has it retaining Te Tai Tonga, which was previously seen as vulnerable.

That is on top of earlier polls showing it is also likely to retain Waiariki and Tamaki Makaurau, two other seats previously seen as likely to swing to Labour.

The word is the powerful iwi have decided that being in government is preferable to being in opposition. Last night John Key said in the TV3 debate that the Maori party have been great to work with.

Vernon Small is thinking only to the end of this election when he says the following.

John Key is about to make a major mistake today with his public cup of tea with John Banks; a symbolic signal to National voters to back the ACT candidate in Epsom.

National can probably win without ACT in 2011, but in 2014 when the Maori leaders leave, and ACT aren’t around as Vernon and other media is advocating National have no coalition partners. It will be a National, Labour, Greens and rag tag and bobtail parliament, with National trying to cobble together support from parties of the left.

The media and left wing flunkies are all moaning about legitimate coalition arrangements and talks.

I don;t support MMP, i never have but it is also why I have been hammering on about Nationals Strategic Stupidity. If they keep MMP they become the Natural Party of Opposition. No ACT. No Maori Party. No United Future. No chance of ruling without winning 48% of the vote.