SUP071020ELIZABETH.JPG Dr Elizabeth Kerekere - Green Party candidate.
BTG280920MekaWhaitiri.JPG
Ikaroa Rawhiti candidates were invited to give their views on the upcoming cannabis and End of Life Choice referendums, as well as examine the big issues in their electorates, and what they can do about them. And of course, why you should vote for them.
Heather Te Au-Skipworth - Maori Party
Cannabis referendum
If this passes in the referendum, then my job as an MP will be to ensure protections are in place for better recognition and support for mental health disorders and an increase in information, particularly for the young so they are informed. There needs to be an increase in Police training to ensure profiling and targeting activities are curbed. Māori must not be automatically presumed guilty as part of the process. I fear for the education and employment prospects for our tamariki in their futures, especially considering that our institutions already undermine access for our people. Council permission for activities and support will also need to be monitored to ensure Māori are treated equally.
End of Life Choice
This Bill does not address the fundamental rights of people to access proper care prior to the end stage of life. Doctors lack the inclination to cater for the Māori world view in their decision-making. So, what will this mean for Māori who actually just want to end the cycle of pain – which for a lot of cases is the agony of whanau watching helplessly as their loved one ends their days … badly! I cannot support a Bill that lacks any definition for Māori, does not allow for cultural appreciation – Māori already suffer culturally inadequate health services so this Bill is just the final way of saving resource – it's wrong on so many levels and for these reasons we should not accept its inception.
What is the single biggest issue facing Māori in 2020 and beyond?
The single biggest issue facing Māori in Ikaroa Rāwhiti is EQUITY.
Let's take Health.
Māori die on average 10 years earlier than the very same Pākehā people we went to school with, played in the same rugby/netball teams and even married. How is that not a criminal offence?
Māori have tried to improve the system and make it better – but the systems are failures for Māori – the equity reports complied at the Hawke's Bay District Health Board over the past five years are clear evidence that the health system is a death trap for Māori. We have lost trust, we have lost belief, we have lost faith, too many of our whānau have suffered unnecessarily and without any recourse.
As an MP I will implement the recommendations of the WAI 2575 which includes an independent Māori Health Authority – one which will commission health success for Māori and ensure the promise of Te Tiriti will be enacted. That is a promise.
Why should a voter choose you this election?
Voters should only vote for the future. The Māori electorates were created for Māori to specifically benefit Māori. I am dedicated to our whanau, hapu and iwi. My focus is to remove the inequity we face every time we knock on a Government door. Health - we die 10 years earlier than our Pākehā school mates. Sport – this is a career for our children, Housing -50 per cent of the waiting list are Māori. Oranga Tamariki – I will never allow Government to take the place of a Māori mother or father. These and other issues have only increased over the years, I am not into blame, we just need to fix it. A vote for Heather Te Au-Skipworth is a vote that will fix it, it is a vote that you can be confident real change will happen. I am serious about our place in Aotearoa, I humbly ask you to candidate vote Heather Te Au-Skipworth for Ikaroa-Rāwhiti
Dr Elizabeth Kerekere (Green Party)
Cannabis referendum
The Green Party supports evidence-based, compassionate drug law reform that reduces harm to users, their whānau, and communities. We support a YES vote in the referendum to legalise and control cannabis. Many people in Aotearoa use cannabis and prohibition fuels organised crime, causing far more damage than it prevents. A lack of sensible regulation means people put their lives at risk by using substances of unknown potency from unknown sources. It is time to regulate the sale and use of cannabis in Aotearoa, because the current approach has not worked to minimise harm. Many young Māori begin criminal records with low-level drug charges. Drugs are a health, housing, employment and education issue. Criminalising people does not solve any of those problems. Both legal and illegal drugs can cause harm, especially if used to excess or at a young age. Our social and legal response should decrease that harm.
End of Life Choice
I support the right of our kuia, kaumātua and people of any age to have dignity in the final stage of their life so YES to the End of Life Bill. In this country, we already have the right to refuse treatment which would prolong our life. The Green Party believes New Zealanders who have a terminal illness should be able to choose the way their life ends in a supported and open way, to have dignity at the end of their life, provided there are very clear safeguards. We recognise this is a very personal and sensitive issue for many people. Our Bill of Rights does not specifically recognise the human rights principle of dignity and of personal autonomy, but that concept of dignity is recognised elsewhere in our law, and that is what this Bill provides.
Why should a voter choose you this election?
As an activist and researcher for almost 40 years, I have focused on kaupapa Māori and Te Tīriti issues. That includes 30 years on Rainbow issues, focusing on takatāpui and young people. As a leader and mentor within Rainbow, suicide prevention and youth development sectors, I have represented human and indigenous rights issues overseas, including at the United Nations. I also work on national projects in health, mental health, violence prevention, youth leadership and research. Being a visual artist keeps me grounded. Check out www.takatapui.nz or google me. The Greens have put me at No 9 on the List. So, my campaign will be focused on the party vote because that will get me and hopefully, more Green MPs, into Parliament. This election, I also welcome your candidate vote. Voters want a candidate who shares their values and does the hard work on their behalf. Maybe this time, that person is me.
What is the single biggest issue facing Māori in 2020 and beyond?
The single biggest issue facing Māori is that the Crown continues to fail to uphold its obligations to Te Tiriti o Waitangi – 180 years after it was signed. This results in disparities for Māori across health, education, justice, housing, employment and much more. It also results in damage to our environment and disregards the aspirations of whānau, hapū and iwi. All of which Covid-19 has only made worse. A better way to acknowledge Te Tiriti would be through a formal written constitution.
The Green Party will initiate a Crown response to Matike Mai Aotearoa with a goal of constitutional transformation by 2040. We will facilitate nationwide dialogue to formulate a statement of national aspirations, as a standard against which our national laws and regulations can be measured.
Meka Whaitiri - Labour
Cannabis referendum
Firstly I do not support drugs of any sort, however I will be voting yes for the following justice, health and economic reasons; it will help reduce Maori being arrested and incarcerated for recreational use and possession; it will help relieve those suffering chronic pain; and lastly it will help grow jobs. The proposed law will be publicly scrutinised to ensure there are sound regulations to avoid abuse.
End of life choice
I will be voting no. Despite the safeguards it comes down to culture and religion for me. Life is far too precious and I do not wish to be associated with legislation that makes it legal to take one's own life. I'm also concerned that palliative care has been dismissed as a plausible alternative.
Why should a voter choose you this election?
I have strong and strategic relationships at iwi, council, community and business levels across the vast electorate of Ikaroa Rāwhiti. These relationships have enabled things get done. We have seen record investment into regions like HB in the last three years. A vote for Meka Whaitiri and Labour will ensure this continues so more things get delivered.
What is the single biggest issue facing Māori in 2020 and beyond?
Home ownership, sustainable jobs, mental health and drug addiction, strong whānau and pathways for rangatahi are our priorities. Working in partnership with iwi and Māori organisations alongside unlocking the economic influence of the Māori economy will be the key. By Māori for Maori, by Māori for everyone. Labour's Māori policy manifesto enables this.
Eli Carroll saw the water filling with blood and knew he was in trouble.