Low rankings disappoint local politicians

Not happy: Ikaroa Rawhiti MP Meka Whaitiri is disappointed with her two out of 10 ranking by the Trans Tasman Political Roll Call. Photo/Duncan Brown.

Three out of four local MPs have received poor rankings in the latest Trans Tasman Political Roll Call. The 12th annual roll call ranked the politicians out of 10 by judging their duties and performance in caucus, Cabinet, committee, house and their electorate.

Ikaroa-Rawhiti MP Meka Whaitiri was in the bottom three for the Labour Party with two out of 10 while Tuki Tuki MP Craig Foss was ranked three out of 10 for the National Party.

The local MP who reached the highest in the rankings was Napier MP Stuart Nash with five out of 10.

Mr Nash was recognised for taking on Police Minister Judith Collins and his public criticism of Eastern District Commander Superintendent Sandra Venables about lack of police resources.

Mr Nash said he did not think his ranking was fair but took it with a grain of salt.

"To get above five you have to be in the Cabinet but I went hard on issues that were important. Judith Collins is a formidable politician but I have told her to put her money where her mouth is and deliver."

Ms Whaitiri, who received a far lower rating for the Labour Party, said the judges of the politicians must not move throughout the electorate of Ikaroa-Rawhiti.

"They are a bunch of people who are clearly out of touch with the Maori electoral public eye, as it is not in the mainstream."

She was disappointed that the bottom three for Labour Party were all Maori politicians and felt that people needed to diversify what the public eye meant for this country.

"I have been fronting major issues that defend local democracy like the issues of Maori land legislation, I championed electronic online voting and fronted the Resource Management Act GE-free area for Hawke's Bay."

Tuki Tuki MP Craig Foss was described as a "weak link" for the National Party.

He disagreed with his three out of 10 ranking and was equally surprised by their comments and decision.

"They seem to have very little knowledge of what I have achieved in my portfolios and for Hawke's Bay."

When asked if he thought the water contamination in Havelock North affected his number he disagreed.

"The water contamination in Havelock North was extremely serious and I moved swiftly to ensure local businesses had tax breaks and government funding to help them get back up and running as quickly as possible."

Mr Foss said he was confident in his abilities and was happy to be judged on his merits.

Wairarapa MP Alastair Scott also got a three out of 10 ranking for the National Party but could not be contacted last night.

Trans Tasman research analyst Tony Doe said political journalists watched the politicians closely throughout the year before meeting to discuss where they would be positioned.

"It is quite a drawn out process but we then form a consensus on where they would be ranked at our headquarters in Christchurch."