Audrey Young: Whanau Ora is a new way of working

Tariana Turia. Photo / Hawke's Bay Today

Prime Minister John Key stood by Maori Party co-leader Tariana Turia yesterday as she attempted to answer questions at a press conference about the opaque Whanau Ora policy.

He looked relieved that the questions were being directed at her and not him.

Turia's response to the insatiable curiosity for detail is that people in Wellington, like journalists, are used to things being in black and white.

And Whanau Ora is a new way of working. The family will decide how best they can be helped and that way they are likely to more successful in being helped.

Turia could not explain it in all its detail because she doesn't know: some of the administrative details have not been decided and she can't say how cases will be managed, because that will depend on the families that need help.

Turia's tried hard to contain her frustration at the questions, but not altogether successfully.

After 35 minutes, there were still more technical questions but Key drew an end to the press conference.

It was a momentous day for the large band of Maori Party staff and supporters who attended the press conference.

All in all it was a huge day for Maori at Parliament yesterday with the Whanau Ora announcement in the morning and the Waikato River co-management settlement passed through the House at the end of the day.

It has been a huge month for Maori, with Government support for the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (DRIP) a couple of weeks ago added in.

And it will almost certainly have been a huge year for Maori by year's end, with the tino rangatiratanga flag at the start and the likely repeal of the Foreshore and Seabed Act at the end.

There are so many things happening on the Maori political front that it has reached a critical mass.

It may seem at first glance as though it has been designed that way - a momentum has been created to address the Maori Party agenda.

But insiders of any hue say that a surprising number of things that happen in politics happen by accident.

And that is the case here. But concerns exist.

There will be growing concern in National Party heartland that the Government is "over-doing it."

It was only six years ago that former National leader Don Brash tapped into a well of feeling against so-called Maori "separatism" that shocked most observers.

It was the result of a decade of development of partnership concepts between the Crown (Government) and Maori.

The people who were largely left out of the process were non-Maori.

National has been proud to support the treaty settlements process begun by Sir Douglas Graham because it wanted to end the grievance industry as much as settle the injustices.

The fear will be that the Drip and Foreshore and Seabed settlements set up a whole new era or two of future grievances.

Treaty Negotiations Minister Chris Finlayson will be defending his record tomorrow when he addresses the first of the National Party's regional conferences, in Masterton.

He then travels north to Hone Harawira country in Kaitaia to talk to his supporters about the Foreshore and Seabed proposal.

He'll get a better reception there.