National timorous over wooing Maori Party

Don Brash says National is unlikely to change its policy of abolishing the Maori seats. Picture / Dean Purcell

Leader Don Brash is jumping on any suggestion that the National Party is about to dilute its policies to charm the Maori Party.

He says the constitutional debate his party is about to have is unlikely to alter its pledge to abolish the Maori seats.

Nor could he envisage any policy to support a written constitution with the Treaty of Waitangi entrenched in it.

The tone of Dr Brash's comments were less conciliatory than those of deputy leader Gerry Brownlee, who says the party needs to be preparing for the Maori Party to hold the balance of power after the next election.

"Sometimes recognising the bits that are right in an opponent's argument can point to a way ahead," Mr Brownlee said in a speech to the northern division conference at the weekend.

"We need to make it clear that the National Party wants a constitutional environment that respects the rights of all New Zealanders equally. This is not a discussion we can avoid. These are not issues we can afford to be caught napping on."

National went into the last election with a bottom line of abolishing the Maori seats.

It has no position on whether there should be a written constitution - although Mr Brownlee is personally leaning towards one - and it boycotted the cross-party special select committee inquiry on constitutional issues, believing it was a bid to reduce the impact of Dr Brash's "one law for all" Orewa speech.

Dr Brash told the Herald yesterday that while there would be a healthy debate on constitutional issues in the party "there are some issues on which I think there is no likelihood of a change at all and [abolition of the Maori seats] is one of them."

And on a written constitution, he said: "I think that is equally very, very, unlikely. I don't sense any mood for that at all."

Asked if there might be a relaxation in the party's Maori seats policy to make it no longer a bottom line, he said: "One of the things I dislike about MMP most is that what things are bottom lines depend very much on the share of the vote you get.

"Clearly the Maori Party, with only four of the seven Maori seats, did not hold the balance of power after last year's election."

The Maori Party had talks with National and other parties but Labour formed a Government on the basis of agreements with New Zealand First, United Future and Jim Anderton's Progressives.

Mr Brownlee believes there will be eight to 10 Maori seats next election, depending on how many voters join the Maori roll, and that the Maori Party will win them all.

He said constitutional issues were important to the Maori Party and National should be ready.

"Constitutional change should not be negotiated in the tensions and compromise of coalition discussions."

Mr Brownlee said he was asking each regional policy committee to start debating the issues of NZ's long-term constitutional future and pointed to the Maori Party's support for the report by United Nations special rapporteur Roldolfo Stavenhagen, whose recommendations included:

* Constitutional reform to regulate the relationship between the Government and Maori on the basis of the Treaty of Waitangi.

* Entrenching the Treaty of Waitangi in a constitution.

* Entrenching MMP at regional and local government level as well as nationally.

* Giving the Waitangi Tribunal binding powers instead of recommendations.

Mr Brownlee hinted that National would oppose the private member's bill before Parliament reducing the number of MPs from 120 to 100 because that would give the Maori Party, if it won say eight seats, an even great proportion of influence.

Labour is almost certain to vote against it, but with National's support it could pass.