Māori Development Minister Willie Jackson. Photo / RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
Māori Development Minister Willie Jackson. Photo / RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
Māori Development Minister Willie Jackson has taken aim at his former colleague Meka Whaitiri and while disappointed, wishes her all the best.
The Labour Party’s Māori strategist is still reeling from the bombshell that Whaitiri was jumping from the Labour political ship and tying her allegiance to Te Pāti Māori waka.
Jackson said the Ikaroa-Rāwhiti seat that Whaitiri held was a Labour seat gifted to her by Parekura Horomia - who won it in 1999, its conception - and held onto the seat until 2008, when he passed away.
Jackson took to Facebook to pen his thoughts.
“None of the Labour Māori Caucus can pretend that Meka Whaitiri leaving us the way she did hasn’t been deeply sad for us all,” Jackson wrote.
Meka Whaitiri with Maori Party MP Heather Te Au-Skipworth at Waipatu Marae on May 3, 2023 in Hastings. Photo / Getty Images
“Our Caucus were committed to supporting Meka throughout her time in Parliament because her seat was gifted to her by Parekura Horomia. Parekura was staunchly loyal to Labour and his decades of service to the Ikaroa-Rāwhiti people grew deep roots of loyalty and allegiance from them.”
Jackson said Whaitiri at least owed Chris Hipkins a courtesy phone call and executing her exit while the Prime Minister was in transit to the UK was a low blow.
Willie Jackson, former Prime Minister Helen Clark and Parekura Horomia. Photo ? Supplied
“It is sad that Meka hasn’t contacted the PM or any of us in the Māori Caucus and explained herself but she is a whanaunga [relative], friend and colleague to all of us and despite our disappointment, we still wish her well,” Jackson said.
“I worked closely with her as Caucus chair and we had many good times together. I always admired her staunchness in defending Labour, that’s why I find her defection to the Māori Party so surprising.
“Anyway, she has made her choice so good luck to her, we wish her no ill will at all.”
Jackson said he can’t let her comments about being shackled go unanswered.
“I will however respond to some of the silly and nonsensical claims that she and other Māori Party members made about being ‘unshackled’ from Labour,” Jackson said.
“If being ‘shackled’ means gaining over $3 billion in extra funding for Māori, a new Māori Health Authority, Māori seats on local councils, a Matariki public holiday, and gains for our people that Māori could only dream of, then I don’t think Meka and her mates understand the word ‘shackled’.
“We wish Meka well, but let’s not get silly with this ‘unshackled’ business. We are too busy delivering for our people to play silly word games about being shackled.”
