Brash reaches out to 'moderate' Maori voters

By HELEN TUNNAH deputy political editor

National has promised a "dialogue" with Maori to establish education policies that will lift achievement.

Leader Don Brash returned to Waitangi saying he wanted to move the race debate on from Orewa.

He has not made it clear exactly who he will be talking to, but at the party's northern regional conference yesterday he said he wanted to work with "moderate" Maori to find a new way forward.

There was no repeat of the mud-slinging protests which marked Dr Brash's last visit here, before Waitangi Day, but his address to about 200 delegates focused on Treaty of Waitangi issues and race relations.

At Orewa in January, Dr Brash delivered his now landmark speech attacking what he called a treaty grievance industry and separate funding for Maori programmes.

That sparked a surge in popularity for his party but yesterday he said he wanted to move the debate forward.

He attacked tertiary study programmes like twilight golf and Maori singalong courses which he said gave Maori a second-rate education.

Dr Brash said current policies were "failing tragically" and repeated his call for Maori leaders to become part of the solution.

"Where is their sense of outrage at some of the patronising nonsense that passes for education in this country? The plain fact is that money that should be focused on giving Maori children and youth a decent education is instead giving many of them a fake one.

"And that simply steals their future from them."

He said he had made it clear he wanted to talk with Maori leaders, and there would be concrete policies in place before next year's election.

"I'm hoping that I can engage with Maori leadership pre-election so that post-election we're in a position to move quickly and decisively to improve the educational outcomes for Maori."

His call to move past the Orewa debate came as some delegates at the conference worried that National was perceived as a divisive party which did not welcome Maori.

Dr Brash, who attended only the last day of the conference because he was at the Australia-New Zealand leadership forum in Wellington, acknowledged those concerns.

"One of the reasons we're talking ... about this issue is precisely to make the point that I want to engage constructively with Maori.

"There is a perception that National doesn't value the Maori vote. I can assure you that is not true."

Earlier, party president Judy Kirk had reminded the delegates that the candidates put forward for election had to reflect the changing face of New Zealand.

She said by 2016 almost half of Auckland would be non-European. Candidates who could effectively represent the diversity of the region were needed.

National polled poorly in Auckland city electorates in its 2002 election disaster, securing just 19 per cent of the party vote, which was lower than its national average.

"The party vote in this region will dictate the outcome of the next election. We must build beach-heads in other parts of Auckland, particularly in West and South Auckland, where we were poorly represented.

"We must reach out to all New Zealanders regardless of race, age, religion or gender."

She did not say how that was going to be done.