Editorial: Ratana stokes political fires after holidays

Procession from Marae to the Ratana Church. Photo / Bevan Conley

The first week of the political year is always refreshing. The politicians seem better for the break and the public, so sick of their arguments by the end of the year, is almost hungry again after the holiday lull.

The mood is often quickly soured by challenges from Waitangi so it is good that the Ratana Church's annual celebrations of its founder's birth in the rural settlement of Ratana Pa has come to be an occasion for all parties.

Prime Minister Bill English praised the little marae near Whanganui for the warmth of the welcome they all received, a message that would not be lost on another small marae near Waitangi. English, to his very great credit, also managed to speak in halting Maori for three minutes.

He uttered much more than the few words of greeting most non-Maori politicians make it their business to learn. He has managed to pick up much more. But even so, it takes courage to speak at length in another language in front of television cameras.

His ability to do so would have sent another message to Te Tii marae at Waitangi, which was going to provide him with a Maori speaker for its powhiri in case he made a political speech. It is too late to reverse his decision not to go to the Treaty Ground this year since he has accepted an invitation from Ngati Whatua Orakei, but his effort at Ratana surely augurs well for Waitangi next year.

It was not the new Prime Minister's only impressive performance this week. His response to Donald Trump's actions against the Trans-Pacific Partnership and decrees on future trade deals was cool and diplomatically candid. He was not impressed (read disgusted) with the new President's warning that deals could be dumped within 30 days if the other party "misbehaves".

He rated the chances "pretty low" that New Zealand would get a Trump deal "in a form that we would find satisfactory" and added, "bear in mind it is not the only game in town for us."

New Zealand is not giving up on the TPP, nor are the prime ministers of Japan and Australia. The comments of all three were featuring in CNN's coverage of Trump's withdrawal.

English and Malcolm Turnbull have openly contemplated the possibility of China coming into the TPP to provide the ballast of an economy fast catching up on the US. That too has been noted in the US coverage.

While English is already looking assured in his new role, so is his opposite number. Andrew Little at Ratana Pa was looking like the more established leader he is, dismissing the Maori Party's call for a "One Maori" political movement as "high level trash talk". The Maori electorates have largely returned to Labour at recent elections and there is no sign that will change this year.

A new entry to the election lists, Gareth Morgan, used Ratana for an opening shot at Winston Peters, calling him an "Uncle Tom". Morgan's "Opportunities Party" will be trawling for some of the dislocated vote New Zealand First usually finds.

Peters will be buoyed by Trump's haul in the US election but voter turnouts are much higher here than there, the dislocated offer leaner pickings. Still, it promises to be an interesting year.