John Tamihere: Maori Party has lot of explaining to do

COMMENT

A new Maori party sounds good and promises much, but we should be asking its leaders some hard questions about what and how it can really deliver.

First, who is it prepared to go into coalition with?

The most overwhelming result in a recent Marae-DigiPoll survey of Maori voters was the support for retention of the Maori seats. More than 90 per cent were opposed to the abolition of the Maori seats, as proposed by National, New Zealand First and Act.

So it is interesting that Tariana Turia, while stating that she is motivated by the wishes of Maori voters, says she could support National in government. If the threat of National stripping Maori of political representation is not threat enough to warn a new Maori party off supporting National, the fate of NZ First when it joined a coalition with the same party should give it pause for thought.

Maori do not support National - it rarely polls in double figures among Maori voters - and they do not support National-led coalitions.

National leader Don Brash has made it clear that if National is elected, the seven Maori seats will go. Maori voters who think they are getting tino rangatiratanga by electing a Maori party might, instead, end up with no Maori representation at all.

National says the Maori seats are unnecessary because political parties will honour their obligations to represent a diverse mix of ethnicities and backgrounds by placing Maori candidates high on their party lists. We have seen how National has treated its sole Maori MP, Georgina Te Heuheu, demoting her when her views on Maori matters were inconveniently at odds with Dr Brash's Orewa speech.

Second, what are the Maori Party's policies?

We have seen little, if any, official policy. The party's one publicly stated policy is that it supports Maori "ownership" of the foreshore and seabed, yet this is a policy that is extremely unlikely to survive any coalition negotiations.

The first thing any minor party must do if it has any hopes of getting into power is compromise. A party can go out on the hustings promising Maori ownership of the foreshore and seabed, but it does so knowing that it cannot deliver that promise - and deliberately misleading voters.

That promise would be the first casualty of any coalition talks a Maori party might engage in; it is difficult to see any of the major parties accepting such a policy as part of a coalition agreement. What policies/issues are fundamental to the new party? Which are non-negotiable?

Third, who will its candidates be?

It appears the new party is seeking to involve Maori ranging from former National Party Maori vice-president Sir Graham Latimer to the Alliance's Matt McCarten. Selecting candidates who truly represent most Maori voters will be a fraught process, and the prospect of outright warfare between party factions at selection time is a distinct possibility.

Most Maori voters are conservative (with a small c, as opposed to Tories; they do not tend to support liberal or radical policies) and if the new party puts up candidates with overtly separatist or extremist views, they are unlikely to find support from voters.

Already controversial figures such as Donna Hall and Titewhai Harawira have emerged as possible players in the party, only to have others associated with the party distance themselves from them.

The likely party president, Whatarangi Winiata, has proposed a separate Maori parliament, constitutionally equal to the present Parliament, and overruled by a "treaty house". This is a step too far for most Maori voters. Most support Maori development but not separatism.

Fourth, who is bankrolling the party?

Ngai Tahu has said it won't be funding the party, and Tainui has also declined to endorse it. Tariana Turia says donations are flowing in, yet declines to reveal who is signing the cheques, or how much they amount to. If Maori organisations are going to fund the party, they should say so.

Fifth, how well does a new Maori party represent Maori families?

Most of those so far speaking for the party belong to a relatively wealthy, educated elite, most receiving comfortable pay cheques from various Government agencies, who are most concerned with issues of sovereignty.

Will they have the mana to step aside from their Government-paid positions or will they hang on to them while criticising the hand that feeds them? Their reality is considerably removed from the overwhelming majority of Maori, for whom more fundamental questions, such as "Will I have a job?" and "Can I feed my family?", are more pressing.

These are the questions Labour seeks to answer with policies on health, education, employment, welfare, finance and justice that will see Maori families do better.

A Herald editorial has said that "the political interests of Labour and Maori now diverge". They don't; initiatives such as those delivered in the Budget will bring most benefit to low- and middle-income families, a large number of them Maori.

Sixth, will a Maori party hold the balance of power?

This proposition is a myth. NZ First supposedly held the balance of power after the 1996 election, and the Alliance was in the same position after the 1999 election. Neither party had more than a minor influence on policy and legislation. Because they couldn't achieve the ends their voters wanted, they imploded.

History shows that minority parties cannot implement the policies that define them - and a Maori party would be no different.

Finally, what is the basis of the new party's credibility and integrity?

When you stand for election you properly open yourself, your credentials and your record to public scrutiny. I know that from my own experience better than anyone. All I ask is that those involved in the Maori Party are put under the magnifying glass for public inspection, in the same way as any other party or candidate.

Whether the Maori Party supports gains made by Maori under this Government remains unclear - all we ever hear from them is what they oppose. Voters need to know what they stand for.

I would love to hear the Maori Party answer these questions so that voters can at least make an informed choice before they vote at the next election.

* John Tamihere is an Associate Minister of Maori Affairs.