Key electorate: Tamaki Makaurau

By SIMON COLLINS

Billboards in Maori greet passersby in the Auckland streets of Bond St and New North Rd.

"GE: Kaua e whakatoi," they say. A rough translation: "Genetic engineering: Don't play God."

"It's the only Maori billboard I've ever seen," says its author, Metiria Turei, the 32-year-old Green who is the nearest thing to a challenge to Labour's candidate for the new Auckland Maori seat of Tamaki Makaurau, John Tamihere.

Mr Tamihere, who won the Hauraki seat at the last election with a 7238-vote majority, seems guaranteed to take over the new urban seat, which stretches from Henderson to Manurewa.

His nearest opponent last time, New Zealand First, is not contesting the Maori seats this year because it does not believe in "special treatment" for Maori.



A Marae-DigiPoll survey last month found that the Greens, with 11.7 per cent of the Maori vote nationally, have become the second most popular party among Maori - well behind Labour's 61.2 per cent.

"The GE-free campaign has been supported and driven by Maori as much as by people in the environmental movement," said Ms Turei.

Although she worked as a resource management lawyer for Simpson Grierson until last year, she came to the Greens from the left. She grew up in Palmerston North, where she ran the unemployed workers' rights centre.

She moved to Auckland to run the national Maori unemployed rights movement, and later worked for the National Organisation for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.

She says decriminalising marijuana is a Maori issue because Maori are more likely than others to be arrested for possession and are given harsher penalties.

"The law is used to denigrate Maori," she said.



The polls show Mr Tamihere, 43, has little reason to worry.

As a former chief executive of the Waipareira Trust in West Auckland, he has a high profile on the issues he believes will sway Maori voters - health, education, housing, welfare and justice.

"We are the worst affected by Type 2 diabetes. We need GE-related medicines," he said.





The third place-getter in Hauraki last time, Mana Motuhake/Alliance MP Willie Jackson, has moved to the new Tainui seat, centred on Hamilton.

His Tamaki Makaurau replacement, Janice Panoho-Smith, 41, has worked for the Public Service Association for 17 years and campaigned for a boycott of the 1990 election because the Government was not honouring the treaty.

Mana Motuhake wants more resources for the Waitangi Tribunal so it can settle all treaty claims within 10 years.

Support for Mana Motuhake/Alliance dropped from 9.4 per cent in Hauraki at the last election to 4.4 per cent in the Marae poll.



National's candidate is George Ngatai, 31, an Auckland City Council crime prevention officer.

He supports National's policy to "close the door" on new treaty claims next year and settle all claims by 2008.

A board member of Whaiora Marae in Otara, Sue Wharewaka-Topia Watts, 48, is standing for Jim Anderton's Progressive Coalition.

Tuhimareikura Vaha'akolo, 72, an Otara community worker and grandmother of 70, represents Christian Heritage.

Mana Maori is putting up a party list, but has no electorate candidate in Tamaki Makaurau.

Candidates

George Ngatai - National

Janice Panoho-Smith - Alliance

John Tamihere - Labour

Metiria Turei - Greens

Tuhimareikura Vaha'akolo - Christian Heritage

Sue Wharewaka-Topia Watts - Jim Anderton's Progressive Coalition

1999 Result: John Tamihere - Labour (majority 7238)

Formerly Hauraki: 79 per cent of new seat population was in Hauraki.

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