Maori biggest losers of treaty industry says Peters

By RUTH BERRY, political reporter

New Zealand First leader Winston Peters yesterday defended criticism from within his own party about not standing candidates in the Maori seats as he made one of his strongest pitches yet for the Maori vote.

Mr Peters used his speech at the end of the party's annual conference in Christchurch to step up his attack on the Government's besieged Maori MPs and encourage Maori to give NZ First another go.

Despite the mainly Pakeha audience, much of his speech was dedicated to stressing how Maori were the losers in successive governments' handling of such issues.

NZ First MPs Pita Paraone and Edwin Perry have urged Mr Peters to revisit the party's decision, made before the last election, not to stand in the Maori seats.

Mr Peters said: "There is so much dissatisfaction with the seven [Labour] Maori MPs that New Zealand First is under huge pressure to stand in these seats".

Although there was "no doubt" the party could take the seats if it fielded candidates, it had campaigned on a single franchise and "a separate electorate franchise is not part of our vision", he said.

But he said Maori should 'buy some insurance" and use their party vote to support NZ First.

"We have shown that as a party that Maori can make it all the way to Parliament in the same footing as anyone else."

NZ First took all the Maori seats from Labour in 1996, but lost them all at the following election. Six of its 13 MPs are Maori.

Mr Peters said Labour MPs had turned their backs on their electorates' views on the Supreme Court Bill and had been silenced when it came to representing those views in Parliament.

He challenged the MPs, including Tariana Turia, who has supported calls for the bill to be delayed, to cross the floor.

Mr Peters also criticised Labour's handling of the foreshore debate, and other issues such as prostitution law reform.

"How does prostitution benefit Maori women? How do same-sex marriages benefit Maori?"

Maori were the "ultimate losers" of the "treaty industry" which had seen a manipulation of what the treaty meant.

"Maori actually face a double penalty because their genuine needs are being starved by the diversion of resources to the greedy treaty entrepreneurs."

"Every group of New Zealanders can move ahead and go as far as their energy and talent can take them. All except one - Maori - who have an albatross around their neck in the shape of the treaty industry."

Maori were also the victims of immigration policies. "I thought we were striving to get on top of the divisions between European and Maori and that we were making some significant progress."

But now multiculturalism was the buzzword and solving "their [Maori] difficulties is now on the backburner."

Mr Peters continued to warn against the establishment of ethnic communities that were turning into "ghettos where English is a foreign language", saying they could create the "stuff of nightmares".

"NZ First will not stand silent in the face of this colonisation."