Peters hoes into immigration

By FRANCESCA MOLD

Immigrants are gatecrashers from alien cultures who push Maori to the bottom of the heap, says New Zealand First leader Winston Peters.

Yesterday, Mr Peters was out courting the party vote from Maori in the Bay of Islands.

In a speech at Otiria Marae, he accused the Government of being more concerned about immigrants who had been in New Zealand for five minutes than those who had been here a thousand years.

"While we import social problems from the rest of the world, New Zealand's first settlers - the Maori - are getting pushed to the bottom of the heap."

New Zealand had to be careful to preserve its unique society created by the blending of European and Maori cultures, Mr Peters said.

"We place our country at risk by bringing in thousands of people whose views are formed by alien cultures and rigid religious practices.

"If immigrants are allowed to settle here, regardless of their ability or willingness to live in harmony with us, we will create a breeding ground for conflict."

Maori needed to wake up and realise their citizenship.

He accused the Government of playing a "confidence trick" because it talked about honouring the Treaty of Waitangi while bringing in thousands of immigrants. This influx was causing traffic gridlock, pushing up house prices and creating inflation.

Mr Peters also suggested that Northland Maori were worse off than many of the asylum seekers coming to New Zealand.

He said the Mangere Refugee Resettlement Centre was like a palace compared with some homes in the North. "The food is good, there is healthcare and everything else is on tap for these gate-crashing asylum seekers."

Mr Peters also raised concerns about the High Court ruling that the Government had illegally detained asylum seekers after September 11.

"How do we explain to struggling families that their taxes are going to pay these gatecrashers while they struggle to pay for the health and education of their families?"

Full news coverage:
nzherald.co.nz/election

Election links:
The parties, policies, voting information, and more

Ask a politician:
Send us a question, on any topic, addressed to any party leader. We'll choose the best questions to put to the leaders, and publish the answers in our election coverage.