Shane Te Pou: Meka Whaitiri left Labour for Te Pati Māori for wrong reasons

Meka Whaitiri has jumped waka from Labour to Te Pāti Māori. Photo / Marty Melville

OPINION:

Last year, Meka Whaitiri told Parliament how proud she was to be a Labour Minister as the Fair Pay Agreements Act was passed into law. She said “I’m really pleased to belong to a party that does put the people at the forefront”, and “I’m so proud of Minister Wood and what his work has done — and all my colleagues on this side, who always put our workers first”.

Just a few months later, Whaitiri suddenly abandoned the party that brought her into Parliament, that made her a Minister. She has also abandoned her Ministerial portfolios, including the role of co-ordinating the response to Cyclone Gabrielle in Hawke’s Bay. Many rural communities and marae are waiting for help with rebuilding that Whaitiri was meant to be leading.

You would think there would be a pretty good reason for someone to turn their backs on their colleagues, on their responsibilities, and on their own community.

But that’s the strangest thing about Whaitiri’s sudden decision to jump from Labour to Te Pāti Māori: the lack of an explanation.

Her much-anticipated statement to Parliament this week gave no answers. She made some vague talk of “coming home” and “being free”. But free from what? The party she was so proud of just a few months ago?

Look, I know as well as any Māori who’s been involved in politics the tension between being part of a mainstream party and a Māori-centred party. I could have given up on Labour over Rogernomics, or the foreshore and seabed but, for me, the gains that Labour delivers - like Fair Pay Agreements, like Matariki, like record house building, like fees-free study, like cheaper GP visits – outweigh the bad.

And a strong Māori voice in Labour makes sure we are not forgotten. If we see good policies in this Budget for Māori and help for Māori communities to recover from the cyclone, the credit for that will lie at the feet of Willie Jackson and the rest of the Māori caucus.

Whaitiri thought being part of Labour was the best way to make a difference for our people for the decade she was a Labour MP, and the years she worked for Parekura Horomia before that. Apparently, even Te Pāti Māori was surprised to get a call from her that she wanted to switch teams.

So, what changed?

Best I can see is that she didn’t get a promotion from Chris Hipkins into Cabinet. She was reportedly incensed at being passed over in favour of new Minister and fellow wāhine Māori Willow-Jean Prime.

But politics is a team sport. Sometimes, you don’t get the role you wanted. That doesn’t mean you throw in the towel. Whaitiri still had important portfolios as a Minister outside Cabinet, and a job to do for her community.

Whaitiri has implied she was being suppressed because she is wāhine Māori, but that doesn’t hold water. Yes, wāhine Māori are often treated badly in our institutions and overlooked for promotion but that doesn’t mean every time Whaitiri doesn’t get what she wants that it’s because of racism. We have a record number of Māori Ministers, including four wāhine Māori. Both the Minister who was promoted ahead of her and her replacement now she has left the government, Jo Luxton, are wāhine Māori.

If Whaitiri wants someone to blame, she should look at herself. Her standing has never recovered from her alleged assault of a staffer in 2018. That action, and the temperament it highlights, is surely why she did not get a promotion to Cabinet.

In bailing on Labour and jumping to Te Pāti Māori, Whaitiri has also done political damage to her people. The suddenness, the chaotic way it was handled, the disrespect shown towards her party and the Labour Māori caucus all play into the hands of those who want to sow fear about Te Pāti Māori influence.

National’s Chris Luxon has been quick to jump on the events, painting a picture that Māori can’t be trusted in government, bringing back the bad old days of Don Brash’s anti-Māori dog-whistling. Now, racist dog-whistling didn’t work for Brash in 2005 and I think it’s even less likely to work for Luxon in 2023, but Whaitiri doesn’t need to be handing him ammunition.

Whaitiri’s decision to change parties may have been driven by ego, but she can make amends. In the coming months, Te Pāti Māori will need to convince voters they can be a responsible and constructive partner in a government and that they can work with Labour. If that doesn’t happen, National will use fear of Te Pāti Māori to try to chip voters off Labour so National and Act can govern alone.

Whaitiri can be the link there and help show that a Labour-led government with Te Pāti Māori support would be stable and progressive. It is an opportunity for her to redeem herself.

Shane Te Pou (Ngāi Tūhoe) is a commentator, blogger and former Labour Party activist.