Do Maori get special treatment? What the candidates say

Comments by Act Party leader Jamie Whyte that Maori were legally privileged above other races in New Zealand caused a stir this week. We asked the region's seven election candidates what they thought of this country's legal system and if it was biased.

New Zealand First Rotorua candidate Fletcher Tabuteau:

Everyday Maori are not benefiting from the latest round of policies, and in the process these policies are creating a form of apartheid that should be avoided at all costs. Everyday Maori don't care about the machinations of a select few, they want jobs, the pride that comes from an honest day's work, a fair return for that effort and a warm home and food for their children. Why do you think so many left to work in Australia? What we need in Rotorua is the opportunity for good jobs and good businesses. This is how we help all the people of Rotorua, together.

Labour Party Waiariki electorate candidate Rawiri Waititi:

Jamie Whyte - completely out of touch; with policies that would resonate with a skinhead party. The rights of Maori have only begun to be recognised over the past 30 years, from the birth of the Kohanga Reo movement in the '80s, to the establishment of the Treaty of Waitangi Tribunal in the '90s, to the Whanau Ora policy more recently. Still, Maori have the poorest education, health, welfare and justice outcomes in our country. These statistics definitely do not reflect that of a legally privileged group nor does it show New Zealand's legal system favouring the Maori race over another.

Labour Party Rotorua electorate candidate Tamati Coffey:

I don't think our legal system favours one race over another and stirring up race-based political issues is a sick ploy by ACT. If our legal system favours anyone, it wouldn't be Maori - it's those who mismanage finance companies and dodge tax - the latest estimate is a staggering $6 billion. The legal system doesn't favour Maori, which is why so many are currently wards of the state, but those in charge of Western Bay Finance, South Canterbury Finance and Blue Chip Finance, which destroyed the lives of so many ordinary investors, and who escaped conviction and jail.

New Zealand Independent Coalition candidate for Waiariki Pat Spellman:

Firstly - the leader of the ACT party is a muppet. New Zealand's legal system is based on an imperial model brought to Aotearoa by Pakeha. The flaws in the system that disadvantaged Maori for decades have slowly become exposed over time through the hard work of Maori. Our mana has been restored through avenues such as the Waitangi Tribunal and settlements, but to draw a comparison between Aotearoa today and pre-revolutionary France shows how disconnected from the real world the ACT party is - and the same goes for anyone who subscribes to that whakaaro (opinion).

Rotorua MP Todd McClay:

National supports a fair and just legal system for all New Zealanders of any background or race. Every person has the right to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial court. Judges and juries should be neutral referees where no discrimination is upheld. Every person should be treated the same by our judicial system. When it is perceived a court has misjudged, as shown with the public outcry over the recent case involving the sentencing of the Maori King's son, the normal judicial processes should be adhered to. In this particular case the Crown has decided to appeal the sentence.

Waiariki MP Te Ururoa Flavell:

Aotearoa has come so far in improving race relations and addressing disparities between Maori and Pakeha so it's sad that politicians feel the need to attract attention by making outlandish claims. Parliament is a Westminster system imposed on Maori, which confiscated Maori land and took away Maori rights to self-determination. Whyte must remember that Maori signed a treaty with the British Crown, giving them special status as New Zealand's indigenous people, but there is no legal privilege. I challenge him to show me where Maori are so privileged that we can create enforceable laws to meet our needs.

Mana Party Waiariki electorate candidate Annette Sykes:

Thirty years ago, it was identified in a pivotal report by lawyer Moana Jackson that institutionalised practices exist that disadvantage Maori in the New Zealand justice system. United Nations has again found in 2014 institutional racism against Maori in the New Zealand criminal justice system - for the fifth time. Following a two-week visit to New Zealand, the UN Working Party on Arbitrary Detention found systemic bias against Maori at all levels of the criminal justice system. It said there must be a review, and noted that four previous reports by the UN had found the justice system to be biased against Maori. Mana supports an immediate review as part of a wider process to reclaim a system of justice based on restorative principles to promote responsibility and whanau and social wellbeing.