Nanaia Mahuta: “I refuse to engage in the politics of desperation”

Written By: - Date published: 12:00 pm, August 30th, 2016 - 108 comments
Categories: labour, Maori Issues, maori party, Nanaia Mahuta - Tags: ,

Nanaia Mahuta has responded to the recent jibes from the Māori Party at her website:

Māori Party Adopt Divide and Rule Tactics

“It’s quite desperate when a political party purporting to represent Māori starts to use tactics that attack the person, not the policies, ” said Hauraki-Waikato MP Nanaia Mahuta.

In response to statements made on the TV3  political segment ‘The Hui”, Māori Party President Tuku Morgan attacked  Members of the Labour Māori Caucus.

“Our Māori caucus is focussed on highlighting the issues really hurting Māori – growing rates of homelessness, high numbers of Māori children in state care, protecting the integrity of Treaty Settlements, better protection for workers and more investment in the public education system.”

“These are the day to day issues that matter at the coal face”.

“The Māori Party somehow are trying to deny that they are a part of a Government whose policies are creating greater inequality and higher levels of poverty.”

“Sadly, the President and co-leader Marama Fox are now trying to adopt divide and rule tactics pitting whanau against whanau – that is not Māori, and I refuse to engage in the politics of desperation.”

“The people I represent are not directors or trustees of wealthy Iwi or organisations holding significant contracts. The people I represent are trying to hold down their jobs, put Kai on the table and give their whanau more opportunity.”

“No amount of game playing for the Māori vote will distract from the reality that we need to change the Government”.

108 comments on “Nanaia Mahuta: “I refuse to engage in the politics of desperation” ”

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  1. marty mars 1
    30 August 2016 at 12:31 pm

    Good response and smart politics. Stay above. Your mana is unruffled.

    • Leftie 1.1
      30 August 2016 at 1:30 pm

      +1 Marty Mars. Nanaia Mahuta is just awesome, a perfect response on her part. She put the Maori party in it’s place, that’s for sure.

      • AmaKiwi 1.1.1
        30 August 2016 at 9:13 pm

        A rare political statement. No b.s. No pretending to be polite when straight talking is needed. Well done, Nanaia.

        • D'Esterre' 1.1.1.1
          31 August 2016 at 10:42 am

          Congratulations to Nanaia for a deft piece of straight talking. The Maori party is playing a dangerous game; the electorate is smart and will be able to see its chicanery for what it is. Unfortunate that the king has allowed himself to be dragged down this rabbit hole.

  2. Michelle 2
    30 August 2016 at 1:18 pm

    Well said Nanaia the Maori party have been selling out their own people so they can stay in power but I think there days are numbered and so should the Act and United party be gone.

    • Leftie 2.1
      30 August 2016 at 1:32 pm

      Yep, the Maori party are really showing themselves up now in their panic Michelle.

      • Michelle 2.1.1
        31 August 2016 at 11:46 am

        I am not happy with Te Ururoa he voted for that bill to work during Easter and for selling our HNZ houses. Now why would you do that, is it so his people could have more assets while hurting our people( Maori ) at the same time and other poor NZers. Also he is allowing the gnats to get out of there social responsibilities to provide housing to the poor instead they want to lump this on communities already hugely burdened.

  3. TC 3
    30 August 2016 at 1:28 pm

    Excellent reponse and about time the MP were called on their backing of nact in flogging state houses etc

    Fox is as untrustworthy as key is.

  4. Jo 4
    30 August 2016 at 1:53 pm

    So that means she is resigning and not jumping to the Maori party. She might be tribal Labour but her tribe will come first and the King has spoken. Even though she might want to hold on she now lacks the local mandate. How much did this all have to do with Matt M being moved to Auckland, was he the fall guy for not knowing that the King was going to announce the severing of ties with Labour?

    Little has made no effort to include the Maori MPs in the decision making and that is now burning him big time (Davis doesn’t count, he doesn’t have the backing of his tribe, Hone had that). There must have been warning signs, Morgan was furious when she was demoted and saw it as a slight on her mana and the mana of the tribe. Hard lesson to learn but Maori politicians have very long memories and once you stomp on the mana of the tribe you can expect utu.

    • Leftie 4.1
      30 August 2016 at 2:01 pm

      Suggest you watch the link Paul has put up on Open Mike.

    • te reo putake 4.2
      30 August 2016 at 2:07 pm

      “So that means she is resigning and not jumping to the Maori party.”

      Can you clarify what you mean? I haven’t seen a skerrick of information that suggests anything other than a long term commitment to Labour.

      “How much did this all have to do with Matt M being moved to Auckland, …”

      Zero. Matt wanted to a return to Auckland and a new challenge.

      “There must have been warning signs, Morgan was furious when she was demoted and saw it as a slight on her mana and the mana of the tribe.”

      I detect a telling slip of the tongue, Jo. You wouldn’t be making things up on behalf of the wearer of NZ’s most expensive underwear would you?

      • Leftie 4.2.1
        30 August 2016 at 2:23 pm

        I think she is Te Reo Putake.

      • Jo 4.2.2
        30 August 2016 at 2:26 pm

        Fantastic. Morgan is now the President of the Maori Party and a trusted confident and friend to the King. So lets make fun of him, that will be so beneficial in any future negotiations with the Maori party or any discussions Nanaia might have with her tribe to try and get them to soften their attitude to Labour.

        This has all come about because Little thinks he can just ignore and trample on the mana of the MPs from the Maori seats (apart from Davis, but he is toast next time, so he doesn’t count). Then he graciously turns up to the 10th anniversary and expects to be treated like God doling out a few sweets to the natives. Well these are big corporations now and they expect far more in return for their support and they have worked out that National is pragmatic enough to negotiate.

        Nanaia will probably stay very loyal to Labour, but she is an elected representative of her tribe and with them removing support she is now in a very difficult position. It must be much easier for her to retire than spend a year at odds with her tribe and Little has shown her zero loyalty so she owes him nothing.

        • Ad 4.2.2.1
          31 August 2016 at 6:39 am

          The mana of the Maori Party was evaluated at the last election.

          “Well these are big corporations now and expect more for their support”. That’s a really interesting explanation of democracy. Why not expand on how big corporations deserve more for their support.

          What electorate are you in, and what party do you support? I’m really interested to see how voting works there.

    • Leftie 4.3
      30 August 2016 at 2:12 pm

      “So that means she is resigning”
      Where did you get that from Jo?

      • Anne 4.3.1
        30 August 2016 at 2:46 pm

        It is all coming off the top of his/her head. He/she has adopted the same tactics as Tuku Morgan and Marama Fox – trying to drive wedges by attacking individuals in the Labour Party.

        I’m guessing the ‘new’ Maori Party’s ultimate objective is to drive a wedge between Labour’s Maori MPs and the rest of the caucus and party. They imagine being able to win back the Maori seats on the back of a split? Nanaia is far too intelligent and experienced to fall for that type of crap as indeed (I’m sure) are all of her Maori colleagues.

        • Leftie 4.3.1.1
          30 August 2016 at 3:02 pm

          Yep, evident isn’t Anne? and it’s not going to work either.
          It’s pretty clear the Maori party are using National party dirty politics to try and cling to its illusionary power. What made the Maori party think that they could pull off that kind of stunt after 8 and 1/2 years of supporting the Nats? People are not that blind.

          • Leftie 4.3.1.1.1
            30 August 2016 at 3:05 pm

            Anne, have you watched the link of Andrew Little and Winston Peters that Paul put up on Open Mike? I thoroughly recommend it.

      • b waghorn 4.3.2
        30 August 2016 at 2:58 pm

        I read an article two days ago saying that she was thinking of leaving and that she was possible in line for the next maori queen. I just tried two google search it but only ended up at that scum oil site , so it seems the dp department is winding in to action.

        • weka 4.3.2.1
          30 August 2016 at 7:23 pm

          Do you think it was on a MSM site? Newspaper or TV?

          • weka 4.3.2.1.1
            30 August 2016 at 7:33 pm

            The only things I can find are a blogpost by Richard Harman, and the report of that on WO. The Harman post reads as a press release from the Mp. I’m guessing that Harman falls in the right of the political spectrum.

            Jo’s comments here mirror WO’s, although more detailed.

            Definitely looks like some RW shit-stirring or outright joggery pokery.

            • Anne 4.3.2.1.1.1
              30 August 2016 at 8:26 pm

              Interesting weka. Richard Harman is known to be a supporter of the National Party. This so-called MP press release seems, in the first instance, to have been only provided to one source – Richard Harman. If it had been a general press release then surely other MSM outlets would have picked up the story at the same time.

          • b waghorn 4.3.2.1.2
            30 August 2016 at 7:50 pm

            yes i only really go on stuff , the herald and news hub.

          • Anne 4.3.2.1.3
            30 August 2016 at 8:13 pm

            Yes, I recall reading something on one of the MSM online sites. I dismissed it because the reasoning behind the story didn’t seem to match with reality. But b waghorn might have hit on something with his Dirty Politics suggestion.

            Something about this whole story of the Maori Party, Tuku Morgan, the Maori King (and it’s looking more and more like he is being used), Nanaia Mahuta et al is not adding up. And now we hear from b waghorn that when he tried to search for the article he ended up at Slater’s sleazy site. If it starts to smell putrid then it may well be putrid.

      • Jo 4.3.3
        30 August 2016 at 3:03 pm

        Why would she stay? Her tribe have severed their affiliations with her party, her leader shows her no loyalty and zip to the rest of the Maori caucus (just wheels them out when it is convenient) and Tainui have sorted her an excellent position at home.

        Labour need to wake up and realise this catastrophic. Morgan will be negotiating with Ratana and they won’t need much persuading, considering how inept Little’s response has been to the King’s announcement. Last election Labour received approx 55,000 party votes from the Maori seats, if that was to halve and if they also lost 10,000 from the general roll then that is a list seat gone. Plus if the Maori leaders go hard for the Maori party it will impact on the Greens and NZF. That is what happens when you take people for granted.

        • Leftie 4.3.3.1
          30 August 2016 at 3:07 pm

          So in other words, you are shitstirring and making things up, Jo.

        • Stephanie Rodgers 4.3.3.2
          30 August 2016 at 3:08 pm

          It’s always very interesting when people act like they know all about Māori politics but keep using the word “tribe” instead of “iwi”.

          • McFlock 4.3.3.2.1
            30 August 2016 at 4:43 pm

            oh, poot. that’s like telling a poker player that they wince everytime they’re bluffing – it spoils the fun for everyone else 🙂

          • Jo 4.3.3.2.2
            30 August 2016 at 6:53 pm

            Well you sit in Wellington or Auckland and think you know about politics outside the beltway. Well I live in the Waikato and the word on the street is that Nanaia will resign and come home, call it gossip or what you like.

            As I said before why would she stay? Little should have locked in the Maori vote by making her deputy, that is what she wanted and why she stood for Leader…..to give Maori a bigger voice. Not only does he not promote her but kicks her off the front bench and promotes Davis because he makes lots of noise. Davis has no standing with Maori leadership and he is not making any effort to cultivate it. What did the Labour brains trust think was going to happen, the good Maori boys were going to slink back to their provisional backwaters and suck it up? Obviously not and now they have to deal with it.

            The King and Morgan have made it obvious they will not work with Little, remember the King singled him out, the King saying it was because Little said he wouldn’t work with the Maori party is just a red herring, the main problem is his treatment of the Maori MP and Nanaia in particular.

            • weka 4.3.3.2.2.1
              30 August 2016 at 7:12 pm

              Or, Mahuta was a strong supporter of Cunliffe’s and was put down the list in the interim while Little sorts out the internal issues within Labour esp the neoliberal/left split.

              • Jo …
                30 August 2016 at 7:23 pm

                Well that just reinforces my view that Little is a political retard along with King, Goff and co who couldn’t get rid of Cunliffe fast enough.

                • Anne …
                  30 August 2016 at 7:55 pm

                  You are moving into the realms of being offensive Ms Jo. I suggest you take your hate-filled diatribes elsewhere before you start moving into the realm of slander and defamation and maybe forcibly and permanently kicked off the site.

                  • Chris …
                    30 August 2016 at 8:10 pm

                    Yes Jo, The Anne has spoken.

                    • Leftie …
                      31 August 2016 at 12:30 am

                      Is Anne your next victim to stalk and troll Chris, because she stood up to you?

                    • Chris …
                      31 August 2016 at 1:01 am

                      You don’t need to feel like a victim who’s stalked and trolled, Leftie, you poor wee pathetic one-dimensional Labour toadie.

                    • Leftie …
                      31 August 2016 at 2:49 am

                      But I never said I was a victim Chris, and you are inclined to stalk and troll people who have stood up to you, with vacuous, time wasting comments, as you have proven tonight. You’re quite pathetic really.

                • Bearded Git …
                  30 August 2016 at 8:59 pm

                  Jo you are a troll of the first order.

                • Leftie …
                  31 August 2016 at 12:29 am

                  I don’t think Weka’s post reinforces your view at all. David Cunliffe is still there, working hard for the party and he backs Andrew Little 100%. You haven’t been listening to what he has been saying either.

            • Stephanie Rodgers 4.3.3.2.2.2
              30 August 2016 at 8:42 pm

              You may be right on any or all of that, Jo, but the fact is you’re still demanding people just accept “Nanaia is going to resign” on your say-so. That’s not how debate works.

              • Jo …
                30 August 2016 at 9:11 pm

                well time will tell, but that seat in the future has Maori Party written all over it, it is just a matter of time. AND the blame is firmly with the leadership of Labour, for not realising the importance of the Maori vote. Happy for you to charge me with slander but that will change nothing, Labour has read this so wrong, maybe sitting in Wellington listening to people telling them they are doing a fantastic job and everyone loves them (apart from Tainui) has distorted their view of reality.

            • te reo putake 4.3.3.2.2.3
              30 August 2016 at 9:23 pm

              “The King and Morgan have made it obvious they will not work with Little, remember the King singled him out, the King saying it was because Little said he wouldn’t work with the Maori party is just a red herring, the main problem is his treatment of the Maori MP and Nanaia in particular.”

              So you are saying the king lied? Big call, Jo!

              Closer to the truth might be that Tuku Morgan lied to the king and the king, in his weakness, trusted him.

              • marty mars …
                30 August 2016 at 11:06 pm

                Please provide evidence that Tuku Morgan lied or retract. This thread is full of disgusting made up lines about Morgan – why?

                • DoublePlusGood …
                  31 August 2016 at 8:38 am

                  Because all this rumouring points to Morgan stirring shit up to try and topple Mahuta.

              • Jo …
                31 August 2016 at 6:45 am

                The meaning of a red herring is not a lie, but it is not the main reason behind a decision. The King is hardly going to call Little out for treating their MP badly. The fact Little said he wouldn’t work with the Maori Party just gave them another valid reason to cut their ties with Labour. It is called politics, and Little and his advisers should have thought about the consequences when he demoted Labour’s most senior Maori MP.

                Stop blaming Tuku Morgan and denigrating him, it is achieving nothing. He is certainly proving himself to be far more politically savvy than Little and his advisers.

                • te reo putake …
                  31 August 2016 at 8:12 am

                  Except Little didn’t say he wouldn’t work with them. Little’s position is that the mp are not a party of change. He’s dead right, obviously. If the mp are going to be part of a progressive government, they will have to radically alter their own outlook. Then maybe it might be possible that they could fit in with Labour, the Greens and others.

                  And why would the King use weasel words as you claim? As I said earlier, I think it’s far more likely that Morgan bullshitted the King and the King took him at his word. Sadly, Tuheitia Paki is not a well man. And, as you say, Tuku Morgan is politically savvy. I wouldn’t put it past him to have deliberately taken advantage of the king’s illness to create mischief.

                • weka …
                  31 August 2016 at 8:18 am

                  “The fact Little said he wouldn’t work with the Maori Party just gave them another valid reason to cut their ties with Labour.”

                  Where and when did he say that? Please be specific.

              • Takere …
                31 August 2016 at 9:35 am

                I think. There maybe plenty of Humble-Pie been eaten in the Waikato after next years election? It is a bit to early to be making predictions as there are many balls been juggled by this crony government to keep the veneer of “everything is ka pai” going. 8 years of juggling balls is starting to take a toll and they’ve dropped quite a few ….Poverty, Homelessness, Charter Cools, a broken Health System and a PM that lies about anything and pretty much everything and his side-kick Dildo-Joyce’s’ default by-line is, “Labour Did it!”

            • Leftie 4.3.3.2.2.4
              31 August 2016 at 12:24 am

              “remember the King singled him out, the King saying it was because Little said he wouldn’t work with the Maori party is just a red herring”

              Are you saying the King made it up then to be deceptive in order to make the stance has has made?

              The Queen would never have allowed herself to be manipulated in that manner.

              “the King saying it was because Little said he wouldn’t work with the Maori party”

              Andrew Little or his staff can find no reference that he ever said that. Are you referring to David Cunliffe who correctly said in 2014 a vote for the Maori party is a vote for National?

              Do you realize Jo that you are not listening to what Nanaia Mahuta herself is saying, and you have done her a great disservice of your false description of her.

        • weka 4.3.3.3
          30 August 2016 at 3:09 pm

          You’ve now been asked in 2 separate threads why you think that Mahuta is about to resign, and you’ve failed to answer. That you think she should resign is an entirely different thing than her planning to resign. I think you are making shit up, and doing it in a not very subtle astro-turfing kind of way.

          • North 4.3.3.3.1
            30 August 2016 at 8:44 pm

            You’re getting hysterical, Jo never before seen on TS Jo. Who put you up to it, girl/boy Jo ?

            • Jo 4.3.3.3.1.1
              30 August 2016 at 9:23 pm

              You are wrong. I follow this blog very closely, but I only comment when i know something about the discussion. I know farming, rural politics and how people feel out in the provinces (yeah you know the places you giggle at). I never comment on Auckland issues as I have no experience or first hand knowledge. It is you who is being offensive suggesting someone put me up to it, just because I only comment occasionally means nothing, apart from I am not arrogant enough to have an opinion on things I don’t have first hand experience of.

        • Anne 4.3.3.4
          30 August 2016 at 3:10 pm

          Is Tuku Morgan paying you an hourly rate or are you on a contract Jo?

        • Foreign waka 4.3.3.5
          30 August 2016 at 4:36 pm

          Well, for an average voter who remembers Mr Morgan in parliament years ago its a no brainer. He is has as much mana as a stinky sock and unfortunately if the Maori King affiliates that is not very impressive either. The fact that he holds the title does not mean he holds the knowledge.
          Whats needed is foresight for the next generation that needs to be able to cooperate in a world that becomes increasing unforgiving to those who think they are “different” and “deserve better”, there are too many of those and it is becoming tiring as the expectation is for constructive solutions. The old days of politics will not deliver for those who really need some courageous stewardship. Many of the younger generation does recognize this.

          • marty mars 4.3.3.5.1
            30 August 2016 at 4:55 pm

            You are in no position to say how much mana he has – how the fuck would you know?

            His mana is manifest in many ways. Your ignorance is too.

            • North 4.3.3.5.1.1
              30 August 2016 at 9:01 pm

              And Marty I know very, very well, like a trusted bro’ of mine of decades, someone whose mana you would never contest, who says exactly what numerous people on here are saying right now…….the Maori Party are fucking tory arse lickers. Toryana Torya being the worst. Motivated only by the most consuming bitterness and propelled into the slimy arms of fucking John Key……to make him look cool as he tosses a few crumbs to Maori. Wow ! What mana ! A few blankets.

              The most disgusting and saddening site I ever saw was her, sporting Che beret, cruising around a big meeting hall in Lower Hutt in the Crown BMW, looking for a back entrance, because she was regarded as irrelevant to the issue under discussion and wasn’t actually welcome. Water was it ? On which she’d happily licked Key’s arse. There was no mana there. Skulking around in Hone Key’s BMW. Ask yourself. And then ‘Peter’. Wanting ‘his’ mortgage paid for life. What ?????

              • marty mars …
                30 August 2016 at 9:19 pm

                Yep I get that you hate the Māori Party – me, I can’t be bothered anymore. I voted for them, I went with Hone and went with Mana, even stayed with Mana when kim came along and even after Mana lost I still support them. I have written big blogposts on how utterly let down by the Māori Party I felt/feel and how imo they had let every Māori down – so I fully get the disappointment. And still I am not going into the ‘hating’ and ‘abusing’ and I’m certainly not joining in when non-Māori get into it – which is why I responded to FW.

                truth be told, most if not all, politicians are similar flawed dickheads – I’m more surprised when one of them isn’t actually.

                North you can do what you want – rip into them, go hard, your call.

                • Leftie …
                  31 August 2016 at 12:46 am

                  “Yep I get that you hate the Māori Party”
                  North described why Marty Mars, and there is probably more that he could say but hasn’t. The Maori party isn’t exactly flavour of the month with most Maori either, Nanaia Mahuta has them sussed.

                  • Chris …
                    31 August 2016 at 1:10 am

                    Another naive and shallow response from a pathetically one-dimensional Labour toadie, devoid of even a slither of critical faculty.

                  • North …
                    31 August 2016 at 9:26 am

                    Well actually I don’t hate the MP never said I do. I do regard it as a self-important, Koru Club blighted, entitled spectacle, representing 1% of Maori. Happy to be the manipulated icing on Key’s rotten cake and being personally well rewarded for it. Fuck the ugly street people of Kaikohe. No ‘traction’ in them !

                    It’s bloody hilarious how when it suits racist righties come out all steamed up in support of Maori. While otherwise seeing a not undeserving underclass.

              • Leftie …
                31 August 2016 at 12:37 am

                Well said North. And it was water.

            • DoublePlusGood 4.3.3.5.1.2
              31 August 2016 at 8:44 am

              Well, then his lack of integrity over many years disrespects those who give him that mana.

        • Takere 4.3.3.6
          30 August 2016 at 5:46 pm

          Jo. Tainui Inc have killed off the Maori Party.Outside of Waikato. Tainui Underpants Inc. will not appeal to or attract anymore votes. That’s about 12,000 scrubbed off their 2014 Election party vote of about 31,000. Currently they’re polling on a National party poll 0.4% since Underpants tuku over. They’re history.

        • Muso64 4.3.3.7
          30 August 2016 at 7:17 pm

          Ignore what Jo is saying at your peril. It is arrogant of you Standard commenters to dismiss her out of hand and the way you have all ganged up is one of the reasons that both The Standard and the Labour party are not taken seriously by the majority of NZers. She knows what she is talking about; she has tried to warn you: what does she get?? Abuse and accusations of being a Tuku Morgan plant. Ye gods.

          I follow this blog and read everything; have been a loyal Labour Party voter for over 30 years. But if you lot are representative of today’s Labour, I can see why it’s difficult to get people to follow the message.

          For the record, I read an article about Nanaia moving to the Maori party – Marama Fox at work there – and there have been local articles about why Nanaia is in a really tricky position. She is a Mahuta. As Jo said, that is far, far bigger among Tainui than national politics and you need to get your heads out of te ao Pakeha and get where she’s coming from.

          • te reo putake 4.3.3.7.1
            30 August 2016 at 7:54 pm

            Fair call. However TS is not a Labour Party blog and authors and commenters put forward their own views.

            I have yet to see any evidence that Nanaia is going to switch to the maori party. It sounds like a ridiculous idea, given that she’s had that option from the moment the party was formed. Why leave labour now, when they’re on the way to government?

            Honestly, it sounds like something a desperate maori party might want, but it doesn’t sound like a runner for Nanaia.

            • Lanthanide 4.3.3.7.1.1
              30 August 2016 at 9:00 pm

              “Why leave labour now, when they’re on the way to government?”

              Because she’s fucked off with the way Little and others have treated her? That’s the reason for “now”.

              And as for being in government, the MP is likely to be involved in the next government if it is a National one, whereas Labour certainly won’t be. It’s less clear if the MP would be involved in a future Labour government, but Labour would probably throw some baubles their way, especially if Nanaia became a co-leader of the party and by her joining the MP they were able to swell their ranks back to 4-5 MPs and get some real clout in the next Parliament.

              • North …
                30 August 2016 at 9:10 pm

                What a hoot Lanth’. Throw some “baubles” you say ? Ah..Huh..Ahem…..’Dame’ Toryana Torya…..’Sir’ Pita/Peter Sharples. Faark Me !!! Get real Lanth’. I prefer you as a pedant. Fancy stuff is not you mate.

                • Lanthanide …
                  30 August 2016 at 9:39 pm

                  I mean policy concessions / negotiations that the MP can stand up and say “we achieved this”, like how they did with the Marine and Coastal Area Act, which ultimately didn’t achieve much but gave the MP something to crow about.

              • te reo putake …
                30 August 2016 at 9:18 pm

                But, clearly, she’s not fucked off with anything, other than the maori party’s disrespect toward her. And as for being in Government, the maori party, if they still have MP’s next election, will suck up to National as they have done for the last 3 elections. They are not an option for a progressive coalition.

              • Anne …
                30 August 2016 at 9:46 pm

                Because she’s fucked off with the way Little and others have treated her? That’s the reason for “now”.

                That is nonsense. Does it ever occur to you she might have wanted to step back from too much portfolio responsibility for a while? She has two pre-school children and she may well have wanted to to be able to spend more time with them in their formative years. My understanding is: she’s still on the front bench so it wasn’t much of a demotion.

                Please read Nanaia Mahuta’s own account Lanthanide:

                http://nanaiamahuta.org.nz/political/maori-party-adopt-divide-and-rule-tactics/

              • Leftie …
                31 August 2016 at 12:52 am

                “Because she’s fucked off with the way Little and others have treated her? That’s the reason for “now”.

                Who are you taking about Lanthanide?

                That’s not Nanaia Mahuta. You are another person that’s not listening to what Nanaia Mahuta says.

            • Chris 4.3.3.7.1.2
              30 August 2016 at 11:15 pm

              “Why leave labour now, when they’re on the way to government?

              “Honestly, it sounds like something a desperate maori party might want, but it doesn’t sound like a runner for Nanaia.”

              Because there’s something in the air. There’s no way Hone would’ve entertained even the slightest possibility of teaming up with the Maori Party if there wasn’t. Of course it’s early days, but my guess is that new personnel within the Maori Party are rethinking the “it’s better to be in tent” approach to things. There may even be ideas floating about that Labour’s been punished enough. There’d be no shame or accusations of selling out if Nanaia switched parties because she’d still be on the same side. There doesn’t have to be a contradiction or inconsistency here. The Maori Party’s deal with the nats has never been comfortable on any real level and the relevant players are either beginning to see that, or always have but saw a greater need to stick it to Labour so did precisely that. Either way the Maori Party see it’s time to get to work for Maori and that a divided voice for Maori ain’t going to cut it. I’m predicting big changes are afoot.

          • weka 4.3.3.7.2
            30 August 2016 at 8:03 pm

            I’m pretty sure that Labour wouldn’t consider the commentariat on The Standard to be representative of the Labour Party 😉

            The problem for Jo is that she is unknown here and her comments have come across as similar to what we get from people trolling or astroturfing. Like all online communities there is a culture here that needs to be understood if people want to be taken seriously. Making statements of fact without any kind of context or reference usually doesn’t work, because of the long history of people making shit up for political reasons (mostly RWers).

            “For the record, I read an article about Nanaia moving to the Maori party”

            Great, put up a link or refer to where you read it. I’m sure it will help the conversation. The only thing I’ve found online is something reporting about the Mp’s views on this, which you have to admit is likely to be viewed with suspicion, especially given what Mahuta herself has said.

          • North 4.3.3.7.3
            30 August 2016 at 9:03 pm

            Another troll. Assisted by pedant Lanth’.

            • Lanthanide 4.3.3.7.3.1
              30 August 2016 at 9:39 pm

              Grow up.

              • North …
                30 August 2016 at 10:04 pm

                I think many people here would see you as something of a pedant Lanth’. I’m in mind of your sterling pedantic defence of Scott in his sterling pedantic defence of Hekia Parata yesterday.

                • Lanthanide …
                  30 August 2016 at 10:05 pm

                  He wasn’t defending Hekia. Repeating that over and over again doesn’t make it true.

          • North 4.3.3.7.4
            30 August 2016 at 9:56 pm

            Beware ! Concern troll Muso64 –

            “I follow this blog and read everything; have been a loyal Labour Party voter for over 30 years. But if you lot are representative of today’s Labour, I can see why it’s difficult to get people to follow the message.”

            Either you’re bullshitting (concern trolling) Muso 64, or given what you claim if you had half a brain/heart/soul you woulda ditched Labour years ago. Not taken 30 years to do it. So you’re bullshitting. On behalf of the 1% (in the model of power freak Hone Key) who don’t give a fuck about “their people”…….except as vehicles to power for them.

            It’s not the Labour Party I stick up for…..it’s the ShonKey One Percenter , carpetbagging, Maori Party I denounce. They’re bullshit. Essentially committed to sit taking supper from Hone Key. Chiming “Fuck he tangata !”

  5. Takere 5
    30 August 2016 at 1:55 pm

    Tuku’s having brain explosions in his underpants! MP is now Tainui Inc and have most probably lost the party vote from the rest of the country. RIP MP & NactUtd ….

    • TC 5.1
      30 August 2016 at 3:16 pm

      Tanui arent exactly bastions of explempary corporate behaviour with a culture of largesse and costly decisions seeming to be made by too few, too quickly with dissent crushed. Sound familiar….

      • Takere 5.1.1
        30 August 2016 at 3:52 pm

        Tell me about it. My own iwi Ngati Paoa have got suckered in to buying into the Crowns Housing game in Auckland. But even more stupid is that they’re buying the land from the crown to then build homes on, using the redress quantum(on account/tick). It’s almost all spent on Ghost Houses that’s a losing investment when the bubble bursts and a farm that’s returning less than 1% . Trying to pull the plug …starting to get some traction … Baubles of Office go to the heads of the cuzzies just like in the pakeha world. Greed & ego indiscriminate.

  6. Michael who failed Civics 6
    30 August 2016 at 2:07 pm

    Mahuta’s in denial. Her party is not interested in the needs of Maori, apart from its elite segment. Labour has delivered very little to Maori in recent years, which indicates that its Maori caucus is ineffective (at best). In an MMP environment there are other, more effective, vehicles for Maori representation.

    • McFlock 6.1
      30 August 2016 at 2:10 pm

      such as?

      The Māori Party represent the 1%ers who are Māori.

      Maybe the Greens?

    • Anne 6.2
      30 August 2016 at 2:54 pm

      Mahuta doesn’t do denial. Her feet are planted firmly on the ground as anyone who has had dealings with her can testify.

      Labour has delivered very little to Maori in recent years, which indicates that its Maori caucus is ineffective (at best)…

      What an utterly stupid comment. In case you haven’t caught up with it yet… Labour has not been in govt. for close on eight years! It strikes me you are the one who is in a state of denial or willful blindness – one or the other.

    • North 6.3
      30 August 2016 at 7:18 pm

      Whomever above said that there’s a 1% in Maoridom which acts as badly as…….well, it’s true. Maori Party didn’t just oppose Hone, it demonised him, absolutely demonised him. As though he were a monster. If they get theirs’ for that or whatever reason that’ll be grandly poetic.

      There’s a point at which being “in the tent” is just self-indulgent bullshit. A crap rationalisation for self, like very, very, very, self-interest. Brilliant for the 1% of course but it’s pretty sick in any representative for that to be the imperative.

  7. North 7
    30 August 2016 at 8:42 pm

    Maori Party are shit to the non-1% of Maori on the streets of Kaikohe. That’s completely understandable. Maori Party sups’ with Paula and John. Who don’t give a fuck about Maori on the streets of Kaikohe ! Say they do but nah……

  8. Heather Grimwood 8
    30 August 2016 at 9:05 pm

    Superb strong words Manaia which reflect the strong person you are. I have followed for years the difficulties that come your way but how implacable and dignified you are in dismissing /overcoming them. You show yourself once again as a woman of stature. New Zealand needs you. In sincerity…..Heather

    • left for dead 8.1
      31 August 2016 at 11:59 am

      I’m with Heather on every point, meet Nanaia in the leaders debate down south, was very moved by the way she handled herself. She is Queen material.

    • mary_a 8.2
      31 August 2016 at 12:15 pm

      Agree 100% with your sentiments Heather (8). Nanaia is indeed a woman of strong mana, with a dignified, respectful, level headed approach to issues, as her latest statement suggests.

      A born leader in every respect.

  9. vto 9
    31 August 2016 at 6:52 am

    Go Hone. Go Nanaia.

    … not that the internals of maori politics are very understandable to those of us outside their tent …. but Hone and Nanaia seem consistent in standing up for those who can’t …

    If only more people stood up for those who can’t, like John Key or Bill English should, but I aint never seen them do that. Such a shame because the quickest and best way to strengthen and improve a society is by building up the base ..

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