Polity: Maori Party / Key fundraiser

Written By: - Date published: 9:00 am, April 15th, 2014 - 35 comments
Categories: john key, maori party, national - Tags: , ,

polity_square_for_lynnRob Salmond did his original post here.

The Political Anorak News is full of the $5,000-a-plate fundraiser for the Maori Party hosted by John Key at the Northern Club in Auckland. A few thoughts:

  1. Nothing illegal about this at all, or really anything immoral either. Key wants to help the Maori Party help Key, so he’s putting in an appearance. No problem.
  2. From the attempts to have the fundraiser fly under everyone’s radar, however, it seems that both the Maori Party and Key would have rather kept their fundraising link hush hush, which isn’t the best look for transparency.
  3. These kinds of events make it crystal clear that a vote for the Maori Party is a vote for a National government.
  4. I expect this confirmation will do Te Ururoa Flavell no favours in Waiariki, especially with a better funded Annette Sykes campaign breathing down his neck.
  5. Tariana Turia will be gobsmacked at how far her party has fallen. From principled objectors to the Foreshore and Seabed Act to literally begging at the National Party’s bowl in nine short years. Ouch.

35 comments on “Polity: Maori Party / Key fundraiser ”

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  1. Lanthanide 1
    15 April 2014 at 9:10 am

    On an interview on Morning Report this morning, whoever it was from the Maori Party (president?) said that Tariana was at the fundraising event. So I don’t think she would be gobsmacked at all. Also apparently it was shown on television, so again I don’t think they were trying to fly under the radar with it. He even said he wouldn’t mind talking to Cunliffe to see if he’d be keen for a similar fundraising dinner.

    Storm in a teacup.

    • karol 1.1
      15 April 2014 at 9:17 am

      Did you see the Native Affairs programme on it, Lanth? It was flying under the radar until Native Affairs people showed footage they’d shot, largely from outside the venue of people arriving and leaving. It wasn’t something the dinner organisers appear to have invited the media to.

      • bad12 1.1.1
        15 April 2014 at 10:22 am

        Maori Television seemed to be working hand in glove with TV3 on this, the original ‘heads up’ came with a short clip on last nights TV3 news which also pointed viewers in the direction of that nights Native Affairs on Maori Television for the whole story,

        Nicely done in my opinion, a good piece of cooperation, and Lolz, perhaps that’s how Paddy Gower got an invite as a commentator on last night’s Native Affairs,

        Julian Wlicox’s departure from presenting the Native Affairs show had me a little worried at the time as i thought the quality of the show would slip,

        No worries tho, Mihirangi while being so laid back at times i was beginning to wonder what she smokes has Her way of ‘doing things’ as shown by the Kohanga Reo stories and last nights expose of the Political Prostitution of the Prime Minister,and the Maori Party,(and it works)…

      • marty mars 1.1.2
        15 April 2014 at 10:37 am

        I watched it on the net last night but not the panel discussion – I agree with lanth that it is a storm in a teacup, I felt a bit queasy watching the long-range cameras taking the photos while the participants weren’t aware and the audio too. The constituents for the Maori party are not the ‘downtrodden’ tangata whenua – no they have other people that vote for them. All parties raise money and this is neither better or worse – if people weren’t aware of the connection between them and key then they haven’t been paying attention. The Northern Club? I’ve been there – typical of those bastions of the past. Key speaking? Yeah, so what, this is the way of our political world it seems and it is good that it has come out but big news – I don’t think so. It could be payback for the comments the Maori Party have been making against Mana but really no one who knows anything listens to them, their cards were marked many moons ago.

        So really I don’t rate it as much as some, as a story. But i suppose it gives another bone to gnaw.

    • Draco T Bastard 1.2
      15 April 2014 at 9:17 am

      He even said he wouldn’t mind talking to Cunliffe to see if he’d be keen for a similar fundraising dinner.

      You don’t get to butter both sides of your toast without getting greasy fingers.

      After having John Key talk at a Maori Party fundraiser there’s no way that Cunliffe will do so. No, this is the Maori Party showing that they’re now a National Party sycophant. I think we can confidently expect its total demise this election.

      • karol 1.2.1
        15 April 2014 at 9:21 am

        Marama Davidson also made the point that the Green Party would never do that style of fund raising event. They aim to follow the Party’s main values in the way they do fundraisers.

        • Melb 1.2.1.1
          15 April 2014 at 10:23 am

          By keeping the leftovers of donations to fund a legal defence?

          • Flashing Light 1.2.1.1.1
            15 April 2014 at 10:37 am

            How is that wrong? It’s clearly signposted what will happen with any (purely theoretical) left over money … of which I’ll bet there is precisely zero, given how expensive court cases are.

            • One Anonymous Bloke 1.2.1.1.1.1
              15 April 2014 at 10:43 am

              It’s wrong because The Greens did it. When the National Party sells access to the Prime Minister, and he poses for promotional photographs, that’s perfectly normal, though.

        • bad12 1.2.1.2
          15 April 2014 at 10:28 am

          Marama Davidson, a breath of fresh air into New Zealand politics and i would suggest a future leader of the Green Party…

        • framu 1.2.1.3
          15 April 2014 at 10:52 am

          oddly – i took the story to be “look how out of touch the MP are with who it needs to vote for them” as oppossed to “look at their shady fundraising”

          Its not key attendance by itself, its the whole package – the location, the cost, the speaker all together

          edit: by “who it needs to vote for them” – i mean that while the average maori party voter might not be the target audience of such an event – the MP still needs these votes to stay in parliament

          I agree its not so much an earth shattering issue – more a “well look at that” kind of thing

    • Will@Welly 1.3
      15 April 2014 at 11:17 pm

      Ken Mair was the chappie on Morning Report. Ducking for cover wasn’t in it.

  2. Tracey 2
    15 April 2014 at 9:56 am

    hard to fathom when you consider the only differences between dotcom and key is that key doesnt yet have a criminal record…

  3. Dave_1924 3
    15 April 2014 at 10:28 am

    Now why wouldn’t the Maori Party do this?

    1 – It raises funds for them.
    2 – John Key is the PM – its the top job in the land. Who knows what matters people aligned with the Maori Party and its objectives got to say to him directly? A good opportunity to influence JK’s think on things of concern to Maori

    Not all Maori are Left Wingers, some are Right and some are centrists – some don’t give a monkeys about what side is in power, they just want opportunities for their people and will work with whoever is on top spot to achieve that objective….

    Doesn’t make them a laptop dog at all – just makes them pragmatic.

    • bad12 3.1
      15 April 2014 at 10:36 am

      Pragmatic lapdogs waiting in silence at the foot of the National Party table to be thrown a scrap or two,

      The only gains to any Maori people from that dinner will be strictly limited to the hierarchy who got to sup with the PM as they were few and far between most of the diners coming from Auckland’s pakeha elite the average Maori Party voter will feel well shafted again by the party…

    • marty mars 3.2
      15 April 2014 at 10:56 am

      That makes a lot of sense to me Dave. It seems people just want to pigeonhole Māori and the subtext of the discussion is more to do with them being in the ‘club’ than anything else. Newsflash – some Māori are rightwing wankers who through self-delusion and hubris believe they are the ‘chosen ones’ in creating solutions for the people. Shock, horror – that happens with every other ethnic group!

    • Dave_1924 3.3
      15 April 2014 at 11:09 am

      Well the people will decide if they approve of the Maori Party being practical and taking seats around the table in Government or not come election time.

      bad12: the question though is also this: Why does someone like Tariana agree to go with National over the last 6 years? Does it reflect her disillusionment with what Left Wing Labour lead governments have done for Maori over time?

      Time for lunch – check back later…

      • bad12 3.3.1
        15 April 2014 at 11:31 am

        Nah that aint the question Dave_1924, that is simply a large red herring you have decided to drag across the trail in an attempted diversion,

        The party itself came into being from Labour Legislating away Maori rights to approach the Courts to seek a decision on just who owned the foreshore and seabed,

        Personally while i fully understand the question and indeed as a question of principle fully agree with my wider whanau that their ownership of that foreshore and seabed having never been extinguished in Law must mean that at the time they were the ‘legal owners’ in the sense of the ‘modern world’ i had to disagree with them about the intended outcome,

        It was amidst this debate the Maori party formed and attracted 29,000 members, many of them my whanau, what then transpired, and, is shown in the Maori Party barely being able to show 500 members, was a sell-out,

        The National Government Legislation gave Maori no more rights over the foreshore and seabed than the Labour Party had befor,

        Gains for Maori from having the Maori Party sit ‘at the table’ with National, pffft, 40 million in WhanauOra funding and some Maori Focus Units in the jails in no way compensates for the rising income gap that Maori suffer and no way compensates for the rising rate of Maori unemployment,

        the proof of the pudding??? 29,000 members in a ‘once were, now barely 500, 5 seats in the Parliament ‘once were’ again, down to 3 and very likely to be 0 at this election, Maori have walked the talk and it is away from the Maori Party they have walked in their 10’s of 1000’s…

        • Dave_1924 3.3.1.1
          15 April 2014 at 11:43 am

          That’s one perspective for sure, no position as a non-Maori to challenge it really – but the question is still what have the Labour lead governments done for Maori? And would you have preferred the Maori Party to sit outside of Government and not influenced National’s policies over the last 6 years?

          Definitely time for lunch…

          • Molly 3.3.1.1.1
            15 April 2014 at 11:56 am

            “And would you have preferred the Maori Party to sit outside of Government and not influenced National’s policies over the last 6 years?”

            They have sat inside of Government and not influenced National’s policies over the last 6 years.

            They have lost credibility with the constituents they are prompt to say they support.

          • bad12 3.3.1.1.2
            15 April 2014 at 9:21 pm

            Would you like to quit with the slogans and tell us all exactly what the Maori party has influenced the National/ACT/UF Government to do or not to do in that six years…

      • marty mars 3.3.2
        15 April 2014 at 11:36 am

        Yep the people will decide and unless the richlisters vote for them the Māori Party will become a footnote in history. I will be happy about that because I supported them at the start but then they discarded Māoridom imo and got enraptured by the baubles of power. I used to respect them a lot but now they are just sad, wasted and not worth getting worked up about. No doubt when they move to hang with the ancestors the good, bad and ugly of their lives and contribution to Māoridom will be presented, examined and decided upon by Māori.

  4. Andrew Geddis 4
    15 April 2014 at 10:33 am

    Tariana Turia will be gobsmacked at how far her party has fallen. From principled objectors to the Foreshore and Seabed Act to literally begging at the National Party’s bowl in nine short years. Ouch.

    Well, given that the NZ Herald reports that Maori Party MPs Tariana Turia, Te Ururoa Flavell and Pita Sharples were also present at the April 2 four-course dinner, she can’t be all that surprised!

    • aj 4.1
      15 April 2014 at 11:26 am

      I would be surprised though if those three people had to fork out $5k each to attend…
      Ken Mair carefully choosing the names to reveal on Morning Report.

      • JanM 4.1.1
        15 April 2014 at 12:13 pm

        That’s an interesting point, actually. While most of the attendees I saw on the Native Affairs film are comfortably off – as in receiving good incomes – they mostly didn’t strike me as the sort of people who would normally part with $5000 for a fund-raising event. Who paid?

  7. NZJester 7
    15 April 2014 at 11:36 pm

    Is it actually all above board though.
    I read that the $5,000-a-plate dinner had them all shifting seats so everyone got to sit by the PM once during the dinner as they all had been guaranteed a short private chat with John Key as part of the dinner.
    Some might say that this is selling access to a government minister for money and not just any minister the prime minister.
    If they had not all been guaranteed a private chat with the PM then the $5,000-a-plate dinner would not be illegal or immoral, but that extra stipulation that they all get a private chat with him does make it seem way less than legal or moral.

    • McFlock 7.1
      15 April 2014 at 11:44 pm

      Given that it was as part of his role as pm, doesn’t that mean that the list of folk who paid for these confidential chats is a matter of public record?

      edit: lol and is ACT pissed it only gets$200 a plate, but MP got $5k for dinner with the PM? 🙂

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