The Maori party and a deal with National

Written By: - Date published: 1:51 pm, March 4th, 2008 - 7 comments
Categories: maori party, national - Tags: ,

We’ve all seen the polls with National leaping out in front – and over that magical 50% mark.

Helen Clark may be saying the poll gap will close once National’s policies are known but there’s another more mundane reason to expect those heady highs to fall. Kiwis don’t like to see a party head toward sole, majority power. In 2002, when Labour polled over 50% the spectre of Labour governing was enough to send vote adrift.

And so the speculation turns to the situation National now finds itself in. Who will be their coalition partner? Pita Sharples rides in to the rescue. As highlighted by John Armstrong when commenting on National Radio on Sunday’s Marae-DigiPoll survey, the Maori Party co-leader initially said the findings made it “easy” for his party to go into some kind of governing arrangement with National after the election (audio below).

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This isn’t the first time those two parties’ names have been linked. Tariana indicated back in 2005 that they could work together:

Turia: “Should National get in, our people would expect us to be constructive in the way we worked with them.”

And it’s not just National who could benefit. Such an alliance could be good news for ACT. Though I suspect there will be quite a few with firmly right wing views for whom the spectre of National and the Maori party is too much.

7 comments on “The Maori party and a deal with National ”

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  1. Steve Pierson 1
    4 March 2008 at 1:56 pm

    I think National fully expects the Maori Party to go with them, and Sharples and Turia might be open to it, but would the party activists let it happen?

  2. the sprout 2
    4 March 2008 at 2:07 pm

    steve, i doubt it. the more the Maori Party keeps talking coalition with National, the fewer votes it’ll get.

  3. Phil 3
    4 March 2008 at 4:35 pm

    Seriously, why is it such a lousy idea?

    Look at this from a MP party-voter standpoint. Come election night, lets say we’ve got the Nats in a position to govern with the help of ACT plus one other party.

    The choice the MP voter has is then as follows;
    Encourage the party to sit on the sidelines for three years while National and its right wing allies do their thing, or, follow the UFNZ strategy, and enter into coalition as a moderating influence on policy?

    Now, I agree with you in the sense that IF the MP is a kingmaker, a Labour Party alliance is the #1 optionfor most supporters. But if the choice is side up with National, or three years in opposition…?

  4. out of bed 4
    4 March 2008 at 5:18 pm

    That 2002 polling link was really interesting
    in April 2002 Labour polled 53%

    In the Election which was July they got 41%
    That’s a big drop

    I would suggest that National supporters refrain from chicken counting

  5. Monty 5
    4 March 2008 at 11:11 pm

    your worst nightmare would come true if the Maori part went with the Nats – why – because all your scare mongering and lies will be proven and in the process Labour will become even more irrelevant after the election.

    And should the Nats include the Maori Party even if not required (for future government support, Then Labour can look forward to a very extended period on the Treasury benches.

  6. r0b 6
    4 March 2008 at 11:35 pm

    your worst nightmare would come true if the Maori part went with the Nats

    Nice that your faith is so strong Monty. Truth is, none of us know what would happen. We can only look to history and demographics to give us some clues…

  7. bill brown 7
    28 September 2008 at 4:33 pm

    Old thread I know, but I see that the Nats still want to abolish the Maori seats:

    http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0809/S00610.htm