March 25, 2013
Younger voters critical for Māori Party
Former Māori Party candidate Derek Fox says the party will die if it fails to appeal to young people.
The party is embroiled in a battle between Waiariki MP Te Ururoa Flavell, who wants to step up to a co-leader role as part of its rejuvenation, and 72-year-old Pita Sharples, who says he intends to keep leading the party until he dies.
Mr Fox, who contested Ikaroa-Rawhiti for the party in 2008, says the party is forgetting where its support will lie.
“The overwhelming majority of the Māori population, therefore the supporters of the Māori Party, are our young people. If we don’t tune into the sorts of issues and if they aren’t brought along to understand why the party is moving in a particular direction – then the party will just wither and die,” says Derek Fox.
Copyright © 2013, Uma Broadcasting Ltd