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August 15, 2022
Māori wards set to break tyranny of majority
Adam Gifford
Posted On August 15, 2022
Download AudioMāori Party president John Tamihere says this year’s local body election is a chance for Māori to break out of the tyranny of the majority.
The party has for the first time endorsed candidates at the local body level.
Mr Tamihere says with 39 councils set to have Māori ward or constituent members, 35 of them for the first time, there is an awakening among Māori.
In the past, it has been hard for anyone advocating for Māori to get enough votes for a council seat.
Those that have Māori ancestry that never promotes their people’s rights and entitlements are deemed nice brown people and they’ve got some votes Simon Bridges is a key example and probably Winston (Peters) but those who are strongly advocating for their people don’t have a shoo-in because pakeha doesn’t vote for folk that advance interests they’re not happy with,” Mr Tamihere says.
He says democracy has to include the Māori rights to participation promised by the Treaty of Waitangi.
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