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Download AudioNew Zealand First MP Shane Jones says the Labour Government and especially its Māori caucus have lost sight of what ordinary Māori need.
The party kicked off its run to next year’s election at its annual conference at the weekend with leader Winston Peters warning the Government was sowing the seeds of apartheid.
Similar language was stripped out of remits, but Mr Jones says strong rhetoric is part of the process of political debate.
He says with New Zealand First no longer in cabinet he’s astounded at how far Labour moved on creating co-governance structures in its health and water infrastructure reforms.
He says Three Waters is doomed anyway because of bad economics.
“If these new institutions go broke it’s the taxpayers that will have to stand up but sadly the taxpayers don’t have exclusive authority at a governance level – 50 percent of it has been outsourced to Ngaitahu and Tainui and I can assure you they will never put their money where their mouth is or they will never put their (hands) into their own pockets so why on earth are you giving them any influence beyond those of an ordinary taxpayer to set the direction of these new water behemoths,” Mr Jones says.
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