May 05, 2023
Unapologetic Māori says cyclone response crumbs
Māori Party co-leader Rawiri Waititi is defending the party’s handling of Meka Whaitiri’s defection from Labour.
The Ikaroa Rahiti MP is being criticised by her former colleagues for failing to pick up the phone and inform them of her decision before she make the announcement at Waipatu Marae in Hastings on Wednesday morning.
She also abandoned her position as minister overseeing cyclone recovery in Hawke’s Bay, but Mr Waititi says it shows that even in Government it’s hard for Maori to get the critical mass of funding their people need.
“In terms of Gabrielle, you can’t make somebody the minister of that and actually represent those people if you’re putting crumbs in to feed the masses. It just doesn’t make sense. I suspect – I haven’t had these discussions wih Meka but just myself, the frustration Deb (Ngarewa-Packer) and I see from across the other side of a Government who quite often sits on its hands,” Mr Waititi says.
He says Meka Whaitiri is now freed to be an unapologetic Maori voice in Parliament.
The Acting Minister for Cyclone Recovery, Kieran McAnulty, this week announced $172 million for clearing silt and debris from homes, farms and commercial properties in Hawke’s Bay and Tairawhiti, with additional funding set aside for whenua Māori.