September 14, 2023
Elites not speaking for Māori vote says Peters
New Zealand First leader Winston Peter has accused iwi leaders of backing elite growth projects rather than looking after the concerns of ordinary Māori.
Mr Peters is facing widespread criticism from across Māoridom of his claim that Māori aren’t indigenous, and his push to reverse New Zealand’s support for the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
He’s getting lots of Māori at his meetings – just not the elite ones.
“Their plans are all about their elite woke projects – all over the country. But when you say ‘what about the ordinary person, when are you going to help them in the Māori world,’ they haven’t got a plan. They speak as if they represent them, but they don’t,” Mr Peters says.
He says Māori have the same concerns they have had for decades – housing, health, jobs and real world wages.