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Download AudioFormer Green Party co-leader Metiria Turei is urging Māori to vote for the best but plan for the worst.
Ms Turei, who’s now an artist and a law lecturer at Otago University, says while the polls aren’t good for an extension of a Labour-Green Government, Māori communities are used to periods when right-wing governments are in charge.
“When the political environment is hostile to us, whānau organisations turn inwards and do self-development work, like building themselves up, taking care of each other. And when the political environment is more favourable, then they can turn back and to develop the relationships with the kāwanatanga,” she says.
Ms Turei says the big iwi rūnanga and tribal authorities tend to work reasonably well with the National Party – so there are still gains to be made.
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