October 31, 2022
Mahuta says reporting seen as racist
Hauraki-Waikato MP Nanaia Mahuta says people are seeing through a newspaper campaign highlighting the business interests of members of her whanau.
She says any potential conflicts over contracts with government agencies were declared and managed in line with advice from the public service commission.
She believes the stories are driven by the desire of a journalist from another country who wants to make a name for herself.
“A number of people come up to me in random places, Māori and pakeha, just reinforcing their support for me or that they support the mahi I am doing or the stance I am taking so you’ve got to have some confidence people now what racism looks and smells like,” she says.
Ms Mahuta says she is stewarding some big and transformative change, and that can encourage people to play the player and not the ball.