MEDIA RELEASE

18 December 2015

President looks to Maori Party’s ‘energised leap’ in 2016

For the Maori Party, 2015 has been a year of careful consolidation, in preparation for an “energised leap” in 2016, says President Rangimarie Naida Glavish. “I am delighted with the new spirit of kotahitanga and the renewed resolve to re-establish our party as the one, true political voice for te iwi Maori, as well as our contribution to maintaining stable, progressive government of Aotearoa.”

Ms Glavish listed as her highlights of the Party’s achievements in 2015:

1. The affirmation at this year’s Annual General Meeting of the Party that, as President, I have a strong mandate to maximize co-operation between the Parliamentary and Organisation wings in policy formation and implementation. To this end, I welcomed the appointment of an honorary personal specialist adviser to lead my President’s Office voluntary team. I also acknowledge the loyal and valued support of my Vice-Presidents.

2. The establishment of a good working link between our National Secretary, my specialist adviser and the new Chief of Staff in the Parliamentary Office

3. Agreement to re-format our Party website to make it a more lively and accessible reflection of exciting and innovative happenings within our electorates and being achieved by our Parliamentary representatives.

4. Our new list MP, Marama Fox has been widely hailed as bringing a fresh new contribution of Maori opinion to political discourse, serving to remind our people of the equally valuable and sound work by Hon Te Ururoa Flavell as Minister of Maori Development, Minister for Whanau Ora and Associate Minister of Economic Development.

5. The emergence of a strong rangatahi wing, demonstrating the growing desire of our younger generations to be involved in party affairs.

6. Renewal of emphasis on our party’s flagship policy, Whanau Ora, with the aim of putting more of the ora back into our whanau.

7. A higher level of co-operation and collaboration with iwi leaders, an example being agreement to allow the Government’s Resource Management Amendment Bill to pass its First Reading so that issues outstanding can be discussed constructively, including at hearings of the Select Committee of Parliament.

8. Leadership by our Maori Party MPs in amendments to the Maori Language Act and the establishment of Te Matawai, all improving the partnership and collaboration between the Crown and Maori in the future of te reo and tikanga. Te Ururoa is also leading the largest set of reforms of Ture Whenua Maori and it is his intention to introduce the Bill to Parliament next year.

9. The recent decision by Heritage New Zealand to designate the Waitangi Treaty Ground as an
historic place.

Ms Glavish said her focus as President in 2016 will include:

- Finalising new procedures for candidate selection so that we can win back more of our Maori electorates.

- More effective communication to both Maori and non-Maori to greatly improve our Party List vote.

- Supporting the position taken by our MPs to ensure that environmental protections are not overshadowed by economic development imperatives in the RMA Amendment Bill.

- Assisting Marama Fox MP’s focus, and indeed the Party’s focus, to reducing poverty and putting ora back into whanau, starting in Ikaroa Rawhiti.

- Establishing a regular Presidential newsletter to party members addressing issues of the times as raised at flaxroots level.

- And out reach through social media platforms to rangatahi Maori and young people across the country.

Ends

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