Marama Fox and Te Ururoa Flavell
Māori Party Co-Leaders

Date: 21 February 2017,

Labour belittles kaupapa…..again

Andrew Little’s latest attack on the Māori Party confirms he and Labour will deny the need for an independent Māori voice in Parliament, and in so doing, belittle the legacy of all of those who have championed the cause for rangatiratanga since the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

“When Andrew Little purports to know and understand more about kaupapa than Māori, and then belittles the struggle and the legacy of the various independent Māori political movements of the past century and a half, including more recently the Māori and Mana parties, it only confirms our view that Labour just doesn’t get it,” says Māori Party Co-Leader Te Ururoa Flavell.

“And if Andrew can make such a poor judgment about thinking he knows better than Māori about kaupapa and then wrongly judges the record of some of the greatest champions of our people, including Dame Hon Tariana Turia who crossed the floor over the proposed confiscation by the Labour Party of the foreshore and seabed, how can he safely represent Māori interests?” he says.

“His statements today only strengthen our resolve that the Māori seats belong with kaupapa-based parties and not in the hands of someone who would so effortlessly dismiss our history and deny us our right to enact rangatiratanga,” says Marama Fox, Co-Leader of the Māori Party.

“And if he’s on about a track record, what’s kaupapa about passing legislation to remove the rights of tangata whenua to the foreshore and seabed? What’s kaupapa about denying our people the right to have their claims heard in court? What’s kaupapa about continually labelling our people all the negative statistics that Labour so conveniently forget their party not only perpetuated, but worsened in their 35 years of being in government?” she says.

Through kaupapa tuku iho, the Māori party believes and trusts in whānau to aspire, to dream and to be Māori.

“The kaupapa we drive is whānau. Not dis-ease. Not rawa kore. Kāo. Whānau Ora all day every day. That’s the reason $64m a year is now supporting 11,500 whānau to make life changing choices, to have self-determination and independence and why all New Zealand tamariki under 13 receive free GP visits and prescriptions,” says Te Ururoa Flavell.

“It’s also why New Zealand leads the world in tobacco reform, to save lives so Nan and Koro and Aunty and Uncle are around to be with their whānau; and why rheumatic fever rates have reduced by nearly half,” he says.

“It’s also why for the first time in nearly half a century, benefits have increased, and why the Māori Housing Network in it’s first year since inception has funded:

o the repair of 243 whānau homes,
o the building of 42 affordable housing units,
o 116 infrastructure projects to allow for the building of new homes,
o five emergency housing projects and
o 79 whānau to access housing facilitation support.

“Who did this for our people? Not Labour – but the Māori Party,“ says Ms Fox.

“Ki te hoe whānau. Kia mataara. We’re on the move and today is a good reminder to our supporters that we cannot trust anyone else but ourselves to do what is best for us.”
ends

© Scoop Media