I am no political pundit. I have no great insight into Māori politics on the national or local stage, no great insider knowledge of the special handshake that would admit me to the inner sanctum of any of our political parties. All I have really is my ears and eyes and my own gut and prejudices.
Sometimes those things all fail me.
So, for a long time I didn’t even claim to know what the hell Andrew Little has been playing at, with his recent attacks on the Māori Party.
First up was Little’s poaching of Willie Jackson who was a real hope for the Māori Party in the drive to reclaim the seat of Tāmaki Makaurau in this year’s election. Probably a master stroke really, for Labour.
Willie may well have that kind of broad-based appeal to city-based Māori, and sufficient profile to earn a high spot on the list, broaden the party’s appeal overall, and, by the by, shut the Māori Party out of the seat by eradicating their big chance to win it back.
Of course, the Māori Party was collateral damage. Or so I naively assumed. Now I understand it was the intended target all along.
What woke me up (eventually) was that question from Susie Ferguson on Morning Report to Andrew Little. The man who would be our next prime minister.
Susie Ferguson: “Okay … the Labour vote is high in those Māori seats, but isn’t there a hunger from the voters in those seats for an electorate MP who is from a kaupapa Māori party?
It was a great question for two reasons (in my mind).
Firstly, the fact that Susie knew what a kaupapa Māori party was, and was comfortable with dropping the term in to her question, naturally and easily.
Secondly, the answer to that question showed that Little seemed, to my ears, to lack a useful understanding of Māori thinking. It was a kind of lightbulb moment in reverse: he seemed to be showing us he had no idea where the switch is, let alone the bulb, that could illuminate Māori politics for any of us.
Andrew Little: Well, the Māori Party is not kaupapa Māori. We know that it has conceded on every important issue affecting Māori in the last nine years.
Susie: They would probably take issue with that!
Andrew: Well, in the end, what it comes down to is: how do Māori have the strongest voice, not just in parliament but in government? At the moment, it comes through the Māori Party which is two MPs tacked on to the National Party that doesn’t need to listen to them on anything if it doesn’t wish to.
My response was instant, boiling anger. Oh boy, I thought. We have the leader of the Opposition telling us what is and isn’t kaupapa Māori. It didn’t worry me that he’s a Pākehā person voicing an opinion about things Māori. What galled me was that he had pronounced grandly on something he doesn’t understand. How on earth could kaupapa Māori be understood in such miserably narrow terms?
Going by what Andrew Little said, it appears that in his world (and perhaps well beyond that) a political party can only be kaupapa Māori if it wins battles in parliament on every important issue affecting Māori. On this kind of understanding of kaupapa Māori:
- No Māori affiliated with the National Party can ever claim to come from a base of kaupapa Māori.
- Kaupapa Māori can only ever be measured in terms of policy victories.
- Kaupapa Māori can only ever be measured in the strength of the loudest voice proclaiming it.
- Kaupapa Māori can only be exercised in regards to issues directly affecting Māori.
On this definition, neither the Māori Party nor the Mana Party nor Āpirana Ngata could ever be accused of employing kaupapa Māori.
Being the liberal Māori snowflake that I am, I had assumed Little’s statement was off-the-cuff, perhaps unintentional, perhaps misjudged. It was easy for me to vent my spleen against Little. (Which I did in my blog here.)
Then I saw some of the remarks from the Labour Māori Caucus in support of Little. Peeni Henare, who holds Tāmaki Makaurau, told Radio New Zealand that
“… using kaupapa Māori as the bargaining chip for negotiations with a government, then end up compromising — well, that’s not kaupapa Māori”.
And the penny dropped.
There have been other warning signs I had missed such as the cut-throat language from Labour Māori MPs and candidates in the months leading up to this week.
Here’s Tāmati Coffey, who’s standing in Waiariki, on the recent Mana-Māori electoral deal:
After nine years in power, the Maori Party has gone from ‘independent voice’ to a nodding head dog on the dashboard of the National Party … Ineffective and ornamental, they have overseen our people becoming the stars for child obesity, mental health and education statistics for all the wrong reasons, while being locked out of dreams of home ownership and left to face rising medical costs, rents and rates of homelessness.
Here’s Meka Whaitiri (MP for Ikaroa-Rāwhiti) writing in November on the Māori Party’s stance on recent RMA reforms:
The Māori Party’s pretence of being an independent voice for Māori is a sham and it’s clear their agenda is a neoliberal one that aligns with their National Government masters […] National’s little helpers also voted against Labour’s smart plan to abolish Charter schools.
“National’s little helpers” is a fave phrase for Meka. She used it in September here.
And here’s Kelvin Davis (Te Taitokerau) on the failure of the Treaty of Waitangi Oath Bill in August last year:
Marama Fox describes the relationship accord as being the tail of the dog but it’s more like being National’s little lap-dog.
This is a wee taste of a pretty relentless set of attacks by Labour Party Māori MPs on the Māori Party, evident from the Labour Party website. So, the campaign is sustained, it’s supported by the Labour Māori caucus, and it’s personal. Lap-dogs, little helpers, nodding-head dogs … these are not names you call people you respect. Not in real life, anyway.
There is no version of this narrative where the Labour Māori caucus and the Māori-based parties can respectfully co-exist in the New Zealand political landscape in Labour’s plans. And I have only just woken up to this development. I know, I know. Egg that I am.
Twisting the notion of kaupapa Māori is a charge I guess I can also lay at the feet of the Māori Party. Te Ururoa Flavell said the following in January:
“We’re at a time now where we need to put a stake in the ground and make that a reality — one political movement under a Māori Party banner, which will pull back those seats from Labour and stay in kaupapa Māori hands forever,” he said.
I find the notion that Labour Māori caucus MPs are intrinsically incapable of acting from a base of kaupapa Māori just as offensive as the reinterpretation of the term offered by Little and the caucus itself.
Words. They fail me.
Okay, for those of you who may be unsure as to what is meant by the phrase “kaupapa Māori” in the first place, here is Te Aka’s definition:
Māori approach, Māori topic, Māori customary practice, Māori institution, Māori agenda, Māori principles, Māori ideology — a philosophical doctrine, incorporating the knowledge, skills, attitudes and values of Māori society.
It’s a pretty broad set of ideas. Others have said kaupapa Māori is a way of doing things from a Māori worldview.
So, then, operating from a kaupapa Māori perspective has nothing whatsoever to do with the battles you win or lose. Nor does it have much to do with moral good, or intrinsic worthiness, but more with the way you think, act and make decisions. Kaupapa Māori can be exercised by individuals and groups, but will obviously have more impact when collectively undertaken.
Some may have a more exclusive view than I do, maintaining that kaupapa Māori can only be employed by Māori for Māori. I would say people who are not Māori can learn to operate from a kaupapa Māori perspective.
Actually, I have also known some Pākehā who probably don’t even know they view the world in a way absolutely consistent with Māori values and Māori philosophies. I wouldn’t say they operate from a kaupapa Māori base, but they are not so very far from those of us who do. On the other hand, there are also Māori who claim to operate from a kaupapa Māori base who completely undercut such claims in what they say and do.
Kaupapa Māori is not a respecter of political affiliation. I don’t ask for a kaumātua’s voting record before he or she gives karanga or whaikōrero, or offers me kai. Nor does kaupapa Māori require stridency. The quietest voice in the room may be that espousing a kaupapa Māori view, for those with the ears to listen.
Further, kaupapa Māori is not a topic. Nor does it comprise a set of finite issues. Worldviews tend not to be so restricted. Saying that people coming from a base of kaupapa Māori may only opine on things relevant to Māori is as ridiculous as saying a French speaker may only converse in matters of relevance to France.
Up until now, I had been okay with the vague notion that the Māori and Mana parties could be described as kaupapa Māori parties. Now it is clear that in this election year, the term has been weaponised by the very people who are supposed to sustain and protect those ways of thinking, acting and deciding that the term “kaupapa Māori” is supposed to represent.
Ultimately a bunch of politicians, Māori and otherwise, have taken the idea of kaupapa Māori and weakened it to mean far less than it ever has. And Māori voters are the losers.
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Tena koe whaea, he pai to
Tena koe whaea, he pai to korero ki ahau. I would prefer STV politics. I would prefer a Maori House of Parliament with numbers equal to a non Maori House. Both Houses work for NZ people not profits. Get rid of party piffle. Key engineered his own and his mates
Personal gains. Taurekareka. Stop eating meat and sugar. Clean green Kiwis again. Remove police use the army instead. Restrict MP powers. Aue heaps.
Tena koe Whaea Mamari, I
Tena koe Whaea Mamari, I enjoyed your well balanced discussion on Kaupapa Maori and present day politics. I left New Zealand for a 10 year break in 2009 as it seemed that Maori issues were only sound bites recognised only by Celebrities such as Willie Jackson and John Tamihere, and now we have a previous weather boy running with labour. Hence we have celebrity TRUMP in the whitehouse, sorry to use the pun as it relates to NZ but we appear to be sheep at election times and Maori Politics becomes white in tactics and strategy. But more importantly where has Maori solidarity gone because after the election we have the memory of Maori Soul sellouts which like fake media exist long beyond the timely tactical ploy. not withstanding that popularity is part of the game Kaupapa Maori’s two edged sword is a sharp edge which for Indigenous Maori Politicians insists that you play hard for the NOW and wise for the LONG TERM. Your legacy is evident in your actions and Te Ao Maori will judge your integrity.
Tautoko o korero Horiana
Tautoko o korero Horiana Robin mo nga tikanga
Manaakitanga o tatou iwi whanau whanui tonu..
Marama Fox is showing us that she backs up what she does like helping a homeless whanau and the Kuia into a home and even paid some putea to help them get their whare when Te Puea Marae held their hui..testimonies from some who stood up to mihi
The only other Maori who walked the talk with the Homeless was Marama Davidson.
When i had my say to challenge those there at the table, i got a smart reply from Twyford and Henare..So much for their koretake korero..
Would be nice to see Marama Fox get back in and maybe one day take the Leadership seat..Kia ora..from a 78 yr old Kui..
Mamari, tena koe
Mamari, tena koe
The term “Kaupapa Maori” first emerged from Graham Smith urging the state to support Kura Kaupapa Maori in 1987 with the establishment of Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Waipareira and Te Komiti Kura Kaupapa Maori o Tamakimakaurau. His tome on Kaupapa Maori Praxis earned him his doctorate.Te Ara’s definition omits some of the essentials Graham proffers: mana motuhake and the independence and autonomy of Maori to function and live a Kaupapa Maori life; the spiritual dimension that drives the Maori ethos.
In short Kaupapa Maori can not thrive within our Westminster based parliamentary system no matter which parties it’s proponents function in.
Kaupapa Maori is an aspiration within NZ politics and will only be achieved when Maori self govern autonomously. I don’t hear any party speaking in this vein.
Mamari, tena koe
Mamari, tena koe
The term “Kaupapa Maori” first emerged from Graham Smith urging the state to support Kura Kaupapa Maori in 1987 with the establishment of Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Waipareira and Te Komiti Kura Kaupapa Maori o Tamakimakaurau. His tome on Kaupapa Maori Praxis earned him his doctorate.Te Ara’s definition omits some of the essentials Graham proffers: mana motuhake and the independence and autonomy of Maori to function and live a Kaupapa Maori life; the spiritual dimension that drives the Maori ethos.
In short Kaupapa Maori can not thrive within our Westminster based parliamentary system no matter which parties it’s proponents function in.
Kaupapa Maori is an aspiration within NZ politics and will only be achieved when Maori self govern autonomously. I don’t hear any party speaking in this vein.
Nga mihi Whaea Mamari, I
Nga mihi Whaea Mamari, I agree totally with your sentiments. I am a constituent of Ikaroa Rawhiti and closely related to Meka, whose mother is a Robin. However, I am closely involved with Marama Fox and the Maori Party campaign here in Ikaroa Rawhiti. With no disrespect to my Robin whanau but some of them do not support much things Maori here in the Bay, not even on our marae. Not all, just some of them, which is why my immediate whanau do not support Meka or the Labour Party because of the unbelievable kuaretanga that they display on our marae. Now you may be thinking that I’m jealous but nothing could be further from the truth, I am just being honest. The level of disrespectful intent that some members of my Robin whanau try to dish out to my immediate whanau just because we support the Maori Party is so immature and not right. My immediate whanau support Marama and the Maori Party because we agree with and try to live everyday by the values of manaakitanga (generosity); rangatiratanga (chiefliness); whanaungatanga (familiness); kotahitanga (unity); wairuatanga (spirituality); ukaipotanga (nurturing); pukengatanga (scholarship), kaitiakitanga (guardianship), whakapapa (genealogy) and te reo (Maori language). These values uplift Maori not the Labour Party and the untruthful spin they put on things. For all of these reasons and so much more Ikaroa Rawhiti need Marama Fox.
Kiaora Mamari
Kiaora Mamari
I applaud this discussion as we become more absorbed in the political agendas of those who represent our voices in the supposed halls of power or should that be hives?
I’m sure that each and everyone of the Maori members of Parliament endeavour to do their best for us their constituents but we know that being at the decision making table is mired in compromise and negotiating what each brings as a voice of the people who literally believe they can’t speak…Social justice is at the foundation of any kaupapa Maaori agenda,that is my fervent belief and if I hear and observe that as the way our representatives direct their focussed lens and try to make the changes sorely needed in the communities I see struggling everyday, they’re more likely to get my attention then all the muddled rhetoric I hear.
Ngaa mihi.
Excellent article. Thoughtful
Excellent article. Thoughtful. Intelligent. Well written. Made really valid points.
Kia ora Mamari for your
Kia ora Mamari for your perspective. When the Maori Party first came to Parliament I noticed that they brought with them respectful interaction. That was a new form of interaction that appeared to cross political lines. Probably this came with the combination of the dignified personalities of the individuals. To me an essential of kaupapa māori is manaaki. Uplifting the mana of others allows for disagreement but not denigration. The current language used by māori MPs against each other and each other’s parties shows little manaaki and therefore they become indistinguishable from their pākeha counterparts. The use of the term “kaupapa māori” bandied about by all sides shows lack of insight, respect and mana!