Foreign investment is not inherently bad, but it cannot be used as an excuse for the Government to evade its Treaty of Waitangi obligations. Reciprocal investment is a fact of modern economics. We invest in other countries, they invest in us – China wishes to buy the Crafar farms, Fonterra has purchased three farms in [...]

The Maori and Labour parties are losing votes to the Mana Movement. The latest Marae Investigates Digipoll shows the Maori Party has lost 20 percent of its party votes since January and 15 percent of electorate votes across the seven Maori seats since the 2008 election. The Maori Party does not have to push the [...]

Many Maori are rightly concerned about immigration. Multiculturalism can dilute indigenous rights. Maori are only the fourth largest group after Europeans, Asians and Pasifika in Auckland, the largest ‘Maori city’ in New Zealand. Some Maori support non-white immigration because they see other multicultural countries as more broadminded than our own. Others such as Margaret Mutu [...]

Te Tai Tokerau Byelection Result Recently anointed prophet, Hone Harawira, faced down an unprecedented level of opposition to win Te Tai Tokerau, including Labour and the Maori Party; doyenne MP Dover Samuels, Prime Minister John Key and Winston Peters endorsing Kelvin Davis; Sensible Sentencing Trust’s Garth McVicar nonsensically claiming Harawira has the mana of a [...]

The Maori Party faces an uphill battle. Multiple defections from the northern electorate organization has handed a significant human infrastructure to Mana Party leader Hone Harawira. The Maori Party expected “hundreds” to attend a first byelection hui at Te Tii marae last month – just 50 turned up, including a dozen Maori Party MPs and [...]

Labour Candidate Kelvin Davis, a former principal, is unlikely to win outright on June 25.  Labour came second in 2008, gaining 6,000 votes to Hone Harawira’s 12,000. By-election history suggests there will be fewer overall votes’ recent newspaper polls indicate that won’t change. Maori are no longer committed to playing a minor role within dominant [...]

Hone Harawira was wise to seek battle in the June 25 Te Tai Tokerau byelection rather than the November general election. Mana is the newest and least resourced of the three parties contesting the seat. Standing now cuts the time his larger adversaries have to mobilise. Mr Harawira has several advantages. His Facebook site reflects [...]

The arrival of Te Roopu Mana confirms that Maori political views are as diverse as those of Pakeha. Alongside the rise of Maori in National and Labour, and Metiria Turei’s leadership of the Greens, it is naive to think the Maori Party can accommodate all Maori views. Mana adds choice along a spectrum from National [...]