Former Māori Party Co-Leader Te Ururoa Flavell Backs Toitū Te Tiriti Split

Tuwhenuaroa
Natanahira, Māori news journalist in
Parliament

A former Māori Party leader is backing a
move by Toitū Te Tiriti to distance itself from Te Pāti
Māori.

The movement has cut
ties with the party, after kaikōrero Eru Kapa-Kingi
accused the party leadership of being “dictatorial”, and
criticised the party for failing to hold its annual general
meeting and national council hui, despite constitutional
requirements.

Te Pāti Māori has disputed the claims,
saying no formal complaints have been lodged and promised
a “reset” next week.

Te Pāti Māori co-leader
Rāwiri Waititi declined an interview with RNZ, but told
Radio Waatea the party had addressed the accusations
through media statements.

“We’re open to having any
open dialogue with the people that may be disgruntled. We’ve
just got to continue the mahi.” he said.

Former Party
Māori Party co-leader Te Ururoa Flavell told RNZ drawing a
clear line between the movement and the party was the “right
move”.

“It’s a split and it doesn’t mean to say that
there’s not compatibility or alignment with kaupapa. It
simply means, and highlighted by some of [Kapa-Kingi’s]
statements, that there’s a role to be played by a protest
movement and there’s a role to be played by a parliamentary
movement,” he said.

“We’re at a crucial time now where
our people are really suffering at the hands of the economy,
government policy, the general direction of the country and
many people – not just Māori in fact – are hurt by those
sorts of issues… they’re wanting a parliamentary lead to
deal with some of those issues in Parliament.”

Flavell
said Te Pāti Māori was well placed to carry that
out.

“They’re in a good position, a wonderful position
that I would have enjoyed as an MP back in my day, because
you’ve got six people and the resources and the whole unit
in Parliament to be able to really make a
difference.

“Politics is a funny thing, it can take
you out and it can keep you there. I’m hoping that some of
these issues will be able to be dealt with in a good way
that allows the Māori Party to present itself again as a
viable opportunity for our people.”

The stakes are
high for the opposition – with current polls showing Labour
reliant
on Te Pāti Māori’s numbers to form a government
following the election next year.

Speaking to media on
Thursday, Chris Hipkins made his strongest criticism of Te
Pāti Māori yet, saying they were “quite a long way away”
from playing a role in any future government and needed to
“sort themselves out”.

Labour’s Willie Jackson,
however, told RNZ all parties have “internal issues” from
time to time.

“You have a number of mainstream
commentators say, ‘oh, that’s why Labour can’t do a deal
with Te Pāti Māori’ and I’m sort of thinking, well,
why?

“I don’t think them having an internal problem
should prevent us at all from a future relationship with
it…. in many ways, this has got nothing to do with us,” he
said.

Jackson said the bigger concern was reprimanding
MP Tākuta Ferris, who put up a controversial
social media post criticising Labour for having
non-Māori volunteers campaign on the Tāmaki Makaurau
by-election.

Te Ururoa Flavell said relationships with
other parties were important.

“A lot of this hangs on
relationships, relationships internally, as well as
relationships to the other parties, because even Chris
Hipkins at the moment is saying, well, he might be
struggling to convince his Labour caucus to work with the
Māori Party.

“In the end, if you want power, you work
with anybody, as we can see. But the hope will be that it
can be sorted out because there’s too much at stake for
things to be hanging,” he said.

The party’s newest MP,
Oriini Kaipara, is due to make her maiden speech to
Parliament.

In a short statement to RNZ, party
president John Tamihere said the party remained focused on
her welcome and honouring Tāmaki Makaurau – and nothing
would distract
them.

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