Jun 2, 2011

Best and Worst Performing Maori MP's for May


I’ve just realised we’re entered June (and Matariki as well) and I haven’t updated the best and worst performing Maori MP’s page. I’ve been shit busy over the past few weeks and will be throughout June so I don’t think I’ll have too much time to blog. However, I have managed to quickly put together a list of the best and worst performing Maori MP’s in May.

Hone, for the sixth consecutive month, dominates the best performing list. Now some people may suspect that I am allowing my personal views to influence my objective judgement. Everyone knows I support what Hone stands for and what he is trying to achieve, but this, I can assure you, does not affect where he stands on the list. I aim to be as objective as possible when compiling this list, hence why I offer my, mostly objective, reasoning and allow that reasoning to stand to scrutiny. Of course such a list is, by nature, a matter of perspective and definition – having said that one can measure performance without recourse to, for example, value judgements. 

I will refrain from continuing this tangent and offer the link to the list, or alternatively you could continue down and read the list which I have pasted into this post.
   

The best and worst performing Maori MP’s for May (in no particular order)


THE BEST


Hone Harawira:

Hone Harawira continues to direct Maori political discourse. Maori politics is now a dichotomy – represented by the Mana Party, or more specifically Hone, and the Maori Party. Hone has assumed the position as the de facto Maori opposition, a position the Labour Party occupied prior to Hone’s split with the Maori Party. This is, in part, coincidence, but more so the result of good politics. Hone has managed to attract and sustain intensive media coverage for the past few months as well as suck popular and institutional support from the Maori Party. Many key players from the Maori Party have defected and, as a matter of course, joined Hone. Furthermore, according to the latest Horizon Poll, Hone has sponged popular support from the Maori Party.

Although the media and by all accounts many Tai Tokerau voters opposed Hone calling a byelection, his rationale was sound and, politically speaking, the only option. Hone managed to deflect criticism with the line that there is no price to democracy and that forcing a byelection is common practise, a convention almost, and he must, given the events of the past five months, seek a renewed mandate. A number of polls, including a poll run by the Northern Advocate, indicate that Hone enjoys overwhelming support in Tai Tokerau. He must be doing something right.

Hekia Parata:

Hekia is, to be polite, less than endearing and finally features in the best performing list after a number of months in the worst performing list. It is now becoming clear that Hekia is going places. She was gifted the Energy portfolio and fronted the Petrobras controversy – quite well to her credit. Although I found her position opposing her own people quite sad and, at times, repugnant, I cannot deny that she presented herself well and delivered her lines expertly (she even managed to avoid lying last month which is an achievement in itself). Hekia is also a member of the Ministerial Working Group investigating options to smash beneficiaries. This indicates that she is an influential Cabinet member. As an aside, an alternative reading of the situation though is that she is merely a tokenistic member – i.e. the brown female face. But I tend to doubt this.

As Georgina Te Heu Heu exits the scene Hekia will become, if she is not already, the leading Maori figure in the National Party Caucus.  

Shane Jones:

Shane Jones continues to deliver for Labour. Although he remains a bystander while Hone and the Maori Party dominate the debate he continues to chip away with press releases and clever lines on, for example, Maori radio. Someone needs to bring Labour back into the debate and Shane appears to be that person. His appearance on Waka Huia was, in my opinion, brilliant. The piece was personal and offered an insight into the real Shane Jones – a more likeable Shane Jones. I think last month reinforced the idea that Shane is moving away from the expenses scandal and moving towards a leadership position within Labour.

Kelvin Davis:

Kelvin is, unarguably, a strong candidate. His performance so far has been outstanding. The key to winning the byelection is to differentiate - offer the voters of Tai Tokerau a clear choice – Kelvin has managed to do this well. It is now a race between Kelvin and Hone. Kelvin Davis, and by extension Labour, have managed to create the perception that Kelvin represents Maori futures and practises inclusive politics, whereas Hone represents the past and practises the politics of division. Credit must be given to Kelvin for his enthusiasm and, indeed, courage. Hone is a strong candidate and, arguably, unassailable. Kelvin’s billboards are also up and his campaign team is in place – I think we can expect a strong performance at the polls from him.

Pita Sharples and Tariana Turia:

Yes, these two make the best performing list. Although the party continues to decline, Sharples and Turia are attempting to stem the bleed and regain what was lost. Both leaders are talking up the “wins”, or at least that is how they are spinning it, they won in the budget and are aggressively highlighting the wins they gained in previous years. It is to early to say whether this bragging approach is working, I’m not holding my breath though.


THE WORST


Pita Sharples and Tariana Turia:
    
Yes, they are in both lists. Although they have managed to spin the budget as a win, the reality is not so flash. Politics is not just about manipulating public opinion, politics is also about government. On the government front, the party has not done so well. For my reasons why please see this post on the budget and what it means for Maori.

Solomon Tipene:

Solomon Tipene had an absolutely shocking start to his byelection campaign. I am of course referring to his first press conference following the announcement of his selection as the Maori Party candidate. To be fair, the situation must have been intimidating and utterly foreign, but this is no excuse. Tipene should have been prepared to nail it. Unfortunately he screwed it and came off looking incompetent, tired and unsuited to politics. Impromptu speaking skills are a virtue in politics, Tipene appears to lack such skills though. This does not bode well for the Maori Party.

Paul Quinn:


Metiria Turei:

Metiria does not occupy a position in the worst performing list as a direct consequence of her own actions, rather the actions of the Greens. The Greens pride themselves on equal opportunity, the special place of tangata whenua etc… however the party list features no Maori in winnable positions besides Metiria. David Clendon is Maori, however he is not an MP who focuses, or indeed gives any attention, to Maori issues. Metiria was guilty of trying to spin the list as a positive for Maori and an indication of the Green Party’s support for Maori. Meteria is attempting to spin what cannot be woven. It is abundantly clear that Maori are sparse on the list. 

7 comments:

  1. Gotta disagree with you on Hone, Morgan. He virtually disappeared after he left Parliament, and appeared to make absolutely no comments or critiques of the Budget. It was the biggest party of the month and he didn't show up for it.

    I'm interested in your thoughts on Winston, he is attracting a lot more attention lately and I am thinking he cannot be too far from your list.

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  2. Hi Joshua

    You are right, Hone was silent following the budget. But that aside he has maintained his position as the dominant Maori MP outside of government. Hone, prior to the budget, dominated mainstream discourse (along with Don Brash) as well.

    Winston has appeared in previous months. I did consider him this month, however I could not recall many prominent events/stories he was involved in and/or created. He is certainly pecking away at the fringes, but he is yet to really break into the mainstream consciousness. I expect to hear and see a lot from Winston in the coming months – election issues such as privatisation and the MCA Act are tailor made for him.

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  3. Sorry Morgan but you're wrong about the Greens list. Denise Roche is in a very winnable position, No.11. We have been consistently polling higher than our 2008 and most pre-2008 polls. Green Parties across the world have been gaining traction. We will gain MPs at the election.

    We also have Māori candidates at No.s, 18, 22, 24, 26 and 30.

    That is a very good number for a party that has sparse Māori membership and we only have a list of 30. The reality is, the Greens do a very good job for Māori with, at the moment, little Māori support or membership.

    There are some in the party who are trying to change that, including myself and Metiria. I think it's pretty unfair to say she was one of the worst performing MPs in May and then put Hekia as one of the best. Metiria is a consistent fighter for the Māori people and is one of the best party leaders this country has. Hekia is a Minister in a Government that has just dealt a devastating blow to Māori in the budget, and you know that.

    Ngā mihi,
    Jack McDonald

    P.S, it's Metiria not Meteria

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  4. Thanks for your comment, Jack. I was aware of Denise Roche, but I am remain unconvinced she will enter Parliament. You are right in saying the Greens are polling strongly, however this is a consistent theme across the last few years. The Greens, almost as tradition, poll lower on election day than the polling companies predict. I remain optimistic that the Greens will pick up an extra seat, perhaps an extra two, but this, I believe, remains in the realm of the possible rather than the probable.

    I now see that I was incorrect though. The Greens have included a number of Maori candidates. I still do not accept that the list is a win for Maori with only one (Metiria) Maori issue politician with any chance of getting in. Clendon seems, at best, disinterested in Maori issues. I would not know what sort of committment Denise has to Maori issues, but in my opinion she is unlikely to get in.

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  5. Any thoughts on Hone's failure to apply for any public broadcasting money? No radio or television at all during the election campaign!

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  6. Hone has been working the streets of Te Tai Tokerau - that's why he hasn't maintained the "national" profile (athough that is debatable) as much. Remember, win the by-elections first and then Mana will do well across the country. Its a question of priorities.

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  7. @ Jack,

    Interesting comment there Jack "The reality is, the Greens do a very good job for Māori with, at the moment, little Māori support or membership". It kind of smacks of be grateful for the crumbs that fall from the table because you didnt by the bread. Not a very Green ideology I wouldve thought. And lets be honest, it doesnt matter if you everyone on the list from 10-30 is Maori, at the end of the day they arent going to get in to parliament so its meaningless. The Greens are lacking Maori in the top ten and without it they arent going to lure more Maori support.

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