A group of high profile Māori leaders is calling on National’s Christopher Luxon to condemn the “racist” comments and “race-baiting” policies of the party’s potential coalition partners, NZ First and Act.
The 17 leaders - who include Dame Naida Glavish, Tā Herewini Parata and Tā Mark Solomon, as well as Waikato-Tainui Te Arataura chair Tukoroirangi Morgan and Ngāti Kahungunu chair Baden Barber - issued ‘a call to condemn racism’ joint media release on Friday.
“Racism, in any form, should have no place in our elections,” the group said. “Leaders, whether it is within your iwi, your whānau or of a political party, have a responsibility to call out racism and race-baiting and publicly condemn it.
“Race-baiting for votes is not new here in Aotearoa. But this election, the dog whistling and the outright public displays of racism from political candidates have increased to unacceptable levels.”
They said the “divisive” behaviour needs to stop and threw their support behind Labour leader Chris Hipkins’ recent decision to “call it out”.
“We need to draw a line in the sand, put an end to this divisive style of politics because, Aotearoa, we are better than that.
“We support the position taken by the leader of the Labour Party, Chris Hipkins, calling for the end to race-baiting and racist comments in our country’s election campaigns.”
The group said the Greens, Te Pāti Māori and also King Tūheitia had all taken strong positions on the issue.
“We acknowledge both the Green Party and Te Pāti Māori for their anti-racism positions and respect the words of Kiingi Tuheitia, who, at his koroneihana called for political parties to stop using Māori people as a political football.”
“It is racist to call for Māori, elite or not, to be cut out and buried,” the group said. “It is racist to abuse wāhine Māori at candidate debates for speaking Te Reo.
“It is ignorant to call the signing of te Tiriti a ‘wee experiment.’
“And it is ignorant to think you have a right to erase te Tiriti from legislation and rewrite it in your own words.”
The group said much more should be expected of the country’s politicians. “Māori deserve better from the people who want to lead our country.
“So we are calling on Christopher Luxon, the leader of the National Party, to condemn the racist comments made by NZ First candidates, to condemn the race-baiting policies of the ACT party and commit himself to representing all of us – including Māori.
“We look forward to his response,” they said.
Responses
The National Party leader was challenged by Hipkins at Wednesday’s leaders debate about why he was willing to work with NZ First and Act, “people who are” - the Labour leader inferred - racist.
Hipkins quoted NZ First candidate Robert Ballantyne who, at an election event the previous week, it’s claimed, said, “Cry if you want to, we don’t care, you pushed it too far. And we are the party with the cultural mandate and the courage to cut out your disease and bury you permanently’.”
Asked by Hipkins why he wanted to work with “these people”, Luxon said he didn’t.
“I don’t want to work with NZ First but I am going to make the call if it means I stop you, Te Pāti Māori, Greens coming to power.”
In answer to a follow-up question, whether he felt Ballantyne’s remarks were racist, Luxon said “I do”.
“I don’t think that’s acceptable at all.”
Approached by RNZ, Luxon continued to distance himself from NZ First.
“[W]hat I’m saying very clearly to the New Zealand people is I don’t necessarily want to work with Winston Peters but I will pick up the phone and actually make that call as a last resort if it means avoiding three years of more of the same,” Luxon told RNZ.
“I’m sure I can work with him, I’m sure I’d be able to work with him if I need to. But that’s not my preference.”
Both NZ First’s and Act’s leaders have rejected claims of racism and race-baiting.
Peters told RNZ that Hipkins’ claims were “utterly false”.
“I don’t have any problems with it at all apart from the dirty tactics of the Labour Party which I warned about three days ago were going to begin - and sure, right on target, they did it last night in Hipkins’ claims which was utterly false.
“Here’s the point: what Mr Ballantyne said was that co-governance was a disease and we were going to stamp it out. And I’ve been saying that for more than two years and since I discovered what they were trying to do.”
Act leader David Seymour, who also spoke to RNZ, said the NZ First candidate’s remarks were “pretty grotesque” and said his own party is simply concerned with universal human rights and considers the Treaty is being interpreted in a “highly divisive” way.
“I think the National Party understand that the Treaty has become a source of division rather than unity in New Zealand, and there will need to be courage to have an honest, healthy, constructive and humanistic debate about how our Treaty can be something that actually unites New Zealanders with the same rights and duties,” Seymour told RNZ.
Māori leaders group
The 17 leaders who issued the ‘call to condemn racism’ media release are: Dame Naida Glavish, Tā Herewini Tanetoa Parata, Tā Mark Solomon, Office of the Kiingitanga chief of staff Archdeacon Ngira Simmonds, Te Arataura chair Tukoroirangi Morgan, Ngāti Kahungunu chair Baden Barber, Katie Murray (Te Rūnanga o Te Rarawa), Professor Margaret Mutu (Ngāti Kahu, Te Rarawa and Ngāti Whātua), Te Huia Bill Hamilton (Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Raukawa, Ngā Rauru), Terrence (Mook) Hohneck Ngāti Manuhiri, Peter Lucas Jones, Te Aupōuri, Pania Newton, Te Ahiwaru Trust, Te Puea Marae chair Hurimoana Dennis, Papakura Marae chief executive Tony Kake, BBM Motivation chief executive David Letele, MUMA chief executive Tania Rangiheuea and MUMA chair Ngā Whare Waatea Bernie O’Donnell.
