I whakaputahia tuatahitia tēnei atikara e Te Kūkupa
Opinion: It seems like we are discussing poll results every other day. Who is up, who is down, and the power of the minor parties to shape the next government.
But beneath all the polling numbers is another question: what are the major parties actually offering Māori voters?
A constant theme is the low combined numbers of the major parties. Both National and Labour appear to be struggling to generate any real political pizazz. They are boring and seem increasingly disconnected from the reality many whānau in this country face.
Major parties
The latest Taxpayers’ Union-Curia poll puts National on 29 per cent, down two points, and Labour on 25.9 per cent, down 1.9 points.
The Greens are on 13.9 per cent, up 3.8 points; ACT is on 10.5 per cent, up 3.2 points; and New Zealand First is on 8.4 per cent, down 0.7 points. The Opportunity Party sits at 4.5 per cent, down 1.6 points, while Te Pāti Māori is on two per cent, up 0.5 points.
The poll raises the question of whether the major parties are convincing voters they have a realistic plan to shift the country towards better outcomes.
A lot of the political conversation seems centred on tax. And yes, tax matters. But when you are standing in the grocery store working out how much kai you can afford to put in your trolley, or when you are at the gas station hoping the fuel you put in will last long enough for every trip required to get your tamariki to school, you are not thinking about tax.
You are worried about the here and now.
The major parties are selling the dream. But are they convincing people that their constant talk about tax will mean children go to sleep at night in a warm, dry home, with a full puku?
I know governments and politicians cannot do everything, and they won’t fix anything overnight. The problem I see, though, is that politicians may be focused on the wrong areas.
That got me thinking about another question: Where does Te Tiriti o Waitangi sit in the political plans of the parties seeking our votes?
I searched each party’s website for Tiriti-specific policy. Good or bad, I wanted to see it.
And what I found was telling.
Te Pāti Māori
Te Pāti Māori’s entrenchment policy comes as no surprise. It is the core Tiriti policy we should expect from a party that claims to be unapologetically Māori.
I should also say that I am happy they have come out strongly on their position. While we have seen the push from the other end of the political spectrum through the Treaty Principles Bill, the review of Treaty clauses across multiple pieces of legislation, and the rhetoric surrounding the Waitangi Tribunal, it is essential that the other end of the conversation is loud and present.
My only issue is that it is a little disappointing that a party that has stood for mana motuhake and rangatiratanga had to announce its position.
By this point in the term, and in the lifetime of Te Pāti Māori, a policy like this should not need an announcement. It should be a consistent key message.
The Green Party
The Green Party also has a long-standing position on Te Tiriti that recognises its tuakana, He Whakaputanga.
This is a bedrock policy for the Greens, and while they have not committed to entrenchment in the same way as Te Pāti Māori, their policy platform makes it clear that Te Tiriti is a major thread that weaves through their wider manifesto.
On a recent episode of Marae, Green Party candidate for Te Tai Tonga Lisa Te Morenga said that the Green Party is the strongest Māori party in Parliament.
That is a bold claim, and not one I have heard the leaders say, but it does show how committed the party is to securing the very influential Māori vote.
The Opportunity Party
The Opportunity Party dropped to 4.5 per cent in the Taxpayers’ Union-Curia poll. This is the first poll in a while to place them below the coveted five per cent threshold.
Its Honouring Te Tiriti policy proposes a national constitutional conversation on the place of Te Tiriti.
The party also talks about supporting devolution to Māori organisations, giving them greater responsibility for decisions and services where they have the capability, mandate and local knowledge to achieve better outcomes, alongside greater autonomy, longer-term funding and clear accountability.
It would also like to remove barriers that may be hindering the growth of Māori business.
I find some of this interesting. But what leaves me a little concerned is where the power ultimately sits and who gets the final say.
Who gets to determine the outcome of that constitutional conversation? And what happens if Māori, the wider public and Parliament reach different conclusions?
It may be cynical. However, if this term has taught me anything, it is that it does not matter how many people hīkoi, how many submissions are lodged or how many petitions are given to Parliament; there is always a chance that they will not be heard or taken into account when drafting law that directly affects Māori.
ACT, New Zealand First and the Waitangi Tribunal
Speaking of such behaviour, the ACT Party has put out the most unsurprising policy of the year.
ACT’s policy would limit the Waitangi Tribunal to completing all eligible historical claims lodged by the 1 September 2008 deadline, and end its role in considering contemporary Crown policy and conduct.
This term has also seen high numbers of urgent Waitangi Tribunal inquiries. The Tribunal has described a dramatic increase in urgent inquiries following the late-2023 change of government and the rapid rollout of Treaty-related legislation.
The proposed ACT changes would mean that the Tribunal’s contemporary jurisdiction, including its ability to inquire into current Crown policy and conduct, would no longer exist.
The Tribunal would be automatically disestablished once it has resolved all eligible historical claims.
The other coalition partner with a lot to say about the Tribunal is New Zealand First.
While the party has not released any Tiriti-specific policy, its position on the Tribunal’s role is well documented and closely aligned with its minor-party coalition partner.
Shane Jones took to social media warning that policy affecting the Tribunal will be announced in the lead-up to the election. His leader Winston Peters has also criticised the role of the Tribunal.
It is important to mention that the review of Treaty of Waitangi clauses is a core commitment in the National-New Zealand First coalition agreement. The Government has now agreed to amend provisions across 19 pieces of legislation as part of that review.
National and Labour
Then we get to the two big players.
I could not find a standalone Te Tiriti policy on either National or Labour’s published policy platforms.
I reached out to National to ask if it had anything of the sort. I did not receive a response.
What I did find online was a snippet of an interview Prime Minister Christopher Luxon had with Mike Hosking, in which he pointed to what he considered important work his Government had done, including English first and te reo Māori second across Government departments and pushing back on Māori wards.
This came shortly after he attended the Pacific leaders forum, where he said he was looking forward to showcasing “tangata whenua” and “Māori” culture when Aotearoa hosts the hui next year.
For Labour, the response was different.
When I reached out to the party, it said it is committed to the principles of Te Tiriti. Labour said it will restore Tiriti commitments into schools, restore the Mana Whakahono ā Iwi agreements in the RMA, and support devolving services in Māori health.
The party also said it opposes the Treaty clause review and will release more policy throughout the campaign.
These aren’t new questions
It is important to say that these are not new questions.
Social media groups such as Vote For Te Tiriti have been asking these questions of political parties and putting Te Tiriti o Waitangi on the political agenda.
Questions about where Te Tiriti sits, what constitutional relationship parties envisage, and what role Māori should have in decision-making have been part of the public conversation for some time.
So, this is not simply a question I have decided to ask during an election campaign.
Māori voters have been asking it too.
What does the silence tell us?
For me, this is where the silence becomes difficult to ignore.
The major parties appear tone deaf to the Māori voice and blind to Māori perspectives.
This term has seen thousands of people hit the streets across Aotearoa in the name of Te Tiriti. We have seen record numbers of submissions and a noticeable increase in participation.
Yet that level of public engagement has not resulted in a clear Tiriti-specific policy from either of the two major parties.
That in itself is telling.
While the major parties appear reluctant to make Te Tiriti central to their policy platforms, the minor parties are using it as a launching pad to advance their political positions.
Some of you will know the side of the conversation I sit on, and it is one that would honour Te Tiriti to its fullest.
That said, I would rather see a party’s position on Te Tiriti in black and white than a few catchphrases and mixed messages.
I don’t need every party to agree with my position.
But I do think voters deserve to know exactly where each party stands.
This week, Whakaata Māori will release its first polls specifically focused on Māori voters. The results should give us a clearer picture of how Māori are feeling in the lead-up to the election and, more importantly, who they will be backing to take the country forward.
