Mike's Minute: Has the Māori Party been a success?

0.031 - 19.896 Mike Hosking

Given the original Maori Party was formed, right, go back to 2004, let's call it, so they've been around how long? 20-ish years, let's call it 20 years. Would we call it a success, the Maori Party? A party for Maori? What have they achieved? Have they done more damage than good? There's a question. Do we differentiate, say, between Maori and Maori? And by that I mean Maori who aren't as angsty.

19.876 - 35.331 Mike Hosking

as some are perfectly happy on the general roll. Is the Maori movement generally just for agitators? And as such, you have people with very specific agendas, and those agendas are almost certain to clash. See, I've got no doubt the Maori Party in their current iteration will implode this election. I think everyone does, basically.

35.351 - 37.673 Mike Hosking

I've got little doubt Labour's going to scoop up most of the support.

55.552 - 70.331 Unknown

And then Labour and then New Zealand first until the Maori Party Part 2 came along. It's the Maori vote. Is the Maori vote a cheap date type of thing? You know, you flash a bit of bling and say something random so you can reel them in. How else do you explain the wild gyrations? in direction.

70.851 - 92.556 Unknown

On a broader question, just what exactly have the Maori seats delivered, specifically, ever, under any party, for anyone? Is the mistake, I was thinking to myself yesterday, the race bit. See, Peter Sharples is not Rawiri Waititi. Tariana Turia is not Debbie Packer, or Dover Samuels, or Tu Wiley, or Tuku Morgan. But because they all happen to be Maori, they should all apparently be the same.

92.776 - 112.956 Unknown

Is that the mistake? Race... is first, second, and third. Ideas, policies, visions, they come a long way down the list. After you've all arrived as Maori, you suddenly realize you don't actually have a lot in common, and as a result, you fall out. Because that's the undeniable outworking of the Maori vote and the Maori parties. The vote swings wildly, and quality and delivery even more wildly.