Maori and Parliament: Diverse Strategies and Compromises by Maria Bargh

Author:Maria Bargh
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Huia (NZ) Ltd

MMP, Māori and Parliament – ‘exit’, ‘voice’ and ‘loyalty’

I urge upon you again to do that which is good, for you will have no cause to be anxious if you do so, and if evil arises, then look at it yourselves, and let me look at it also, and let us work together.

Taraha Te Moananui (MP, Eastern Māori), 4 August 1868

What has MMP brought to Māori parliamentary politics in terms of the ‘exit’, ‘voice’ and ‘loyalty’ paradigm?

First, it has offered a strengthened option for ‘exit’. When Māori were aggrieved over the Labour-led Government’s decision to legislate in the wake of the court decision regarding New Zealand’s foreshore and seabed, Tariana Turia was able to exit and return to Parliament. Subsequently she and her colleagues were able to win victories in the Māori seats, providing a parliamentary platform for a distinctive Māori ‘voice’.

Second, it made it increasingly important for all political parties to include Māori candidates among their parliamentary nominees. Moreover, it has made it a practical possibility for them to do so. National and Labour, in particular, are able to bring Māori into Parliament not by finding ‘winnable’ seats for them – as would have been required under first past the post – but by allocating candidates to ‘electable’ positions on their party’s list. Doing so – offering practical, realistic opportunities for parliamentary membership and political influence – reduces motivation for exit from the political process.

Third, MMP has given those articulating strong grievances – opting for voice – reasons for believing that their efforts will not be forever futile. As we have seen following the 2008 general election, would-be governing parties, lacking assured parliamentary majorities, may need Māori parliamentary support. More broadly, they may also need to be seen by electors, and by the media, as being ‘reasonable’ – moderate and sensible, inclusive, and not ‘radical’ – on ‘Māori issues’.

Fourth, MMP has also placed increased pressure on Māori parliamentarians placing other priorities – support for their party, for instance – above articulating Māori interests. Thus ‘loyalty’, rather than being seen as the only way to successfully represent Māori – by working within the system, or the Government, or the Labour Party – may now not be seen as necessarily the only practical option to take. At the same time, however, the Māori Party’s decision to work with the National Government has meant that its MPs, too, now find themselves in a position in which they now have to contend with competing ‘loyalty’ choices – loyalty to their supporters, constituents and principles versus loyalty to the Government that they are committed to sustain in office.

The Māori Party–National Party ‘partnership’, a truly MMP product, represents more than merely a challenge to the Māori Party’s maturity and credibility. It also offers a challenge to National and its leadership. If they can succeed in developing a harmonious, complementary relationship – one that will be genuinely ‘mana-enhancing’ for both sides – this may initiate a significant rebalancing of Māori electors’ political attachments. The Māori Party’s

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