Editorial: We have gone from the most diverse Government to one which resembles a corporate takeover

National leader Christopher Luxon and deputy leader Nicola Willis during a photo opportunity with their 23 new MPs at Parliament, Wellington. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Editorial

EDITORIAL

When the red wave of Labour swept into power in 2020, New Zealand was hailed around the world for having the most diverse Parliament since mixed member proportional representation (MMP) was introduced in 1996.

Before MMP, there had never been an Asian MP, and only one from the Pacific - Taito Phillip Field, who was later jailed for bribery.

That changed in 2020 and incoming MPs were people of Chinese, Cook Islands Māori, Eritrean, Indian, Iranian, Korean, Maldivian, Mexican, Samoan, Sri Lankan and Tongan descent. The class of 2020 was a smorgasbord of ethnicities and a snapshot of everyday New Zealanders.

New Zealand finally had a Parliament of MPs who looked like us, dressed like us and were us.

The country had also broken a glass ceiling when 58 women - 48 per cent of the total number of MPs - entered Parliament with a record 25 Māori MPs across all parties. Eight Māori made it to Labour’s Cabinet.

We had grown up as a country and that reflected in our multi-racial mix of MPs.

Three years later, the make-up of the incoming Government is nowhere near as diverse as the class of 2020 and has the optics of a corporate takeover, suits and all.

Prime Minister-elect Christopher Luxon said he would use his mergers and acquisitions experience - he was a former CEO of Air New Zealand for eight years and grew the airline’s profit to record levels - to negotiate the best deal for all New Zealanders.

Luxon is walking a political tightrope and his high-wire act will need a big safety net should matters go pear-shaped. Luxon’s National-led Cabinet should see a mix of ethnicities brought in as ministers, with Māori descent MPs Shane Reti taking on health and Tama Potaka Māori development. Korean-born Melissa Lee is the frontrunner for broadcasting.

National’s Carlos Cheung, who beat Michael Wood, is the only Chinese-origin MP in Parliament and joins colleague Paul Garcia, who became the first MP of Filipino origin to win an electorate seat by defeating Labour’s Deborah Russell in New Lynn.

While Cabinet minister positions should be colourless, raceless and based on people who are fit for purpose, some portfolios will be potential powder kegs.

For instance, who will be the Minister for Pacific Peoples - this is the ministry Act’s David Seymour wants to dismantle.

There is not one MP of Pacific Island descent in any of the three coalition parties. That’s just wrong, as Pacific Islanders are the fourth-largest ethnic grouping in the country, after European descendants, indigenous Māori, and Asian New Zealanders. This must be viewed as an embarrassment.

A look at the Pacific Peoples Ministry’s history tells a story of Labour and National Pākehā MPs being thrown the Pacific Ministry hospital pass. It started with Richard Prebble and continued through to Bill Birch and Don McKinnon.

But following appointments of Pacific descent MPs Mark Gosche, Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga, Alfred Ngaro and Aupito William Sio, the ministry started growing in status.

It’s unfortunate that spending by the ministry recently has been seen as extravagant in some cases.

The best fit from the National-Act-NZ First coalition to take on the role of Pacific Peoples Minister would be Shane Jones, who in 2014 was appointed Ambassador for Pacific Economic Development by the National Government.

Under Jones, the Pacific Peoples Ministry would not only survive but thrive.