Labour’s Willie Jackson won’t commit to serving full term and warns of ‘attack on our people’

Willie Jackson is not committing to serving a full three years in Parliament but will stay on to consolidate Labour’s Māori caucus and look to work with Te Pāti Māori and the Greens to prevent what he says will be an “attack on our people” under a National and Act government.

Jackson said it was “disappointing” to see Labour’s record Māori caucus of 15 last term shrink to nine, including losing three Māori electorates to Te Pāti Māori, which previously had just one.

Jackson, who was re-elected on the party list, said today that he wasn’t sure about staying on until 2026 but would stay around “for a while” to support the Māori caucus and Chris Hipkins as party leader.

He added that he thought there was going to be an “attack on Māori”.

“I’m not sure what I’m doing. I’m not a priority at the moment but all I know is I’ll be talking with others because I think there’s going to be a real attack on our people over the next couple of months and I’m not going to just leave that to them ... they’re going to need a lot of support.”

Jackson told the Herald shortly after the election loss that Labour would not remain “on the sidelines” if National and Act fulfilled their campaign promises to roll back progress for Māori. Those promised include Act’s policy of a referendum on the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, alongside scrapping the Māori Health Authority and other kaupapa.

Jackson said Labour would look to “organise” with Te Pāti Māori and the Greens.

Green Party co-leader James Shaw told Newstalk ZB on Sunday he was “very worried” about the future of race relations, with Act making its referendum a bottom line in negotiations with National.

He pointed to what had occurred in Australia, where the proposed indigenous Voice to Parliament was rejected in a referendum.

“Where the majority has once again overridden the rights of the indigenous minority. You can see that happening here if Seymour gets his way.”

National’s Māori development spokesman, Tama Pōtaka, told Te Karere on Monday that National had already ruled out Act’s policy on redefining the Treaty principles. This followed comments from leader Christopher Luxon that National’s campaign position was that such a referendum would be divisive. Luxon ruled out the policy soon after Act launched it in 2022.

But Act leader David Seymour told Te Karere that this position had not been relayed by National in negotiations so far.

“They haven’t said no to us.”

Jackson said he also wanted to assess the new Māori caucus, which had lost, among others, veteran MP Nanaia Mahuta in a shock result in Hauraki-Waikato. She was beaten by 21-year-old Hana-Rawhiti Maipi Clarke of Te Pāti Māori.

Mahuta’s seat was one of three Māori electorates Labour lost to Te Pāti Māori. While it was largely accepted they would lose Te Tai Hauāuru, there was another shock result in Rino Tirikatene losing Te Tai Tonga to Tākuta Ferris. Tirikatene had appeared to have an iron grip on the seat since first claiming it in 2011.

“It’s disappointing but the wave was against us,” Jackson said.

“But I’m proud that we still got three seats, and we’ve got it. We’ve still got a strong Māori caucus, but it’s how it goes.”

Jackson said he was also “really proud” that new candidate Cushla Tangaere-Manuel had won Ikaroa-Rāwhiti against Te Pāti Māori’s Meka Whaitiri. Whaitiri had controversially defected from Labour earlier this year but will not be back in Parliament after losing the seat she held since 2013.

Tangaere-Manuel said she was excited to be in Parliament representing her electorate, and that Hipkins had been “really supportive” since she announced she was running for the party.

New Labour MP for Ikaroa-Rāwhiti Cushla Tangaere-Manuel on her first day in Parliament, with Willie Jackson to her left. Photo / George Heard

Adrian Rurawhe said he had really enjoyed his time as Speaker. National had not offered him the chance to continue in the role and he wasn’t sure if he would have accepted even if it was offered. He said he wanted to be a part of rebuilding Labour’s Māori caucus and give that his full focus.

Meanwhile, in his press conference soon after announcing he was retiring, Andrew Little reflected on his time as Treaty negotiations minister since 2017 and said he thought Act’s Treaty referendum policy was “worrying”.

“It’s counter to at least 50 years of jurisprudence, but also more than 100 years of establishing the proper place and status of the Treaty in our constitution.

“The idea that now is somehow subject to a referendum goes against the principle of the rule of law, which that party claims to stand for, and would be – if they prosecute it – divisive and very bad for the long term.”

Little said the contents of the Treaty had been recognised by a swath of legal decisions and bodies and hoped the new government would reflect on that history.

Asked for any advice for a new Treaty negotiations minister, Little said: “Be steady.

“I intend no criticism of [former Treaty negotiations minister] Chris Finlayson but the feedback I got was many iwi felt rushed in some of their settlements.

“What I learned was the importance of dialogue, kanohi ki te kanohi, front up and face up. If things aren’t right ... and if you’re wanting durable agreements, then we’ve got a bit of time for them to come together.”

He said he was really proud to get the Ngāti Maniapoto, Whakatōhea and Kahungunu ki Wairarapa Tāmaki nui a Rua settlements over the line.

“But what I’m very pleased about is we’ve changed the conversation with Ngāpuhi.”

He noted the establishment of an investment fund, meaning there were options for when they were ready to “get around the table”.

Michael Neilson is a political reporter based at Parliament in Wellington. He joined the Herald in 2018 and has covered social issues, the environment and Māori affairs.