Shane Te Pou: Labour’s Māori ministers can be proud of their records

Along with their colleagues, Māori ministers have been doing the mahi; among other things, 100,000 homes have been insulated through Warmer Kiwi Homes, and there is funding to warm 100,000 more. Photo / 123rf

OPINION

The ugly side of this election campaign reared its head again this week when Christopher Luxon told an audience in Nelson that if they want an end to bilingual signs and the use of te reo Māori by government agencies, they should vote National.

Make no mistake – we are becoming a more tolerant and multicultural society and that’s a good thing. Unfortunately, every time we make advances towards being a more inclusive society that celebrates our Māori culture through things like Matariki, Te Matatini, and using te reo Māori in public settings, there are some who kick back against it.

And there’s a gaggle of right-wing political parties all too keen to try to grab those reactionary votes.

The ceaseless attacks on anything to do with Māori from the opposition are puzzling and worrying to our people. What have we done? We’re just Kiwis trying to live our lives, trying to celebrate and share our unique, indigenous culture. We just want a better life for our kids, like all of the people of Aotearoa.

When the Crown tries to right, in some small ways, the wrongs that were done to our tīpuna and give our mokopuna a fair shot at the Kiwi dream, what’s wrong with that?

Yet, whenever the Government does anything that even vaguely relates to Māori, the Opposition is eager to pounce on it.

Why have Māori become the whipping boy? Why are we being used by the Opposition to try to bludgeon the Government?

Squarely in the sights of the anti-Māori campaign is Labour’s Māori caucus. Whether it’s scurrilous rumour-mongering or attacks on family members – things that are out of bounds when it comes to Pākehā politicians are fair game when it comes to Māori leaders.

The savage attacks on Nanaia Mahuta and her family by Simeon Brown, enabled by some in the media, were unlike anything I’ve ever seen in politics. There was never any evidence of wrongdoing but that didn’t stop Brown and it led to disgusting racist attacks from the likes of Groundswell. National’s leadership should have stopped Brown’s baseless, racist attack on a strong wahine Māori leader and a distinguished Māori family. Instead, they encouraged it.

It’s reached the point where Peeni Henare can’t even attend his wife’s work event without being accused of wrongdoing by National, yet Luxon, Parliament’s largest landlord, can pledge hundreds of millions of tax cuts to landlords – and that’s apparently not a conflict of interest.

Against the backdrop of all these attacks, the Māori ministers have been focused on the mahi. Along with their colleagues, they’ve delivered huge results for all Kiwis:

· 64,000 more Māori in work, and a total of 281,000 more people working.

· 5000 young people helped off benefits and into work through Mana in Mahi.

· 200,000 more homes built across the motu. Including 17,000 state houses and other homes built through the Government Build Programme, and a thousand homes coming through the Whai Kāinga Whai Oranga policy.

· The huge $7 an hour increase in the minimum wage that’s put nearly $12,000 a year after tax in the pockets of workers.

· 77,000 kids lifted out of poverty.

· More than 8000 young Māori, and 48,000 people in total getting tertiary education thanks to Fees Free.

· More than 100,000 homes insulated through Warmer Kiwi Homes, and funding for 100,000 more.

· Historic trade agreements with the EU, UK, and across the Asia-Pacific region.

Those are the kind of results we get when Māori are part of the decision-making process, bringing their focus on the well-being of the people to the fore.

Labour’s Māori caucus can go back to the people this election and say, “See, we have delivered – that’s what happens when we have a strong Māori voice in government.” It’ll be a compelling argument compared to Te Pāti Māori, which hasn’t put forward compelling policies, and National, whose bid for the Māori vote consists of just two candidates in unwinnable Māori roll seats.

Willie Jackson and the Labour Māori team can be damn proud of what they’ve achieved in the past six years. I want to see a Labour-led government continue because I’m excited by this generation of Māori ministers and I want to see what more they can achieve given another three years.

My great fear is that a National victory would be taken as vindication for the race-baiters and hatemongers and that Luxon and Seymour would continue to pander to them in government, treating Māori as a scapegoat for the country’s ills.

National and Act need to reflect on the climate of division and hate they are fostering. Is it really worth a few votes from a shrinking reactionary minority? Can’t they compete by pledging to go further and do better for all the people of Aotearoa, rather than trying to tear Māori leaders down?

Shane Te Pou (Ngāi Tūhoe) is a commentator, blogger and former Labour Party activist.