National leader Todd Muller and his deputy Nikki Kaye made a blunder today in defending the diversity of their shadow cabinet by suggesting that Paul Goldsmith was Māori when he is not.
National Leader Todd Muller has admitted his deputy leader Nikki Kaye made "an error" when she said a non-Māori MP was "obviously Ngāti Porou".
Muller was again pressed on the issue of Māori representation within his shadow Cabinet this morning, during his morning media rounds.
There are no Māori MPson his front bench and only a handful in the wider shadow Cabinet.
He said Kaye "wasn't 100 per cent clear on his whakapapa [ancestry]".
Muller said that "mistakes happen".
Todd Muller says his deputy Nikki Kaye made an error in calling Paul Goldsmith Māori. Photo / Audrey Young
Meanwhile, he told the AM Show that the success of Māoridom was "absolutely critical" and it underpins the success of the whole country.
He defended National's record on Māori issues over the years.
"National has a fantastic record over the years as being the party that actually delivers outcomes for Māori."
This, he said, includes beginning the Treaty settlement processes and concluding them, Whānau Ora and Partnership Schools.
"The National Party actually delivers for Māori."
This comes after Māori National MP Jo Hayes, who was pushed down the Cabinet rankings, questioned her party's Māori representation in the shadow Cabinet.
"This is not good," she told Radio Waatea.
"We need to remedy this or you [Muller] need to front it and take it head on and say why."
