Campaign for Maori seats in super city not based on Tikanga

Calls by some Maori politicians and Urban Maori groups for privileged seats on the Auckland council are not based in Tikanga, and are not the best way to achieve their goals, ACT New Zealand Maori Issues Spokesperson Peter Tashkoff said today.

“We all want the same thing, which is fair representation, but the approach of claiming a Tangata Whenua status as a basis for that is flawed," Mr. Tashkoff said.

“The vast majority of Maori in Auckland do not have kinship ties into the regional sub-tribes and as such have no more tangata whenua status in Auckland than anyone else. I can understand why some Maori leaders are seizing upon this term as a means of pressing for representation, but it’s not right, and it demeans that status of the actual Tangata Whenua of Auckland.

"Instead of campaigning for a guaranteed privilege, Maori groups seeking representation would be better advised to be demanding some form of proportional representation.

“A proportional representation approach counters any perception of privilege, because in order to make it work, we, Maori, would have to get out there and vote, as opposed to coasting along on the basis of a guaranteed place. But is that a problem? The question is: If Maori do not show the support for our own political initiatives, then on what basis can we expect anyone else to do it for us?

“There is an opportunity with the select committee process for people to make their views known. It’s a judgement call. If people want to gamble for all or nothing then by all means keep flogging the horse for guaranteed privilege.

"But Maori need to remember that at the end of the day, it has been the privilege structures in this country that have kept Maori down. The whole foreshore and seabed fight for instance was about privileged access. When people talk about institutionalised racism, what are they talking about, if not privilege? In the face of that, the answer is not to fight for our very own tiny piece of privilege, it’s to fight for a system that ensures no privilege for anyone, and fairness of representation for all,” said Mr. Tashkoff.