Column: South Taranaki Star for 1 November 2007

As we concluded our fourth Hui A Tau (AGM) for the Maori Party, we sung the hymn, Ma te Marie, marie meaning peace. It has a very uplifting message - that our spiritual strength, our belief in our Gods will instill goodwill, justice and righteousness in our hearts. It absolutely encapsulated the mood during our hui, which was about building on our collective strengths, to support our whanau and make great progress in reaching our ideals.

What a shock then to be rung by the press, asking for a response to NZ First’s torrid attack against us and our ‘hymns of hate’! The key concern raised by New Zealand First's leader, was that we were a party based on race.

I was so disappointed that such a view was being spread, as it certainly doesn’t define our party. If anything, our approach is inclusive, welcoming all peoples, all worldviews, and celebrating the right for all New Zealanders to stand strong in their cultures.

Perhaps a bit of background about this term ‘race’; a term which Labour, NZ First, and National have often used in talking about tangata whenua. These parties use ‘race’ as a code word for talking about these so-called ‘special privileges’ that Maori receive from the Government. I’d love to see how these privileges actually translate into outcomes as when I look at all the data on health, education, income, employment, justice and other key social milestones, doesn’t seem to me that it is the Maori people who are in the position of privilege.

The term ‘race’ dates back to the eighties, and was used to describe people based on their physical appearance.

But for the benefit of Mr Peters, I’ll say it again - we are not a party based on race, on skin colour, on facial features, on body shape, on the colour of one’s hair – or any of the other characteristics that come with the concept of race.

But we are indeed proud to be a party based on Maori worldviews, on our traditional cultural values, on kaupapa and tikanga Maori. We believe the philosophies that characterise our party have universal relevance and value for Aotearoa – as indeed, so do the many Pakeha, Pasifika, Asian, and other New Zealanders who are proud to be Maori Party members.

We are also committed to the Treaty of Waitangi as the foundation for our nation; and we stand for a vision of a nation of cultural diversity and richness.