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John Tamihere hosted a Facebook Live ‘Tamihere Talks’ on October 5, 2022, ahead of the local body elections, with Manurewa Marae chief executive Taukutai Moana Natasha Kemp, chair Rangi McLean and Jacqui Harema, all running on the Manurewa Action ticket.
The party “strenuously” denies those allegations.
In September 2022, Auckland Council and the city’s electoral officer received complaints, some from rival candidates, about marae staff campaigning on behalf of Action Team.
It was claimed voting papers were collected by marae staff as they delivered ‘tabloids’ – newsletters featuring the Action Team candidates.
The complaint included two social media posts from marae staff member Te Kou o Rehua Panapa. He wrote: “Our Manurewa Marae whanau are out and about delivering tabloids and picking up whanau voting papers.” Kemp and Peters were also tagged.
Electoral officer Dale Ofsoske made inquiries with Action Team.
“I contacted the group’s main spokesperson to advise that this was an unwise practice,” Ofsoske told the Star-Times. “The spokesperson advised such a practice was unlikely as all of their team had been advised not to undertake such a practice.”
However, a Facebook Live with candidates, broadcast three days before the October 8 vote, makes repeated references to the practice.
In the video, Kemp, McLean and Jacqui Harema, then an employee of the Waipareira Trust, were interviewed by broadcaster John Tamihere, also chief executive of the trust and president of Te Pati Maori.
“We do need to encourage our whanau to go out and collect those envelopes and support their whanau to vote,” Kemp said.
“… Can I just say, JT, there’s already been complaints about Manurewa Marae soliciting votes. We are not hiding behind who we are as Manurewa Marae and it’s our role and I think our responsibility to encourage our whanau and empower them to vote.”
The Post
Quite brazen and boastful aren’t they? I’m starting to believe these guys think they’ll get away with it all.
Both Kemp and Tamihere were concerned that a declining number of post boxes would affect turnout. Kemp also said waiting times to cast a special vote in the area were up to 2.5 hours.
“[J]ust got to motivate your whanau, get on the phone, go around their houses, pick up their voting forms, tick the boxes for them. It’s probably illegal, but I’m asking you to do it anyway,” Tamihere said, laughing.
“No, look because the whole system is rorted against us, so you’ve got to level it up somehow.”
Tamihere said the the voting process is “weighted towards older, non-Maori white fullas”.
“And for all our kaimahi [staff] out there and collect your whanau’s voting packs and go and collect everybody else’s. Whatever you do, don’t vote for them. Really,” he said, making a whisper gesture.
“The [unclear] community do it, I don’t understand why the Maori community can’t.”
The Post
This is as clear as you can get about a systemic attempt to subvert democracy in their favour. It’s shameless even.
And you know what, they’ll probably get away with it. Because they’re Maori.
Cam Slater is a New Zealand-based blogger, best known for his role in Dirty Politics and publishing the Whale Oil Beef Hooked blog, which operated from 2005 until it closed in 2019. Cam blogs regularly on the BFD - where this article was sourced.
6 comments:
Yep it's tikanga maori for sure and definitely covered by treaty of waitangi no doubt.
You are right Cam, they will get away with it because our PM is an honorary Maori. QED.
Your last sentence is probably accurate. Let's see what happens with democracy, we are all equal. If maori get away with it, then we all can. The flood gates will open. And so they should
"a systemic attempt to subvert democracy in their favour" - Assuming this is proven, would these activities qualify as "improper acts" or out and out "corruption"? I'm no legal beagle but it would seem so. I assume that these terms have legal definitions that even tikanga cannot subvert? Cam's previous post on this matter had a very apt heading: "Oh Boy, Things Are Getting Whiffy" what a perfectly succinct and graphic depiction of the status quo!
They really really know how to whinge, excruciating to watch.
But they were drawn to it, it was like an after match function blow by blow account of the play.
The Waitangi Tribunal can and probably will invent yet another Te Tiriti 'principle' that Maori were promised the right to break electoral laws with impunity.
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