Ele Ludemann: Politicking with public money

Whanau Ora is politicking with public money:

The Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency has launched the longest ad ever made in Aotearoa urging more Māori to sign up to the Māori Electoral Roll. . .

The ad features artist and activist Tame Iti (Ngāi Tūhoe) alone in a cavernous space reading a ‘Māori roll call’ of New Zealanders who have recently joined the Māori electoral roll for 30 minutes. . .

The story doesn’t say what the advertisement will cost but it will feature on television, radio and billboards, all of which will be expensive.

Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency chairperson Merepeka Raukawa-Tait (Te Arawa) said they wanted to capture the voice of the politically charged young Māori and give them a genuine seat at the table. . .

Shouldn’t the story point out that she was a candidate for the Maori Party? Whether or not it should, championing the use of public money for political ends looks like a massive conflict of interest.

The Electoral Commission is funded to encourage people to enrol and vote.

If private organisations wish to do that too, they are free to do what they want with their own money.

But Whanau Ora is funded with public money and its role doesn’t include politicking:

Whānau Ora is a culturally-based, and whānau-centred approach to wellbeing focused on whānau (family group) as a whole, as the decision-makers who determine their goals and aspirations.

Building on the strengths and capabilities of whānau and wrapping the necessary services and support around them to get better outcomes and create positive changes. In areas such as health, education, housing, employment, improved standards of living and cultural identity.

Whānau are supported to fully realise the confidence, mana and the belief in self, family and community. . .

It would be difficult to to argue that encouraging people to enrol to vote is included in that.

Even if it was, encouraging people to enrol on the Maori roll rather than to enrol for either that or the general one, is not.

That’s politicking and if Whanau Ora has public money to spare for that it’s getting far too much.

Ele Ludemann is a North Otago farmer and journalist, who blogs HERE - where this article was sourced.