Geoff Parker: Kotahitanga — Unity, Or Division By Another Name?

Metiria Turei's argument (Otago Daily Times, 4/9/26) for kotahitanga (unity) begins with a proposition few New Zealanders would disagree with: that people should work together, respect one another and build a better country for everyone.

So far, so good.

But then comes the sleight of hand.

Geoff Parker: Equality Is Not Racism, and Disagreement Is Not an Attack on Democracy

Metiria Turei's paywalled column in the Otago Daily Times 21/8/26, Hypocrisy and racism abounds in Parliament, is a familiar exercise in political inversion.

According to Turei, opposition to Māori electorates, criticism of Māori-specific policies, and attempts to restore the same democratic rules for all New Zealanders are evidence of hypocrisy, racism and an assault on constitutional democracy.

Gerry Eckhoff: Metiria Turei’s column

Most will still remember Metiria Stanton Turei as a former green Party leader who resigned from parliament due to telling porkies to receive higher payments from the Ministry of Social Development. Some might suggest it is  something of an unnatural progression to now lecture in law at Otago law School and  is a regular columnist in the Otago Daily Times.   

We should all express a vote of thanks to Metiria Turei for her commentary in the ODT 19^th April. In her opinion piece on discrimination against Maori,  Ms Turei illustrates wonderfully well  just how correct one of the world greatest thinkers - Tom Sowell is with his  observation, that “people who have been placed in a privileged position for a period of time, see any withdrawal of privilege as discrimination”. 

Mike's Minute: The Greens are a basket case

Do you get the feeling the only moderately normal person in the Greens left the building a couple of weeks back, and he is sitting in his new corporate financing job feeling a new lease on life?

Surely as he read, as I did, the tale of Darleen Tana on full whack doing virtually nothing and his good mate Tory "let me bugger Wellington up" Whanau, he must be feeling just a bit guilty about hanging out with such a bunch of no-hopers.

Karl du Fresne: Greens pay the price for one woman's hubris

This was going to be a Turei-free column. Honest. But how can anyone ignore what has been arguably the most tumultuous fortnight in politics since 1984?

My colleague Tom Scott had a cartoon in Wednesday’s paper in which a priest asked a boy: “What has Metiria Turei’s admission of benefit fraud and the Green Party’s subsequent meltdown taught us?”

The boy’s answer: “Never admit to making a mistake even 25 years later.”

That’s a legitimate interpretation of what happened, but my take on it is slightly different.

Karl du Fresne: Shakespeare would have loved it

Greens co-leader James Shaw on Q&A yesterday was saying he was shocked at the hatred for the poor that had been exposed since Metiria Turei went public about her benefit fraud. What bullshit. 

Turei is still being characterised by her admirers as courageous and virtuous. That’s bullshit too. 

She made a calculated and cynical political decision and it backfired spectacularly. While she was gazing down the track at a shimmering city of votes floating like a tantalising mirage in the distance, a 100-tonne locomotive was bearing down on her from behind.

Gerry Eckhoff: Greens Co-Leader

Casting stones at those who are deemed to have committed indiscretions, minor offenses or crimes in this imperfect world of ours is never a particularly smart move. However, scrutiny is part and parcel for those who seek high office such as a Cabinet Minister and must expect to have their actions - past and present, placed under the spotlight. It is also expected of those who exercise their personal judgment, to be entirely consistent whether they happen to be a judge, a French rugby referee or part of this thing we call “public opinion”.  

The admission of politician Metiria Turei, co-leader of the Greens to having committed benefit fraud 20 odd years ago, is a case in point. The discussion seems to have been carefully developed to excuse and justify Ms Turei’s decision. Ms Turei is seemingly now a victim of her own actions. 

Lindsay Mitchell: Feed the Kids Bill - say something

From the Green's blog:

Please help me get my Feed the Kids Bill to Select Committee

October 30, 2014 Metiria Turei 

Last week I took over the Feed the Kids Bill that Hone Harawira had introduced to Parliament. If passed, my Bill will provide government-funded breakfast and lunch in all decile 1 and 2 schools.

Hungry kids can’t learn and are left trapped in the poverty cycle when they grow up.

Let’s break that cycle, lunchbox by lunch box. We can feed the country’s hungry kids, if we work together.

Mike Butler: Treaty book tells of grievance, greed

If you want to know about treaty politics, grievance and greed, and how we got into a position with a tribal elite routinely claiming half of everything, Tribes, treaty, money, power – a guide to New Zealand’s treaty issues is the book for you. This cannot be a review of the book because I wrote it. But I can tell you what it contains and what it set out to do.

This book, published this week, started in mid 2008 when I put in a written submission opposing the Central North Island Forests Land Collective Settlement Bill, and drove up to Wairakei to present my submission orally to the Maori affairs select committee.

Mike Butler: Green plan to cut home values

Co-leader Metiria Turei said the Green Party wants to make sure house prices fall so young families could afford to buy a home but appears unaware of the impact of a house-price decline on young families who have already bought a home. When asked by presenter Duncan Garner in a debate on housing aired on TV3’s The Vote on Wednesday night whether she would like to see house prices fall, Turei said:

“Yes, actually we would like to make sure that they fall . . oh shocked looks on their faces . . oh dear, how terrible that young families could actually afford to buy a home.”

When Garner followed up by saying: “You want house prices to fall. That means some families would have negative equity which would be an economic disaster for New Zealand”, Turei said “that’s right”, adding:

“that means that those holding onto the wealth now will have to be prepared to let some of it go”

This is the latest in a series of Green Party policy gaffes:

Mike Butler: Greens leader backs Maori dope trade

Maori in regions where jobs are limited who are growing and selling cannabis to keep their whanau fed shouldn’t be punished for their entrepreneurship, Green Party co-leader Metiria Turei told Maori TV on Monday night. “It has become an income supplement for whanau particularly in rural areas where they have very little income and few job prospects, particularly in the back blocks, and we have to very careful how we manage that,” Turei said on the Native Affairs show.

Mike Butler: Buying votes at Ratana

In late January every year, political party leaders join the pilgrimage to festivities at Ratana Pa at Turakina to try to buy votes, and this year was distinctive in that the pitches were blatant and unashamed. Prime Minister John Key told the faithful that National reached significantly more treaty settlements in the past four years than the last Labour government did in nine.

Mike Butler: Green sub-prime housing

The latest Green Party policy-for-votes initiative, a rent-to-buy housing scheme, appears to have been created by someone unable to work out the numbers involved. Green Party co-leader Metiria Turei announced the policy on January 24, 2012, at Ratana festivities. The scheme involves building about 10,000 state houses for up to $300,000 each, in conjunction with tribal corporations, local government, and community groups, which families would live in and eventually own. The Crown would initially own all the equity in the house because families would not need to pay a deposit.