JT: We could go either way
‘‘I’ll tell you how silly it is. There’s only one party that holds the Ma¯ ori seats. If I go into the election and say they are beautiful and we want to do business with them – why vote for me?
‘‘Why pick a side before you’ve got your vote?’’
Tamihere, who announced his candidacy for the Auckland Ma¯ ori seat after months of speculation yesterday, said a resurrected Ma¯ori Party would need to establish leverage by being able to talk to both main parties as an alternative coalition option to NZ First.
‘‘There’s only two blocs. National and the cling-on [ACT]. And then the Greens and Labour. All four of those parties can’t stand NZ First. If there’s another option in a tight election you’ve got a totally different game on.’’
Wilson’s position was based on his reading of the Ma¯ ori Party’s demise – that it had lost all of its seats because it was too closely associated with the last National government.
‘‘The perception and reputation by aligning with National affected us,’’ Wilson told RNZ.
Tamihere said the party leadership letting Hone Harawira leave the party in 2011 had been crucial to their demise but agreed the party had been too subsumed by National.
‘‘It did not define itself with clarity. It didn’t agree to disagree,’’ Tamihere said.
‘‘You’d have to have a clause in there that we can give confidence and supply. But that confidence and supply doesn’t mean that we remain silent on things that we oppose but accept in a democracy we’re outvoted on.’’
Tamihere said he hadn’t had much to do with National leader Simon Bridges before but that didn’t mean he couldn’t work with him.
‘‘I’m a defender, he’s a prosecutor. We’re a bit like chalk and cheese.’’
As for Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern he indicated that he would let the female co-leader of the party – if elected – conduct talks with her.
Tamihere has held Ta¯maki Makaurau before as a Labour MP, but lost it in 2005 to the Ma¯ ori Party.
His main opponent in 2020 will be incumbent Labour MP Peeni Henare, who has a 3809-vote majority.