Big win means much more due from Labour’s Ma¯ori MPs

The surprising red tsunami with a wave of green has delivered an opportunity to finally start fixing serious social inequities for Ma¯ori.

The only way it can be done is if Labour’s Ma¯ori MPs position themselves in key leadership roles where Ma¯ori are severely impacted, particularly in health, employment, education, housing and justice.

Labour’s Ma¯ori MPs need to demand more ministerial roles, and seek to put Peeni Henare in as the health minister. He earned his stripes during the last term as an associate health minister Ma¯ori.

Henare had to navigate the turbulent waters of Wha¯nau Ora, civil defence disasters and establish a new Ma¯ori health authority. Labour is still to say how it will meet the aspirations of Ma¯ori health experts who want the authority to be independent and wellresourced.

When Covid-19 first hit Aotearoa New Zealand and again, in the second wave in Auckland, we did not see any Ma¯ori MPs standing with the prime minister during her daily briefings. Ma¯ori communities were feeling vulnerable to the pandemic and left out of the government’s response. Iwi, social organisations and community leaders mobilised because the government took too long to respond to Ma¯ori and meet their specific needs.

When then health minister Dr David Clark resigned and was replaced by Chris Hipkins, Ma¯ori wondered why Henare wasn’t promoted to the top job then.

Labour now has at least 17 new Ma¯ori MPs, candidates from the Ma¯ori seats and list MPs Willie Jackson, Louisa Wall, Willow-Jean Prime and possibly others.

Jo Luxton, Shanan Halbert and Kiritapu Allan wrestled National seats away from the incumbents. First-timer Arena Williams and Paul Eagle won their Labour seats. There are many experienced Ma¯ori Labour MPs who deserve to pick up a ministerial or leadership role in the new government. Labour’s large Ma¯ori caucus will be augmented by three Ma¯ori MPs from the Greens, co-leader Marama Davidson and two new candidates Teanau Tuiono and Dr Elizabeth Kerekere at numbers 8 and 9 on the list respectively. All three believe in a strong, independent voice for Ma¯ori and will be pushing their Labour friends to do more. Kerekere has stood in Ikaroa-Ra¯whiti in the past two elections.

If ever there was an opportunity to really push for the aspirations of Ma¯ori this is the time to do it. But it will require Labour’s MPs to stand up to their leader Jacinda Ardern.

During the election campaign, the Labour candidates including Henare standing in the Ma¯ori seats kept deferring what they could and couldn’t do back to their leader. They can’t do that now in the second term.

There is little Ma¯ori representation left on the opposition benches although ACT has at least two Ma¯ori MPs in leader David Seymour and gun lobbyist Steph McKee. NZ First was always a handbrake to push for specific funding and support for Ma¯ori.

Ma¯ori have been backing Labour for decades, now it’s time for Labour to make good on their promises to do more for Ma¯ori.