Nats need a touch of Westie rebel
Paula Bennett had plenty of reasons to go. After 15 years in Parliament and some time very close to the top job, her fortunes within the National Party had well and truly fallen.
The leadership coup last month was pointedly about more than just removing the leader – it was also about removing Bennett. The only direction from here was down. Following the coup, Bennett was demoted out of the top 12, stripped of her campaign chair role, and made absolutely no secret of her mirth when the new deputy leader stepped in it and described Paul Goldsmith as the party’s highest ranked Ma¯ ori MP – a position Bennett herself held.
That honour is now held by Dr Shane Reti at caucus rank 17, or 16 if you remove Bennett.
This is not really tenable for a large political party. Ma¯ ori make up 16.5 per cent of New Zealand.
The relationship between the Crown and Ma¯ ori is one of the most crucial long-term political issues in this country. Representation is not everything but you ignore it at your peril.
The situation will probably not last that long, as leader Todd Muller indicated yesterday he could promote someone to fill Bennett’s slot. Your money would have to be on Reti getting the nod at this point: He is a very capable MP and deserves it. But