National’s leaders defend diversity of new front bench

New deputy National leader Nikki Kaye described MP Paul Goldsmith as Ma¯ori when defending the diversity of the party’s new front bench.

But this was news to Goldsmith, who told journalists minutes later that while his family had ‘‘Ma¯ori connections’’ he was not Ma¯ori himself.

National’s new leaders were criticised by some Labour MPs after unveiling their new 14-member front bench on Monday – which only features one nonwhite MP: Paula Bennett at rank 13.

This is a change from the former front bench, where Ma¯ori MPs Simon Bridges and Bennett were in the two top spots, alongside front bencher Alfred Ngaro, who is of Cook Island descent and Melissa Lee, who is Korean.

‘‘Paul Goldsmith is of Nga¯ti Porou,’’ Kaye said, and then listed him as one of three Ma¯ori MPs in the shadow Cabinet.

‘‘We’ve got Paula, we’ve got Paul Goldsmith, we’ve got Shane Reti.’’

Goldsmith said his family had connections to Nga¯ti Porou.

‘‘My great-great grandfather had European wives and Ma¯ori wives, and so I’ve got lots of relatives across Nga¯ti Porou – I don’t claim to be Ma¯ori myself.’’

Co-chair of Labour’s Ma¯ori caucus Willie Jackson said the front bench was full of ‘‘old hacks.’’

‘‘They talk about the Ma¯ori vote, but the reality is they insult Ma¯ori, they don’t stand in the Ma¯ori seats, despite a number of their members wanting that. And this is a reminder to Ma¯ori and working-class people where we lie at the moment with the National Party.’’

Labour MP Kiri Allan said the new front bench ‘‘certainly lacked diversity’’ and this would hinder effective policy development.

‘‘As we all know, it’s the voices that are around the table that are critical to informing that policy,’’ Allan said.

‘‘It’s certainly indicative of the way those voices and the communities that they represent are valued . . .They’re not at the table and they’re not informing the policy.’’

Fellow Labour MP Peeni Henare pointed to Shane Reti as an ‘‘outstanding’’ Ma¯ori National MP who he thought deserved a promotion to the front bench, not just number 17.

National’s new leader Todd Muller said the wider caucus itself was diverse and he had given significant portfolios to MPs with lower rankings, such as Dan Bidois, who is now the associate spokesman for workplace relations and safety.

‘‘We have 55 people coming

from huge amounts of different experience: gender, ethnicity, work experience – I have spread the portfolios and workload right across,’’ Muller said.

‘‘It’s a broad church. The 55 MPs who are in that room reflect New Zealand at its most diverse in my opinion.’’

He said when looking at the shadow Cabinet of 20 MPs there was ‘‘significant diversity’’ – pointing to Reti as an example.

‘‘Shane Reti is a tremendous contributor and I will expect him and others to be very effective in ensuring all the voices of New Zealand are brought around that Cabinet table.’’

Reti and Bennett are the only two Ma¯ori MPs in the shadow Cabinet, but are joined by Lee and Ngaro.

‘‘The way we manage our front bench and shadow cabinet is that we meet as a team and so I have every confidence that the perspectives that need to be brought around the table are brought,’’ Muller said.

Kaye defended the diversity of the team, saying the party took Ma¯ori education extremely seriously and Muller had three women in his top four.

When asked why she had described Goldsmith as Ma¯ori she said this was based on information an MP had told her but she would have to check with him.