WELLINGTON, NZ — The crisis for right-wing political parties in New Zealand deepened last month when the deputy prime minister, Winston Peters, and a number of other New Zealand First MPs walked out of cabinet over the sale of the Wellington airport. PM Jenny Shipley sacked Peters and cut a deal with other NZ First members to rescue her government.
On August 6, the deputy leader of the NZ Alliance, SANDRA LEE, tabled documents leaked from NZ First members calling for the formation of a new "Maori Party". The documents showed that money from the Office of Maori Affairs had been used to investigate the formation of this party.
Lee heads the Alliance and is also leader of Mana Motuhake, the main left-wing Maori party, which hopes to win the support of Maori voters disillusioned with NZ First at the next election. She spoke to Green Left Weekly's ZANNY BEGG.
Question: What is the background to the instability of the government?
The Coalition is in a process of collapse. There are a range of reasons for this.
Ideologically, there are a number of backbenchers from NZ First who campaigned on an anti-government, anti-privatisation platform and then entered into a deal with the National Party to form government. After enjoying themselves at the trough for the last two years, these five Maori MPs who have failed to deliver for Maori are concerned about losing their seats.
While it's true the Tories know how to hang on to power because they have vested interests, nonetheless all this means an early election is very likely.
Question: How does the social crisis in NZ frame this political crisis?
Since 1984 there has been a dismantling of the cradle-to-grave welfare system. The 1984 Labour government embarked upon a rabid asset sale program, quickly followed by deregulation and the dismantling of all the existing structures of NZ society. Trade unions, health, education were all attacked, corporatised and deregulated.
When the Nationals came to power, they carried on the new right agenda. The coalition government has followed suit, but at an increased pace.
There is a new poverty in this country which New Zealanders are not used to. People are begging in the streets, there is third and fourth generation unemployment in families, state housing stopped, forcing families to live in caravan parks.
NZ politicians have prided themselves on being stoic in the face of this — making decisions which are unpopular, un-mandated and unwanted by the people. We need to change that whole political culture.
Question: Is Mana Motuhake able to benefit from the collapse in NZ First's vote amongst Maori?
My party has struggled to raise our profile inside the Alliance. But we have the policies which can do something about the situation Maori find themselves in, so it will be a battle to convince Maori voters of this.
Mana Motuhake has gone through a bit of a revolution in the last few months. Maori culture is structured along very different lies to western culture. Our kaupapa, or elders, play a very important role, and it's only in the last year that have we seen a lot of the young ones come through and take positions of leadership in the party.
I feel passionately that our right to describe our destiny as Maori must also be put in the hands of the young people who will inherit that future.
If I might be cheeky enough to comment on Australian politics for a moment, a Roman emperor once said, "Let all the snakes which live in the mire reveal themselves". What Pauline Hanson has done is reveal the snakes which "live in the mire".
In the process of decolonisation, it can take centuries of despair before these matters come to light. Now we are learning to deal with them.
Mana Motuhake plans to build its profile as the defender of Maori rights and drive the snakes out of the mire.