Leaders of the New Zealand Maori Party have been touring Australian cities to boost support for the party, which has become a growing force in NZ politics over the past year.
They were invited by branches of the party formed by Maori migrants in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney, as well as Murri community activists. The Maori Party claims about 350 members in Australia.
At a June 3 meeting in Brisbane, Aboriginal leaders, including Jackie Huggins and Boni Robertson, spoke of the strong indigenous culture that brought the two peoples closer together.
Tariana Turia told the gathering that the Maori Party puts forward "a vision of independence, a vision of a new way forward for the Maori people. There is so much we and the Aboriginal people can share and help each other move forward.
"Labour has enjoyed the Maori vote throughout history, and until now we have never been able to draw on our own strength. This was based on the mistaken understanding that Labour stood for the workers.
"We're on a long journey. We will win the seven Maori seats in the coming NZ national election, due this year. We're standing in 35 general seats as well."
Jim McIlroy
From Green Left Weekly, June 8, 2005.
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