Clark’s Closing The Gaps Policy Undermined By Turia’s Psycho-Babble

The Rt Hon Winston Peters MP, Leader of New Zealand First, has questioned why Turiana Turia has kept her job and is still involved implementing the Government’s “Closing the Gaps” policy.

He said today that instead of closing the gaps, the recent comments of Tariana Turia only served to widen the gaps between Maori and non-Maori.

“Given the top priority the Prime Minister has publicly given to closing the gaps, and her harsh treatment of Dover Samuel for allegedly threatening this policy, why is Mrs Turia still a Minister?”

“In her dressing down of Tariana Turia for her psycho-babble of last week, the Prime Minister did not appear to recognise that Mrs Turia’s comments had been as offensive to Maori as they were to the Jewish Community.

“Unless there is an acceptance by the Prime Minister that Maori do not want to be seen as victims, and treated in a patronising fashion, the Labour Maori MPs will continue to cause unnecessary friction and tension amongst Maori and
non-Maori New Zealanders,” said Mr Peters.

He said that the Prime Minister should have addressed these issues with Mrs Turia before she went on her skiing holiday.

“Mrs Turia’s speech last week in Hamilton was preceded by similar psycho-babble when she recently appeared on TVNZ’s Face the Nation programme with Women’s Refuge Head Merepeka Raukawa-Tait.

“Whilst the comments Ms Turia made on that programme were not offensive to the Jewish Community they were deeply offensive to many New Zealanders – both Maori and European.

“It is quite unacceptable for this Minister to stay in her job and to continue spreading a message of racial nonsense that will only create more divisions in our society,” said Mr Peters.

ENDS

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