Tariana Turia: Co-leader, Maori Party

“I was disappointed that the media were not present at what was a very exciting night last night at the Old Town Hall in Papatoetoe” stated Tariana Turia, co-leader of the Maori Party.

Some 500 people from Pacific nations turned out in Papatoetoe at the launch of the New Zealand Family Rights Protection Party.

“I couldn’t help but notice the same excitement present as when the Maori Party was launched on 10 July 2004” remarked Mrs Turia.

“It is clear that the Pacific nations are realising that you lose your identity in a mainstream party. Pasifika nations are a significant proportion of the New Zealand population and can see from the influence of the Maori Party that they too can have an independent political voice in the Parliamentary environment”.

“It was an entertaining and colourful evening with many inspirational speakers” noted Mrs Turia.

“This is a party that wants to uphold family values. They aim to ‘put back the morals’ into families that they believe mainstream political parties are at this time undermining. The message was powerful and very strong”.

“The Maori Party welcomes a new voice into the MMP environment and congratulates our Pacific whanaunga on a very successful launch”.

“It will not be long”, Mrs Turia added, “before our Asian communities also look for political autonomy. When they look at their numbers and realise that they too can have political representation that isn’t constrained by the views of others who have little or no understanding of them in the first place, I am sure they too will be assessing their political options”.

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