Maori Party Right to Butt in to Close ‘German Gateway’

“The Maori Party has every right to ‘butt in’ when Hone Harawira talks about playing a confidence trick on Te Tai Tokerau voters to use their Maori seat as a ‘waharoa tiamana’ (a German gateway) to get Kim Dotcom's Internet Party into Parliament,” says the Maori Party’s president, Rangimarie Naida Glavish. She was responding to Hone Harawira’s call for the Maori Party to “butt out” of his Mana Party’s invitation to Kim Dotcom to speak to the Mana annual general meeting in Rotorua this weekend.

“At a time when the Maori Party has had to work hard for the billion dollars of Whanau Ora and other benefits for te iwi Maori, Dotcom has no kaupapa other than dodging extradition to the United States. The Maori Party will not butt out of its responsibility to point out that Dotcom offers nothing to our people,” said Ms Glavish.

"If there were any doubts in the minds of Maori voters that the Maori Party is their only exclusive political voice, those doubts have now been removed by the announcement that talks are still ongoing between the Internet and Mana parties.

"The political footsie being played by Hone Harawira and the Internet Party has the obvious aim of using Kit Dotcom's wealth to fund Hone in holding his Te Tai Tokerau seat, and then using that seat as a German gateway to get at least one Internet MP into Parliament," said Ms Glavish. "The last thing on either of their minds is what's good for te iwi Maori. The core Maori Party kaupapa is based on Whanau Ora, better health, education, housing and job opportunities for our Maori people. We are the only party whose sole focus is on what's best for Maori. So the more of the Maori seats we can win, the more influence the Maori Party will have in the make-up of the next government post-election. Regardless of which major party forms that next government, we intend to be part of it," concluded Ms Glavish.

ENDS

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