Meka Whaitiri
MP for Ikaroa-Rāwhiti
Local Government spokesperson

MEDIA STATEMENT

9 November 2016

Māori Party deliver blow to local democracy

The Māori Party’s support for the Government’s fatally flawed Resource Management Act (RMA) reforms is a blow to local democracy and flies in the face of everything the party purports to stand for, says Labour’s Local Government spokesperson Meka Whaitiri.

“I’m calling on the Māori Party to support local democracy, to support local partnerships with iwi and walk away from these disastrous RMA reforms.

“They should be backing local economies and local decision-making instead they’re helping enshrine into law draconian ministerial regulatory powers to override local plans, council functions and consents.

“By supporting these reforms, after voting to sell state houses and support charter schools, providing further evidence that their agenda is more about neoliberalism and empowering a small elite than tino rangatiratanga,” says Meka Whaitiri.

ends

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