Poll: Who's going to win on Saturday?

[jrandom]

... in my view, it would be better to consolidate its structure and figure out how to be a political party, not a racial party.

But... thats not going to happen. They're only one step above a single-issue party - they're an upper-limit-constituency party.

No, for the next few decades, the Mäorien will stay right where they are, as a 14% or so chunk of the population with a small but vocal core of relatively non-aggressive (in the molotov cocktail sense, anyway) political separatists. Whitey can let them bleat, chuck them some cash now and then, and generally get on with life. Its probably better to have those extra seats in Parliament and subject our MPs to the occasional offensive rant (in Mäori, perhaps? Or is that only a Court thing?) than to disenfranchise the natives and expose that 14% to the possibility of there vocal separatist core deciding to turn Auckland into Belfast.

... may prove to the rest of the country, and maori themselves, that they can be a political force WITHOUT those special seats.

Hum, disagreed. As above, their only potential vote comes from a minority ethnicity. Apart from that, they'll need to align themselves on the economic and social policy spectrum, which will inevatably remove some of that potential vote. In a couple more generations, when the Mäori blood is even further diluted and the average Mäoris education has levelled with the rest of the population, that ethnic vote will disappear as its members start to involve themselves in the running of the country, proper, instead of just doing what the local kaumatua suggests down t'marae.

[Hitcher]

Bullshit, but fascinating none-the-less...

[Milky]

How do you figure this?
They won 4 Maori seats, no others.

Hence I said 'future success', 'beginning of the end'. As in not the end. Rather the Beginning. Of the End.

They did get 1.98% - more than Act, Progressives and the Alliance. Not exactly illustrious company, but enough to indicate some progress.

[Lou Girardin]

Hence I said 'future success', 'beginning of the end'. As in not the end. Rather the Beginning. Of the End.

They did get 1.98% - more than Act, Progressives and the Alliance. Not exactly illustrious company, but enough to indicate some progress.

I tend to agree with fish. It's a dead end constituency and, unless they achieve miracles, maoridom will be back to Labour in three years.

[Hitcher]

I tend to agree with fish. It's a dead end constituency and, unless they achieve miracles, maoridom will be back to Labour in three years.

Unless the Maori Party leadership demonstrates some vision and throws in its lot with National, instead of Labour.

[Motu]

Unless the Maori Party leadership demonstrates some vision and throws in its lot with National, instead of Labour.

They won't if Brash is there,but he's going to bail anyway,so it's possible....

[Hitcher]

They won't if Brash is there,but he's going to bail anyway,so it's possible....

National, ACT and the Maori Party have similar concerns over the seabed and foreshore. The Labour Party's mind is already made up on this matter -- the major factor behind the establishment of the Maori Party. If the Maori Party leadership doesn't get this, then they are beyond help.

[MacD]

I wouldn't rule out the Maori Party supporting a National-based coalition government. Here's an alternate view.

Now what was I saying!?

NZ Herald today

[Lou Girardin]

National, ACT and the Maori Party have similar concerns over the seabed and foreshore. The Labour Party's mind is already made up on this matter -- the major factor behind the establishment of the Maori Party. If the Maori Party leadership doesn't get this, then they are beyond help.

But the complication is that most Maoris gave their party vote to Labour.
It's quite clear where they want to be.

[Hitcher]

But the complication is that most Maoris gave their party vote to Labour.
It's quite clear where they want to be.

Then they should have voted for a Labour electorate candidate as well. Because subsumed and marginalised the Maori Party shall be if it goes with Labour.

[Lou Girardin]

Then they should have voted for a Labour electorate candidate as well. Because subsumed and marginalised the Maori Party shall be if it goes with Labour.

Then they're on a lose/lose situation. Good job.