Flavell on Maori Party wins

The Herald reports:

Maori Party co-leader Te Ururoa Flavell says that Labour ruling out the Internet-Mana Party from ministerial posts shows the importance of the Maori Party sitting with the Government of the day.

Some parties talk about changing things; the Maori Party actually changes things, he says.

“All the philosophies are fine,” says Mr Flavell. “What we have attempted to do is make it happen.”

Mr Flavell speaks in today’s Herald Hot Seat video, the latest in a series of interviews with party leaders.

He said Mana-Internet leader Hone Harawira, a former colleague, “hasn’t got a mortgage on looking after the poor people”.

“He talked about feeding the children … well we’ve done it. Our kaupapa we put in front of the National Party was the Kickstart programme, which is in fact dealing with over 25,000 children in more than 700 schools.”

The ministerial poverty committee led by Finance Minister Bill English had been a Maori Party initiative and had resulted in extending free access to doctors from under-6s to under-13-year-olds. It extended paid parental leave and parental tax credits and led to further moves to insulate homes and address rheumatic fever.

I don’t agree with their world-view and many of their policies, but the Maori Party is a good example of a party that actually achieves things in a constructive manner.