Unprecedented Cabinet, but will they be able to meet the Maori?

ANALYSIS:

When the Labor Party released its ministerial appointments on Monday, the headlines were filled with “firsts” and “record number of”, and particularly for Maori.

And with good reason.

Nanaia Mahuta became the first foreign minister and second of Maori heritage, after Winston Peters. However, she is the first to have a moko kauae.

As others have pointed out, it is akin to a First Nations woman being appointed Secretary of State of the United States.

It is a hugely deserved recognition for one of the Party’s most experienced MPs and one of the most knowledgeable about Maori tikanga.

The symbolism of the naming in our current global climate cannot be denied either, blindingly evident in the thirst for foreign publications to cover it, and even more so when Mahuta’s ties to the Kingitanga movement are taken into account, one that challenged the very Crown as now represents. overseas.

“It is a sign of how far we have come as a country,” said political commentator Morgan Godfery, also pointing to the “irony” that Peeni Henare, who also has ties to Kingitanga, is appointed defense minister.

The Labor Party also appointed an equal record number of Maori ministers within the Cabinet – five, the same as the last Labor-led government, which included three from NZ First.

Along with Mahuta and Henare, Deputy Party Leader Kelvin Davis won the Te Arawhiti / Māori Minister of Children, Corrections and Relations; Willie Jackson, Minister of Maori Development; and Kiri Allan, Minister of Conservation.

Maori ministers outside the cabinet include Customs Minister Meka Whaitiri and the Green Party co-director, and Minister for the Prevention of Family and Sexual Violence, Marama Davidson.

Rino Tirikatene is the parliamentary undersecretary to the Minister of Oceans and Fisheries, and Adrian Ruraw the vice-president.

Much is expected of this historically high representation of Maori, but figures aside, political commentator and academic Dr. Rawiri Taonui is cautious about what they will be able to achieve.

“The appointments are a good recognition of the contributions they made during the election. They’ve earned it and it’s overdue.

“There will be a lot of pressure from the Maoridom, their colleagues and the Maori party to deliver, but the weakness is that they have not been provided with any of the major portfolios where they can really drive the necessary change.

“While there is equality in numbers, there is not necessarily equality in positions.”

Davis turned down the post of deputy prime minister, and Peeni Henare missed Andrew Little’s desired post of health minister (he is one of four associate health ministers).

Aside from Mahuta, Maori missed out on top major health, finance and education portfolios, all also key areas, particularly as the country recovers from the shocks of Covid-19.

Despite being outside of those key roles, Taonui said it was vital that the Maori caucus work closely with its colleagues to ensure that the recovery not only did not repeat the inequalities that existed across the board, but used it as an tool to fix it.

There will be a disappointment that Davis turned down the deputy prime minister job, but Taonui said it likely reflected Davis’s own view of himself as a “worker, not a talker.”

He praised his appointment as Minister for Children, responsible for the beleaguered Oranga Tamariki, who has been a major thorn in the government’s side.

Maori have long called for greater autonomy in this space, new models of partnership, and undoubtedly with Davis’ role with Te Arawhiti, designed to be the “bridge” between Pākehā and the Maori, he has the tools to lead the way. great reform that is so much needed. .

In his other roles in Corrections and in Education, he could continue his work to reduce the prison population, which is hugely disproportionately Maori, and address systemic racism and inequality.

Taonui said the Mahuta quote was “brilliant”.

“I can really see her shine on the international stage, and also with the cultural capital of Kingitanga behind her, we have something we never had.”

He also praised the promotions of Allan and Henare to the cabinet.

“They are the ones to watch in the future.”

Allan also has the benefit of representing the electorate of the East Coast, where the Raukūmara Forest Park just received a funding increase of $ 34 million, championed and approved by his predecessor Eugenie Sage, earning significant kudos in the rohe for doing so.

The Raukūmara Pae Maunga Restoration Project is a partnership with iwi Te Whānau a Apanui and Ngāti Porou and the Department of Conservation, and having Allan in charge could be perfect to continue fostering good relations between iwi and DoC across the board.

With various partnership models evolving, he calls in a Maori Health Authority and now Ngāi Tahu takes legal action against the Crown for fresh water rights and calls for greater commitment: it could be the right time to join the strings in a constitutional framework with Te Tiriti or Waitangi in its essence that recognized tino rangatiratanga, or Maori sovereignty.

The groundwork was done in 2016, when Professor Margaret Mutu and Dr. Moana Jackson produced the Matike Mai report, based on hundreds of hui across the motu, which outlined a vision for constitutional transformation in Aotearoa.

Taonui said that while he would like to see politicians “be more courageous” and address this issue, he doubted Labor “had the guts” to do so in this period, or even the next.

“There is still residue from the Helen Clark era,” he said.

He refers to how his government withdrew from reforms to close the gaps, designed to address the systemic inequality plaguing the country and, obviously, the 2004 seabed and coastal debacle.

“There was then this paranoia of a backlash from Pākehā, and it still persists when it comes to tackling these big issues.”

The easy wins would be with Ihumātao, however, who now that the NZ First block was out of the way would likely be addressed by the end of the year, or could be saved to be announced at Ratana or Waitangi Day.

This term could also see Maori seats entrenched, after NZ First opposed Rino Tirikatene’s bill.

There is also likely to be an ongoing transformation when it comes to resolving historic grievances for violations of the Treaty of Waitangi.

Little, who is again Minister for Treaty Negotiations, impressed on Waitangi Day this year when he spoke, in te reo, of the need for a different approach, one that would focus more on the hapū and future relationships.

But there would always be difficulties in a majority Pākehā party, Taonui said.

“You can bet that the Maori MPs would have wanted more influential positions, but would have accepted what they had as steps in the right direction.

“At the end of the day, they have to appease the majority.”