Senior Labour MP Willie Jackson says his party remains “absolutely” willing to work with Te Pāti Māori, but suggests both need to prioritise “jobs, health, homes” to help win against the National-led Government.
The two parties’ relationship is shaping up as a defining issue at the next election.
Labour’s Māori development spokesperson and campaign chairperson for the Māori seats told Q+A that the 21-day parliamentary ban imposed on Te Pāti Māori co-leaders Debbie Ngarewa-Packer and Rawiri Waititi was excessive and unjustified.
“We thought there should be a sanction… We were just talking a day,” Jackson said, adding that Labour had supported a much shorter suspension following the haka protest during voting on the Treaty Principles Bill.
The senior Labour MP dismissed concerns that Te Pāti Māori’s recent actions might make a potential coalition politically risky, comparing current tensions to other political relationships that eventually led to governing arrangements.
“Seymour and Winston Peters hated each other terribly. Seymour said he was the most untrustworthy person in the world. Then they did a deal. Everyone can do a deal.”
When asked if Labour’s willingness to work with Te Pāti Māori might alienate potential voters, Jackson was dismissive: “My message is to relax. There’s 16 months to go to the election. We’ll see how things go. We’ll see how the numbers fall.”
He claimed voters wouldn’t be turned off by a potential governing coalition and added that “jobs, health, homes” needed “to be the priority” for the smaller party and Labour.
“We have to work together. Jobs, health, homes – that’s the kaupapa for us in Labour.
“When I’m out there, nobody comes up to me and says, ‘I’m not happy about the tikanga in Parliament’ – they come up to me, and they say, ‘It’s really tough; ‘we can’t build houses. It’s hard in the health area. We can’t get jobs.’
“That has to be the priority for us and has to be the priority for the Māori Party,” he said.
Jackson seeks unity despite disagreements
Jackson also addressed recent criticism from Kiri Tamihere-Waititi, who is both partner to Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi and daughter of party president John Tamihere.
In a video shared on social media, Tamihere-Waititi had taken aim at Jackson and fellow Labour MP Adrian Rurawhe, suggesting they were attempting to “appease Pākehā” by calling for Te Pāti Māori to apologise for recent actions.
Tamihere-Waititi criticised both MPs for supporting what she described as rules “crafted by colonisers” that continued patterns of oppression.
When Jackson was shown a portion of the video during the Q+A interview, the Labour MP acknowledged his long-standing relationship with Tamihere-Waititi, but stressed that internal conflict between Labour and Te Pāti Māori was counterproductive.
The MP added that the groups needed to “agree to learn how to disagree”.
“I don’t want a war with the Māori Party. I don’t think we should be fighting and warring. The main problem is the government – we have to get this government out,” he said.
“I think I’ve upset them a little bit by saying apologise, but you’re compromised when you come into Parliament. The day you get there. When you go into the House, you have to swear allegiance to the Queen. All of them did that.
“It’s a compromise place – you’re not on the outside. You’re not fighting all the time, you’re not warring all the time, so you have to use the system at its best. Te Pati Maori have done that before and they need to do it again.”
Jackson added: “They’ve voted with us probably 98%, 99% in the House against the Government. The game is to get this Government out. We don’t want to be warring.
“That’s why I want to sit down with Kiri and Te Pati Māori. I know they get upset. I know their strategy is never back off, never compromise. But that’s a generation.
“There’s a lot of Māori who are proud of them, who want progress, who actually want to be pro-Māori, but they don’t want to fight on every kapa haka, tikanga issue.”
Q+A with Jack Tame is made with the support of New Zealand On Air