

Currently released so far... 12404 / 251,287
Browse latest releases
2010/12/01
2010/12/02
2010/12/03
2010/12/04
2010/12/05
2010/12/06
2010/12/07
2010/12/08
2010/12/09
2010/12/10
2010/12/11
2010/12/12
2010/12/13
2010/12/14
2010/12/15
2010/12/16
2010/12/17
2010/12/18
2010/12/19
2010/12/20
2010/12/21
2010/12/22
2010/12/23
2010/12/24
2010/12/25
2010/12/26
2010/12/27
2010/12/28
2010/12/29
2010/12/30
2011/01/01
2011/01/02
2011/01/04
2011/01/05
2011/01/07
2011/01/09
2011/01/10
2011/01/11
2011/01/12
2011/01/13
2011/01/14
2011/01/15
2011/01/16
2011/01/17
2011/01/18
2011/01/19
2011/01/20
2011/01/21
2011/01/22
2011/01/23
2011/01/24
2011/01/25
2011/01/26
2011/01/27
2011/01/28
2011/01/29
2011/01/30
2011/01/31
2011/02/01
2011/02/02
2011/02/03
2011/02/04
2011/02/05
2011/02/06
2011/02/07
2011/02/08
2011/02/09
2011/02/10
2011/02/11
2011/02/12
2011/02/13
2011/02/14
2011/02/15
2011/02/16
2011/02/17
2011/02/18
2011/02/19
2011/02/20
2011/02/21
2011/02/22
2011/02/23
2011/02/24
2011/02/25
2011/02/26
2011/02/27
2011/02/28
2011/03/01
2011/03/02
2011/03/03
2011/03/04
2011/03/05
2011/03/06
2011/03/07
2011/03/08
2011/03/09
2011/03/10
2011/03/11
2011/03/13
2011/03/14
2011/03/15
2011/03/16
2011/03/17
2011/03/18
2011/03/19
2011/03/20
2011/03/21
2011/03/22
2011/03/23
2011/03/24
2011/03/25
2011/03/26
2011/03/27
2011/03/28
2011/03/29
2011/03/30
2011/03/31
2011/04/01
2011/04/02
2011/04/03
2011/04/04
2011/04/05
2011/04/06
2011/04/07
2011/04/08
2011/04/09
2011/04/10
2011/04/11
2011/04/12
2011/04/13
2011/04/14
2011/04/15
2011/04/16
2011/04/17
2011/04/18
2011/04/19
2011/04/20
2011/04/21
2011/04/22
2011/04/23
2011/04/24
2011/04/25
2011/04/26
2011/04/27
2011/04/28
2011/04/29
2011/04/30
Browse by creation date
Browse by origin
Embassy Athens
Embassy Asuncion
Embassy Astana
Embassy Asmara
Embassy Ashgabat
Embassy Apia
Embassy Ankara
Embassy Amman
Embassy Algiers
Embassy Addis Ababa
Embassy Accra
Embassy Abuja
Embassy Abu Dhabi
Embassy Abidjan
Consulate Auckland
Consulate Amsterdam
Consulate Adana
American Institute Taiwan, Taipei
Embassy Bujumbura
Embassy Buenos Aires
Embassy Budapest
Embassy Bucharest
Embassy Brussels
Embassy Bridgetown
Embassy Bratislava
Embassy Brasilia
Embassy Bogota
Embassy Bishkek
Embassy Bern
Embassy Berlin
Embassy Belmopan
Embassy Belgrade
Embassy Beirut
Embassy Beijing
Embassy Banjul
Embassy Bangkok
Embassy Bandar Seri Begawan
Embassy Bamako
Embassy Baku
Embassy Baghdad
Consulate Barcelona
Embassy Copenhagen
Embassy Conakry
Embassy Colombo
Embassy Chisinau
Embassy Caracas
Embassy Canberra
Embassy Cairo
Consulate Curacao
Consulate Ciudad Juarez
Consulate Chennai
Consulate Casablanca
Consulate Cape Town
Consulate Calgary
Embassy Dushanbe
Embassy Dublin
Embassy Doha
Embassy Djibouti
Embassy Dili
Embassy Dhaka
Embassy Dar Es Salaam
Embassy Damascus
Embassy Dakar
Consulate Dubai
Embassy Helsinki
Embassy Harare
Embassy Hanoi
Consulate Ho Chi Minh City
Consulate Hermosillo
Consulate Hamilton
Consulate Hamburg
Consulate Halifax
Embassy Kyiv
Embassy Kuwait
Embassy Kuala Lumpur
Embassy Kinshasa
Embassy Kingston
Embassy Kigali
Embassy Khartoum
Embassy Kathmandu
Embassy Kampala
Embassy Kabul
Consulate Kolkata
Embassy Luxembourg
Embassy Luanda
Embassy London
Embassy Ljubljana
Embassy Lisbon
Embassy Lima
Embassy Lilongwe
Embassy La Paz
Consulate Lahore
Consulate Lagos
Mission USOSCE
Mission USNATO
Mission UNESCO
Embassy Muscat
Embassy Moscow
Embassy Montevideo
Embassy Monrovia
Embassy Minsk
Embassy Mexico
Embassy Mbabane
Embassy Maputo
Embassy Manila
Embassy Manama
Embassy Managua
Embassy Malabo
Embassy Madrid
Consulate Munich
Consulate Mumbai
Consulate Montreal
Consulate Monterrey
Consulate Milan
Consulate Melbourne
Embassy Nicosia
Embassy New Delhi
Embassy Ndjamena
Embassy Nassau
Embassy Nairobi
Consulate Naples
Consulate Naha
Embassy Pristina
Embassy Pretoria
Embassy Prague
Embassy Port Of Spain
Embassy Port Louis
Embassy Port Au Prince
Embassy Phnom Penh
Embassy Paris
Embassy Paramaribo
Embassy Panama
Consulate Peshawar
REO Basrah
Embassy Rome
Embassy Riyadh
Embassy Riga
Embassy Reykjavik
Embassy Rangoon
Embassy Rabat
Consulate Rio De Janeiro
Consulate Recife
Secretary of State
Embassy Suva
Embassy Stockholm
Embassy Sofia
Embassy Skopje
Embassy Singapore
Embassy Seoul
Embassy Sarajevo
Embassy Santo Domingo
Embassy Santiago
Embassy Sanaa
Embassy San Salvador
Embassy San Jose
Consulate Strasbourg
Consulate St Petersburg
Consulate Shenyang
Consulate Shanghai
Consulate Sao Paulo
Embassy Tunis
Embassy Tripoli
Embassy Tokyo
Embassy The Hague
Embassy Tel Aviv
Embassy Tehran
Embassy Tegucigalpa
Embassy Tbilisi
Embassy Tashkent
Embassy Tallinn
Consulate Toronto
Consulate Tijuana
USUN New York
USEU Brussels
US Office Almaty
US Mission Geneva
US Interests Section Havana
US Delegation, Secretary
UNVIE
Embassy Ulaanbaatar
Embassy Vilnius
Embassy Vienna
Embassy Vatican
Embassy Valletta
Consulate Vladivostok
Consulate Vancouver
Browse by tag
ASEC
AE
AF
AM
AR
AJ
AU
AORC
AG
AEMR
AMGT
APER
AGMT
AL
AFIN
AO
AMED
ADCO
AS
ABUD
ABLD
ASUP
ASECKFRDCVISKIRFPHUMSMIGEG
APECO
AID
AND
AMBASSADOR
AN
ARM
AY
AODE
AMG
ASCH
AMCHAMS
ARF
APCS
APEC
ASEAN
AGAO
ANET
ADPM
ACOA
ACABQ
AORL
AFFAIRS
ATRN
ACS
AFSI
AFSN
ADANA
ASIG
AA
AX
AUC
AC
AECL
AADP
AGRICULTURE
AMEX
ACAO
ACBAQ
AQ
AORG
ADM
AINF
AIT
ASEX
AGR
AROC
ATFN
AFGHANISTAN
AFU
AER
ALOW
AZ
AVERY
BA
BY
BU
BR
BE
BL
BO
BK
BM
BILAT
BH
BEXP
BF
BTIO
BC
BBSR
BMGT
BTIU
BG
BWC
BB
BD
BX
BP
BRUSSELS
BN
BIDEN
BT
CW
CH
CF
CD
CV
CVIS
CM
CE
CA
CJAN
CLINTON
CIA
CU
CASC
CI
CO
CACM
CDB
CN
CMGT
CS
CG
CBW
CIS
CR
CONDOLEEZZA
CPAS
CAN
CWC
CY
COUNTER
CDG
CL
CT
CIC
CIDA
CSW
CHR
CB
CODEL
COUNTERTERRORISM
CTR
COM
CICTE
CFED
CJUS
CKGR
CBSA
CEUDA
CARSON
CONS
CITEL
CLMT
CROS
CITT
CAC
CVR
CDC
CAPC
COPUOS
CBC
CBE
CARICOM
COE
COUNTRY
CLEARANCE
CACS
CTM
CNARC
ECON
EFIN
ETRD
EUN
EFIS
EG
ETTC
EZ
EPET
EAID
EAGR
ENRG
ECUN
EU
ELAB
ECPS
EAIR
EINV
ELTN
EWWT
EIND
EMIN
EI
ECIN
ENVR
ELECTIONS
EINVEFIN
EN
ES
ER
EC
EUC
EINT
EINVETC
ENGR
ET
EK
ENIV
ETRDEINVECINPGOVCS
ECONOMY
EAP
EFTA
EUR
EUMEM
EXIM
ERD
ENERG
EUREM
ESA
ERNG
EXTERNAL
EPA
EINVECONSENVCSJA
ECONOMICS
ELN
EINN
EFINECONCS
ENNP
EEPET
ETRDEINVTINTCS
ENVI
ETRO
ESENV
ECINECONCS
ECONOMIC
EAIDS
EDU
ETRA
ETRN
EFIM
EIAR
ETRC
EAIG
EXBS
EURN
ECIP
EREL
ECA
ENGY
ECONCS
ECONEFIN
ETC
ETRDECONWTOCS
EUNCH
EINDETRD
IR
IZ
IS
IAEA
INRB
IRAJ
IQ
IN
IT
IMO
INTERPOL
ICAO
IO
IC
ITALY
ITALIAN
IRAQI
ICTY
ID
IPR
IWC
ILC
INTELSAT
IL
IBRD
IMF
IA
IRC
ICRC
ILO
ITU
ITRA
IV
IDA
IAHRC
ICJ
ISRAELI
IRS
INMARSAT
ISRAEL
ISLAMISTS
INDO
IZPREL
ITPHUM
ITPGOV
ITF
IBET
IEFIN
INR
IACI
INTERNAL
IDP
IGAD
IEA
ICTR
IIP
INRA
INRO
IF
KJUS
KSCA
KNNP
KU
KCOR
KCRM
KDEM
KTFN
KHLS
KPAL
KWBG
KACT
KGHG
KPAO
KTIA
KIRF
KWMN
KS
KG
KZ
KN
KMDR
KISL
KSPR
KHIV
KPRP
KAWK
KR
KUNR
KDRG
KCIP
KGCC
KTIP
KSUM
KPKO
KVIR
KAWC
KPIN
KGIC
KRAD
KIPR
KOLY
KCFE
KMCA
KE
KV
KICC
KNPP
KBCT
KSEP
KFRD
KFLU
KVPR
KOCI
KBIO
KSTH
KMPI
KCRS
KOMC
KTBT
KPLS
KIRC
KREL
KFRDKIRFCVISCMGTKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG
KFLO
KBTS
KSTC
KTDB
KFSC
KX
KFTFN
KNEI
KIDE
KREC
KMRS
KICA
KPAONZ
KCGC
KSAF
KRGY
KCMR
KRVC
KVRP
KSEO
KCOM
KAID
KTEX
KNUC
KNAR
KNUP
KNNPMNUC
KLIG
KFRDCVISCMGTCASCKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG
KCRCM
KHDP
KGIT
KNSD
KOMS
KWMM
KPAI
KHSA
KTLA
KO
KMFO
KRCM
KCSY
KSAC
KTRD
KPWR
KID
KWNM
KRIM
KPOA
KCHG
KOM
KSCI
KFIN
KMOC
KESS
KWAC
KMIG
KSEC
KIFR
KDEMAF
KPRV
KBTR
KERG
KTER
KDDG
KPAK
KRFD
KHUM
KDEV
KCFC
KWWMN
KWMNCS
KJUST
MARR
MOPS
MU
MTCRE
MNUC
MY
MASS
MCAP
MOPPS
MAR
MPOS
MO
ML
MR
MASC
MX
MD
MP
MA
MTRE
MIL
MCC
MZ
MK
MDC
MRCRE
MAPS
MV
MI
MEPN
MAPP
MEETINGS
MAS
MTS
MLS
MILI
MTCR
MG
MC
MARAD
MIK
MILITARY
MEDIA
MEPI
MUCN
MEPP
MT
MERCOSUR
MW
MASSMNUC
MQADHAFI
NZ
NATO
NG
NI
NO
NATIONAL
NU
NPT
NIPP
NL
NPG
NS
NA
NGO
NP
NSG
NDP
NAFTA
NR
NC
NH
NE
NSF
NPA
NK
NSSP
NRR
NATOPREL
NSC
NT
NW
NORAD
NEW
NV
NSFO
NAR
NASA
NZUS
OTRA
OVIP
OPRC
OPDC
OSCE
OAS
ODIP
OIIP
OFDP
OVP
OREP
OFFICIALS
OSAC
OEXC
OPCW
OIE
OIC
OFDA
OSCI
OPIC
OBSP
OECD
ON
OCII
OHUM
OES
OCS
OMIG
OPAD
OTR
PGOV
PREL
PHUM
PINR
PTER
PSOE
PINS
PARM
PK
PBTS
PEPR
PM
POLITICAL
PARTIES
PREF
PBIO
PROP
PA
PSI
PINT
PO
PKFK
PL
PAK
PE
POLITICS
PINL
POL
PHSA
PU
PF
POV
PFOR
PHALANAGE
PARTY
PARMS
PRGOV
PNAT
POLINT
PRAM
PMAR
PG
PAO
PROG
PRELP
PPA
PCUL
PSEPC
PSA
PREO
PAHO
PGIV
PREFA
PALESTINIAN
PAIGH
POSTS
PTBS
PGOVLO
PORG
PGOVE
PLN
PINF
PAS
PUNE
POLICY
PDEM
PDOV
PCI
PGOVSMIGKCRMKWMNPHUMCVISKFRDCA
PBT
PHUMPGOV
PMIL
PNG
PP
PS
PHUH
PECON
POGOV
PY
PHUMPREL
PHUS
PRL
PGOC
PNR
PGGV
PROV
PTERE
PGOF
PHUMBA
PEL
RS
RU
RW
REGION
RP
RICE
ROBERT
RSP
RUPREL
RM
RO
RCMP
RSO
RELATIONS
REACTION
REPORT
RIGHTS
ROOD
RF
RFE
RIGHTSPOLMIL
SP
SA
SY
SF
SYR
SENV
SCUL
SOCI
SNAR
SO
SU
SG
STEINBERG
SHUM
SW
SMIG
SR
SZ
SIPRS
SI
SAARC
SPCE
SARS
SN
SYRIA
SANC
SL
SCRS
SC
SENVKGHG
SAN
SNARCS
SHI
SWE
SNARIZ
SIPDIS
SEN
SNARN
SPCVIS
SEVN
SSA
SH
SOFA
SK
ST
TPHY
TU
TRGY
TI
TX
TS
TW
TC
TFIN
TD
TSPA
TH
TT
TIP
TBIO
TSPL
TZ
TERRORISM
TRSY
TN
THPY
TINT
TF
TL
TV
TK
TO
TP
TURKEY
TNGD
TBID
TAGS
TR
UP
US
UNSC
UK
UZ
UE
UNESCO
UV
UNGA
UN
UNMIK
UNO
UY
UAE
UNEP
UG
UNHCR
UNHRC
USUN
UNAUS
USTR
USNC
USOAS
UNCHR
UNCSD
UNDP
USEU
USPS
UNDC
UNDESCO
UNCHC
UNFICYP
UNC
UNODC
UNPUOS
UNCND
UNICEF
UNCHS
UNVIE
USAID
UNIDROIT
Browse by classification
Community resources
courage is contagious
Viewing cable 07WELLINGTON797, WHO SPEAKS FOR MAORI IN NEW ZEALAND?
If you are new to these pages, please read an introduction on the structure of a cable as well as how to discuss them with others. See also the FAQs
Understanding cables
Every cable message consists of three parts:
- The top box shows each cables unique reference number, when and by whom it originally was sent, and what its initial classification was.
- The middle box contains the header information that is associated with the cable. It includes information about the receiver(s) as well as a general subject.
- The bottom box presents the body of the cable. The opening can contain a more specific subject, references to other cables (browse by origin to find them) or additional comment. This is followed by the main contents of the cable: a summary, a collection of specific topics and a comment section.
Discussing cables
If you find meaningful or important information in a cable, please link directly to its unique reference number. Linking to a specific paragraph in the body of a cable is also possible by copying the appropriate link (to be found at theparagraph symbol). Please mark messages for social networking services like Twitter with the hash tags #cablegate and a hash containing the reference ID e.g. #07WELLINGTON797.
Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin |
---|---|---|---|---|
07WELLINGTON797 | 2007-11-05 19:07 | 2011-04-28 00:12 | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | Embassy Wellington |
VZCZCXRO8295
RR RUEHNZ
DE RUEHWL #0797/01 3091903
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 051903Z NOV 07
FM AMEMBASSY WELLINGTON
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4856
INFO RUEHNZ/AMCONSUL AUCKLAND 1523
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 5014
RUEHDN/AMCONSUL SYDNEY 0592
RHHMUNA/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 WELLINGTON 000797
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
STATE FOR STATE FOR EAP/ANP
PACOM FOR J01E/J2/J233/J5/SJFHQ
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PHUM NZ
SUBJECT: WHO SPEAKS FOR MAORI IN NEW ZEALAND?
¶1. (SBU) Summary. Race relations in politically correct New Zealand
remain a sensitive issue. Two different viewpoints on the rights of
the indigenous Maori were on display over the weekend of October
27-28 as two minor parties, the Maori Party and the New Zealand
First Party held their respective annual conferences. As part of a
wider plan to siphon off residual Maori support for the ruling
Labour Party ahead of the 2008 election, the Maori Party accused
Labour's Maori MPs of ignoring the needs of Maori. At his party's
annual conference, New Zealand First leader Winston Peters accused
the Maori Party of equating Maori autonomy aspirations with
apartheid and race-based separatism in New Zealand. Labour's Maori
Affairs Minister accused the Maori Party of political opportunism in
light Maori anger following the recent police terror raids; PM Clark
addressed the Labour Party convention in Auckland on November 2 and
called for Labour supporters to suspend judgment on the raids and to
move ahead in a spirit of reconciliation. End Summary.
Maori Party Accuses Labour of Forgetting Maori
--------------------------------------------- -
¶2. (SBU) At its annual conference over the weekend the Maori Party
vigorously attacked Maori MPs within the ruling Labour Party
accusing them of abandoning the indigenous Maori population. Maori
Party MPs also demanded the resignation of Maori Affairs Minister
Parekura Horomia. In the wake of the police terror raids two weeks
ago, the Maori Party accused Horomia of "abandoning his people in
their time of need." Given that the majority of those arrested in
the raids were Maori led some in the Maori community to believe that
the arrests were racially motivated. Horomia, who represents one of
New Zealand's seven electorate seats specially allocated to Maori,
stated that he has no intention of resigning. He accused the Maori
Party, vocal critics of the raids, of using the resulting anger felt
by some Maori for political advantage in an attempt to siphon Maori
support from the ruling Labour Party. (Note: The Labour Party has
historically enjoyed loyal political support from Maori and has held
a virtual monopoly on the Maori seats since Labour first came to
power in 1935. However, at the 2005 election the newly formed Maori
Party won four of the seven existing Maori seats, with Labour only
able to hold onto the remaining three. End Note).
¶3. (SBU) The Maori Party's conference attack on Labour's Maori MPs
is part of a broader strategy to portray itself as the only
political party capable of faithfully representing the needs of
Maori. Post expects more broadsides to follow as the Maori Party
seeks to claim for itself the entire complement of Maori seats at
next year's election. Maori Party MPs have already accused Labour's
Maori MPs of opposing its proposals on educational issues and voting
down an inquiry into treaty claims despite United Nations
condemnation of the process. Party co-leader, Dr. Pita Sharples, has
argued that Labour's Maori electorate MPs are "Labour first and then
Maori."
Party Wants Political Clout; Unsure How To Use It
--------------------------------------------- ----
¶4. (SBU) If the Maori Party succeeds in capturing all seven Maori
seats, it will enter into the next parliament with expanded
political leverage and a greater ability to influence the shape of
the next government. In what is expected to be tight election, even
if the Maori Party failed to improve on its 2005 results, it could
conceivably still end up in a king-making position as the main
parties contest for its support. However, should the Maori Party
find itself in such a position, it remains unclear whether the Party
will take advantage. At the annual conference, Maori Party MPs
could not reach a consensus on whether the Party should retain its
ability to speak independently by staying outside of future
governments or formally join one and advance Maori interests from
within. (Note: The Maori Party was formed in July 2004 by former
Labour Cabinet Minister Tariana Turia after she left the Labour
Party in protest over the Government's decision to enact the highly
contentious foreshore and seabed law, which refused the Maori claim
to ownership of part or all of New Zealand's foreshore and seabed.
Turia, a vocal and often controversial advocate of Maori rights,
shares the leadership with noted Maori academic Pita Sharples.
Critics have challenged the Maori Party's claim to be the political
voice of all Maori by pointing to the lack of uniform positions
within the Maori community. End Note.)
New Zealand First Attacks Maori Apologists
------------------------------------------
¶5. (SBU) The New Zealand First Party, led by Foreign Minister
Winston Peters, also held its annual conference over the same
weekend as the Maori Party and offered a stark contrast to the Maori
Party's position. In a speech to delegates clearly aimed at New
Zealand First's voter base, Peters launched into a scathing attack
on racial separatism where he likened those who protested against
the terror raids and arrests as supporting an apartheid philosophy.
Peters asserted that the hundreds of people protesting against the
raids were doing so purely on the basis of race and not an assertion
of innocence. In a thinly veiled reference to the Maori Party,
Peters asked why a political party based on race was held up as "the
WELLINGTON 00000797 002 OF 002
moral compass" for New Zealand. (Note: Although Peters is from
Maori descent, he rarely refers to his heritage in political
discourse. End Note).
¶6. (SBU) Peters, whose party needs a boost in the polls, also
criticized his colleagues in the ruling Labour Party and the
opposition National Party by accusing both parties of co-enabling
Maori separatism over the last 20 years by being too timid in
response to Maori demands for special treatment. Although he
allowed that the main parties only tolerated Maori separatism for
fear that any stand against it would be deemed politically
incorrect, Peters was reluctant to further explain how they actively
encouraged separatism in New Zealand.
¶7. (SBU) The Maori Party and the Green Party immediately condemned
Peters for his statements and the logic behind them. Peters'
reasoning was also criticized by a leading New Zealand legal
scholar, who argued that Peters' claim that self-determination by
any minority entity within a modern democratic nation simply could
not work was ill-conceived. Dr. David Williams, a professor of law
at the University of Auckland, argued that there are existing legal
frameworks that allow for successful indigenous peoples' autonomy
which do not degrade the state, as Peters infers any such move
inevitably would do. Williams cited the indigenous self-determined
nations of the Nunanvet and Nishgaa nations of Canada, the Sami in
Norway and even the Scots in the United Kingdom, as examples of
indigenous peoples exercising self-determination and autonomy in
their own representative institutions at no harm to the greater
state in which they reside. (Note: At the center of the police
raids were members of the Maori Tuhoe tribes who have who have long
sought the right to self-determination. End Note). Williams urged
New Zealand politicians to find a rational balance between the
operation of the state and the rights of indigenous peoples to
self-determination.
Labour and the Maori Community
------------------------------
¶8. (SBU) Labour has a difficult task of unseating the incumbent
Maori Party MPs from their seats at the next election. Labour will
fully contest these seats, but it is wary that all four Maori Party
MPs are popular within their respective electorates. Nonetheless,
Labour is confident of holding on to its three existing Maori seats.
This confidence is probably justified for just two of these seats.
Maori Labour MPs Horomia and Nanaia Mahuta are highly respected
within the Maori community -- Horomia for his position as Minister
of Maori Affairs and his front bench status; Mahuta for her own
political status - as Minister of both Customs and Youth Affairs -
and her ancestry (she is of Maori aristocratic lineage). In the
deeply hierarchical and tribal Maori society, such familial status
counts for much. Therefore, both MPs are likely to keep their
seats. Labour will, however, be concerned that the Maori Party
could pick up a fifth Maori seat at the expense of Labour incumbent
Mahara Okeroa, who does not share the same sort of status and
popularity that his colleagues enjoy.
Comment
-------
¶9. (SBU) Labour has a difficult tightrope to walk with respect to
the Maori vote. Labour considers itself to be the most inclusive of
the New Zealand political parties, and cannot afford to be seen as
insensitive to Maori voters. However, Labour may also need New
Zealand First as a partner in government again in 2008, so will have
to put up with a certain level of rhetoric from Winston Peters, who
will increasingly distance himself from the government as the
election period moves ahead. In addressing Labour party members at
the party convention in Auckland on November 3, PM Clark urged
Labour rank and file to suspend judgment of police action in the
terror raids while the legal process continues, and to move ahead in
a spirit of reconciliation - a clear signal that she recognizes some
Labour vulnerability within the Maori community as a result of the
arrests.
McCormick