Monday, 29 September 2008

PM: Problems with abolishing Maori seats

NATIONAL BUSINESS REVIEW: Any attempt by the National Party to get rid of the Maori seats would cause problems, Prime Minister Helen Clark said today.

National yesterday released its Maori affairs policy and confirmed it wants to see the eventual abolition of the seats.

"I have a huge problem with a Pakeha majority in a New Zealand Parliament legislating away the Maori seats," Miss Clark said on NewstalkZB.

"For a party like the National Party, a right-wing party which has had very little Maori support ever, to just say 'we're getting rid of those seats'...if you want a recipe for friction between communities in our electorates, go that way."
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National has linked the seats with its 2014 deadline for settling all historical Treaty claims.

When that has been achieved, it says the constitutional process would start to abolish the seats because it wants to see all New Zealanders on the same electoral roll.

Miss Clark said the Maori seats existed so that MPs holding them could raise issues specific to Maori.

"Maori in general seats don't have a mandate to do that," she said.

"They have to act for the overall electorate."

Miss Clark said Maori had a choice every five years to go on the general roll or the Maori roll.

"They've chosen in growing numbers to go on the Maori roll," she said.

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