Harawira rebranding for national campaign

Email
Print

Mon, 27 Jun 2011 9:15a.m.

The Mana Party will be aiming to pick up around two percent of the party vote in the November elections

The Mana Party will be aiming to pick up around two percent of the party vote in the November elections

By Ally Mullord

Hone Harawira has won the Te Tai Tokerau by-election, but what comes next for the Mana Party leader?

Otago University Political Commentator Bryce Edwards joined Firstline this morning to explain why Mr Harawira will be toning down his style for the November electoral campaign.

Mana Party president Matt McCarten is “a very smart operator”, Mr Edwards says, and his focus is on rebranding Mr Harawira for the nationwide campaign.

“Matt McCarten’s… bigger role has been rebranding Harawira, and changing him from being the kind of strong Maori nationalist with the very strong racial controversies to being a bit more of a class warrior,” Mr Edwards says.

The Mana Party will be aiming to pick up around two percent of the party vote in the November elections, Mr Edwards says, with Mr Harawira’s “stranglehold” on the Te Tai Tokerau seat lifting the party to three percent overall.

“[Mr Harawira] can go to the rest of the country and say, ‘If you give me your party vote it’s not a wasted vote and we can get some other good MPs in.’”

Mr Edwards says Mr Harawira will be “focusing on left-wing issues” over the next six weeks as he and the Mana Party tour New Zealand.

“Harawira’s talking more about economics and inequality… you see less of the outrageous things he might say about mixed relationships and so forth, and more about the cost of living, about unemployment,” Mr Edwards says.

“He’s not quite a statesman, but he’s certainly a lot more of a mild – and sort of almost likeable – politician to even Pakeha voters.”

Watch the video for the full interview

3 News

Become a fan of 3 News on Facebook and on Twitter.

Post a Comment

Before commenting, please take the time to read our moderation guide


(Won't be published)



Comments

28 Jun 2011 01:24p.m.

Pakeha 4 Change wrote:

@Citizen I disagree to your statement quote 'open to all views.' On the contrary, there is no place in our Society for racist redneck views. These low lives are best described as terrorist and should pay the price for interfering with solidifying once and for all a unified peace arrangement between the two treaty partners, Maori and Pakeha in the modern era; only then will we as a collective multi-ethnic nation be able to move forward unimpeded of racial and sanctioned discriminatory setbacks. @Bublitz and Lendleson if the word Pakeha is racist then so would the word Maori be racist. The fact remains that they are not racist and like any noun serves the purpose of classifying in this case ethnic groups. The increasing guilt associated with the word Pakeha vindicated by a snowball effect of successful treaty settlement claims does leave a distasteful taste on most Pakeha pallets. In so doing, Pakeha will try all measures to remove the negative branding to the word Pakeha. Here's a solution, if Pakeha united under the thought of proactively helping and supporting Maori to retrieve what was evidently stolen from them and help them mobilize their own Iwi driven economies possibly sacrificing Pakeha employment so that Maori can be employed this nation of ours will strengthen dramatically and the current stigma associated to the word Pakeha will do a U-turn for the better, a word to be proud of. Lets make that change Pakeha. Stand up and be counted the Mana Party needs your vote in Novembers election it's the most prudent way forward for us all in this day and age. Peace to all, vote Mana.

27 Jun 2011 04:00p.m.

TWE wrote:

A vote for Mana is a vote for communist politics as all the politicians behind Harawira are ultra-left. All the people that no other party wanted are desperately trying for one last grab at parliament and they're piggybacking on Harawira's party to do it.

27 Jun 2011 01:20p.m.

Bublitz wrote:

The term Pakeha is racist just the same as me calling a Maori a nigga or a Pacific Islander a boonga.

27 Jun 2011 11:49a.m.

Mike wrote:

As Paul has said, Matt McCarten can manage Hone's presentation all he likes, but as long as Hone's mum is in the background pulling his puppet strings, the racism and separatist politics will still be the real driving force behind Hone.

27 Jun 2011 10:59a.m.

Lendleson wrote:

I agree with the above. I myself find the term "Pakeha" to be racist, as before moving to NZ (and living in a multicultural society with little racism) I have never been described based on the color of my skin. This is quite offensive. I think Hone has some good points to make, but he must decide to stand for ALL NZers, not just the Maori, as we are supposed to be ONE. He is either FOR the people or not.

27 Jun 2011 10:42a.m.

dr. panopticon wrote:

What many fail to grasp or accept is that Hone holds to a long tradition of oral challenge. In the same way that the governor at Waitangi began to fear the treaty was lost when he heard the strength of negative feeling coming from Maori spokesmen, so we today struggle with Hone's mode of expression, but he is simply playing the old game of margins and centre...faced with a dominant and often unjust colonial culture, he must fight all the harder, just to gain even the most basic concessions to equality. I applaud his strength and salute his adherence to the old tradition of argument.

27 Jun 2011 10:29a.m.

Paul wrote:

Matt McCarten can dress him how he wants but we all still know the real Raciest Hone.

27 Jun 2011 09:58a.m.

Citizen wrote:

Just because someone has been re-branded, to appeal to a wider audience. It, does not change the simple and true facts. That their views and outlook on life has not changed. To be fair. Mr Harawira does make some good points. But he needs to be consistent. As a parkeha myself, I may be coincided as racist by some. But, if we are to live in a multicultural society, we need to open to all views.