Mon, 19 Apr 2010 3:15p.m.
Opinion By Duncan Garner
It's little wonder Labour is bagging the hell out of the Maori Party.
For a party that was invited into government – for a party of just five seats – Tariana Turia's lot are hugely relevant – and Labour is having massive trouble with that.
Labour has never really come to terms with the fact it's lost the mandate and aroha from Maori voters.
The Maori Party is at the heart of a couple of crucial centrepiece government policies: the Foreshore and Seabed repeal and replacement and the Whanau Ora rollout.
Firstly the Foreshore.
The Government's proposals are more than generous, and Hone Harawira should put away his megaphone and drop the protest. We've all moved on, surely.
Apart from the repeal of the 2004 Act, the Government is offering hapu and iwi the right to either go to court to seek customary title or hit up Treaty Negotiations Minister Chris Finlayson in the Beehive through one-on-one negotiations.
It's a massive departure from the previous law, where customary title could not be sought.
Finlayson's offer, which came during an interview on The Nation recently, is a major change for iwi and especially coastal hapu who have to prove customary title.
And customary title does bring certain privileges. It's a limited form of property right.
Prove customary title and hapu and iwi will have massive rights of veto on developments on the foreshore.
There will be money to be made from negotiations with developers; this is not only a customary title solution, but it's very much a commercial solution.
Sure, all the normal foreign investment and RMA rules and restrictions apply; but customary title – if awarded to an iwi like Whanau Apanui in the Bay of Plenty – will seriously strengthen their hand.
It could mean partnerships with big business, with foreign companies bringing cash.
Harawira should focus his time on getting his iwi into Finlayson's office to negotiate customary title and start work on a series of joint venture resorts up north to secure the future of young Maori.
Maori could build it, own it and run it.
Imagine it Hone, "Muriwhenua Spa and Resort" on Ninety Mile Beach – there could be cultural shows at night, hangi pits, waka rides; jobs for all bro.
And did I mention the minerals?
Finlayson is also considering whether to hand over some minerals to Maori with customary title.
Labour vested all minerals with the Crown in 2004, but it seems Finlayson is happy to put some of the less valuable minerals on the table as a compromise.
For Turia, she can claim that success. I think Finlayson is clearly giving away his negotiating points early, but that's his style – upfront and honest.
And then there's this vague concept called Whanau Ora.
We have a new Minister of Whanau Ora in Tariana Turia and no idea how much money she has and what it means. But that will come.
From what I can tell, it's effectively handing over parts of the welfare state to iwi organisations to deliver services to Maori (and Pakeha, yeah right) without some patronising bureaucrat telling you how to live your life.
Again this is a major win for Turia and her party, and again, no wonder Labour is bagging her; she is having influence, she is doing business with John Key, she has a job, she is trying something different.
Not everyone will agree with Whanau Ora.
Let's be honest – no one can really define it. But at least she's giving something a go.
National has never been a fan of the welfare state in its current form and is no doubt convinced to at least give something else a crack – even if it is on a smaller scale involving a handful of pilot programmes.
The real test of whether Whanau Ora has been successful will be in 10 years.
So what are the risks for Key? There's a few. He might be seen as soft on Maori, he might be seen to be giving Turia and her mates too many lollies – but there hasn't been a backlash yet.
He needs to be careful – but right now he seems to have the balance right.
For Key, the deals struck with the Maori Party now are crucial to his 2011 electoral success. He has effectively signed a life insurance policy with Turia and Sharples underwriting him for another term.
Are they really going to shaft him at the next election and walk away? I can't see it. It's smart politics from Key.
And what do we make of Labour in all this? Not much.
Phil Goff made that race relations speech last year saying we are at a cross roads of Pakeha and Maori relations and the Maori Party was getting too much favourable treatment and looking after their mates.
But Goff got knee-capped by his caucus and was pulled into line, ‘The party is far too PC to be talking like that Phil’, he was told.
But if Goff had the courage of his convictions from that original speech – he'd head back out on the stump and call the Foreshore and Seabed proposals as he sees it and pledge to abandon Whanau Ora as a separatist welfare system designed by Maori for Maori.
But he can't say it. Shane Jones can – Phil can't and won't.
Where does that leave the leader?