As Labour MP’s gather today in Palmerston North for their caucus retreat, Willie Jacksons speaks of his determination to win back the hearts and minds of all Māori voters.
“We have an obligation to our whānau who might not even be on the Māori roll, it doesn’t make them any less Māori who might not even be on the Māori role. We have a twin obligation to keep contesting the Māori seats.”
He signalled that he is working with ‘prospective candidates’ who he believes have what it takes to claw back the Māori seats won by Te Pāti Māori at the last election.
The first political poll for the year, the Taxpayer’s Union-Curia poll has Labour out in front of National 30.9% to 29.6%. Jackson is keen to keep up the momentum and outlines the Māori caucus’ plan which is to keep doing what they did last year, and pushing back on the government.
“E tika ana ki te whawhai. Whawhai mō tō tātou mana i ngā wā katoa. Koira tā mātou mahi i ngā wā katoa, i te tau kua pahure.
“Kei te tino whakahīhī mātou i te mea e kitea ana ahau i ngā mahi a Willow-Jean Prime, rawe tana mahi. Kite ana mātou i āna mahi ki te wero ki a Karen Chhour, rawe āna mahi ki te whakatakoto i te wero. Rawe hoki ngā mahi a Cushla Tangaere, Arena Williams.”
Whilst he acknowledges the efforts of his left bloc counterparts, he says that the Labour Party is still the party for all Māori.
“There is a lot of our people that while they tautoko Te Pāti Māori, we’ve got huge tautoko too. Those people are maybe not reo people, maybe not marae people, maybe don’t watch Whakaata Māori or listen to irirangi Māori, but they’re still proudly Māori and they feel an attachment to Labour.
“We have an obligation to represent a heck of a lot of people.”
All eyes are on Te Pā o Rātana as the political year kicks off with Jackson’s top priority of winning back Māori voters at the top of the mind.
