MAORI UNIMPRESSED WITH THE PERFORMANCE OF THEIR MAORI POLITICIANS

According to a poll conducted by Horizon for The Hui, Maori are unimpressed by the performance of their Maori MPs.

A POLL conducted by The Hui last week makes for some interesting reading.

While the poll suggests that Labour retains the support of a significant number of Maori that support has slowly ebbed away since Labour came to power in 2017. In 2020 Labour had 54 percent of all Maori who voted but the Horizon poll suggests that has dropped away to 37 percent in 2022. 

But the other parliamentary parties have not been the beneficiaries of Labour's decline. Some 14 percent of Maori surveyed indicated that they 'didn't know' who they might vote for next year while another ten percent said they would vote for 'another party'. That was on par with the support  that National and the Maori Party received and better than the support both the Green Party and ACT were able to attract. 

What this poll indicates is that approximately a quarter of all Maori are not impressed by what's presently on offer.

That dissatisfaction was expressed in the low approval ratings that all the Maori MP's received. While Maori politicians like to claim they speak for all Maori that's clearly not what many Maori think. 

Perhaps the most high profile Maori politician, the Minister for Maori Development Willie Jackson, could only manage a 19 percent approval rating. His colleague, the Minister of Corrections and the Minister for Maori Crown Relations, Kelvin Davis, fared no better with a 18 percent approval rating.

The best performer was Green co-leader Marama Davidson but even she could only manage a 31 percent approval rating. Her recent attack on Maori who attended the Wellington occupation will have done little to enhance her reputation.

At the root of this dissatisfaction with the performance of the Maori MP's is clearly their continued support for market-led policies that have done little to benefit the lives of working class Maori. 

It comes as no surprise that Maori are most concerned about basic economic issues such as the cost of living and housing. And while they clearly think they have made little progress under Labour, they also have little confidence in the polices of the other parties either. Little wonder that many Maori are indicating they might just support a new party that does provide a economic alternative.