August 23, 2016
King’s call misses political reality
Labour MP Louisa Wall says the Maori king’s slap in the face for her party and his local MP is unlikely to have any political impact.
King Tuheitia closed his annual Koroneihana hui at Ngaruawahia on Sunday by saying he would no longer vote Labour because it would not work with the Maori Party, and then urged the Maori Party and Mana to work together.
The comments came as a surprise to his cousin, Hauraki Waikato MP Nanaia Mahuta, who was one of a group of Waahi wahine who took the moko kauwae to mark the king’s 10th year leading the movement.
Ms Wall says King Tuheitia seems to have missed a fundamental political reality.
"We want to change the government. I actually think Hone Harawira and Mana want to change the government too but the reality for our whanau is that the Maori Party do not want to change the government," she says.
Louisa Wall is confident the king’s own rohe will continue to be represented by Nanaia Mahuta.
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