December 05, 2016
Time up for John Key
Former National Party MP Tau Henare says John Key can be credited with keeping the pressure on to settle Treaty of Waitangi claims.
Mr Key announced today he has stepping down, with a new Prime Minister to be chosen by the National Party caucus next week.
Mr Henare says changes at the top don’t tend to have a major impact on how Maori fare, but Mr Key has delivered a period of stable government.
"You know being prime minister is being prime minister for everybody. It is not just about you and three or four other guys. It is about leading a teram for as long as possible and he has done that and rather than say who is going to take over, we should spend the week saying he did a bloody good job, given the circumstances. He had an earthquake in Christchurch that would have debilitated most prime ministers," he says.
Mr Henare says it’s hard to pick who in the National caucus will replace John Key, but he’s picking New Zealand First leader Winston Peters to be a beneficiary of any political uncertainty.
Meanwhile, the Maori Party says it will always be grateful to John Key for making a space at the table of his Government for a kaupapa Maori party.
Co-leader Te Ururoa Flavell says that allowed the Maori Party to secure gains for Maori and advance kaupapa Maori over the past eight years.
He says the parties may not have agreed on everything but a respectful relationship has been maintained.
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