So the election ran last night and the results are quite frankly mind-blowing. No surprises really with National getting 48 percent of the party vote. But the lack of strategic thinking from the Labour and Greens voters in Epsom allowing John Banks through was hard to stomach. Peter Dunne!! Winston!! Aue. Watching the party vote for Maori and Mana was also hard to watch. What have we done? It was humbling I'm sure for the Leaders of both Maori and Mana parties, and there will need to be some very serious thinking if we are to regroup, regather, and regain some real strength at the next elections. I was pretty gutted at the lack of sentiment from Annette Sykes, in conceding the Waiariki seat to Te Ururoa (though the "sell-out" message I agreed with). Equally though, Te Ururoa did not hold anything back in claiming his victory. Basic tikanga missing from that equation I think, something that I thought I heard Pita hint at last night as the driver for the Maori Party going forward.
I am seriously concerned for all my whanau for the next three years. John Key outlined his priorities and we can expect some real hard hitting welfare reforms by Monday (thats is an exaggeration). I just feel like weeping because to hear John Key and John Banks conceive of poverty and welfarism as a shameful blight on the Nations coffers and not as an impact on tamariki, pepi is heart breaking. 220,000 children living in poverty (fact) becomes 220,000 people on welfare (John Key turn around). Reform welfare, solve poverty? No John, no. Our assets are a signature away from being sold (another exaggeration). Choice, now I wont be able to afford the rates I currently pay for power AND the ability to have some say in that anyway will be stripped. And the discourse around cuts to the public sector, though tenth in the priority list, is something that will affect me too. I have just spent three days in a planning meeting with State Sector Union reps from around New Zealand, and the reality of what we face as a Union whanau in the next three years was pretty palpable. I will have to have the fortitude of an ox and its herd to get throught the cuts we know are coming, and the thousands of members it will affect. Our strategies will be many, our hearts will be big, the mountain not completely unassailable I hope. Policies derived from a National, United and ACT line-up for my whanau will only be bad news.
I didn't want to come on here and blabber on about politics, and the piece is written from my heart and not from any evidential or factual reading of anything, so if you wanted to pick at the facts I haven't got right well go on, make your day. On a personal front, I have decided that I need to be a part of the Maori Party, not as a candidate (lol hell no!), but I need to find some way to contribute to growing the the strength I believe is still there. I have chosen this party as best able to represent my whanau needs in the years to come. Just know I feel incredibly sad today, and feeling much love for Aotearoa and our people.
*Once again, I wrote from the heart, didn't consult anybody and have no idea to the real truth of any fact that might be in this post.
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