Mauri Pacific
Encyclopedia
Mauri Pacific was a short-lived political party
in New Zealand
. It was formed in 1998 by five former members of the New Zealand First
party. It has often been described as a Māori party. Officially, Mauri Pacific was a multiculturalist
party, welcoming anyone who supported racial and cultural harmony. Three of its five MPs were Māori, and two were Pākehā
.
The party only contested one election, and failed to retain any of its five seats in Parliament. The party disbanded shortly afterwards.
, a populist
party led by former National Party
minister Winston Peters
. After the 1996 election
, New Zealand First won 17 seats, including a sweep of all five Māori seats
. It held the balance of power in Parliament, and eventually went into coalition with the incumbent conservative
National Party
with Peters as deputy prime minister
. Gradually, however, the relationship between New Zealand First and the National Party deteriorated. In August 1998, Peters was sacked from Cabinet, and he pulled New Zealand First out of the coalition.
Many New Zealand First MPs were not willing to follow their party back into Opposition, however. Eight of the party's sixteen MPs defected, establishing themselves as independents. These MPs supported the National Party government, enabling it to keep a slim majority in Parliament.
Some time later, five of the newly independent MPs gathered together to establish Mauri Pacific. They were led by Tau Henare
, Minister of Māori Affairs and former deputy leader of New Zealand First. The other MPs were Tuku Morgan
, Rana Waitai
, Jack Elder
, and Ann Batten
.
Henare, Morgan, and Waitai were previously members of the so-called "tight five", New Zealand First's group of Māori MPs. (The other two members of the "tight five," Tu Wyllie
and Tuariki Delamere
, were not involved with Mauri Pacific - Wyllie had remained with New Zealand First, and Delamere eventually joined the small Te Tawharau
party.) Because its three highest-profile MPs were Māori, Mauri Pacific was considered by many to be a Māori party. Its policies were generally favourable towards Māori, such as its proposal to give customary Māori law equal status to modern Western law
, but the party portrayed this as multiculturalism rather than mere Māori advocacy. The party made a particular attempt to gather support from Pacific Islander
s, although was not particularly successful.
In the 1999 elections
, Mauri Pacific stood candidates in twenty electorates. It also put forward a party list of twenty-two people. However, the party gained only 4,008 list votes (0.19% of the total), putting it in thirteenth place. None of Mauri Pacific's sitting MPs were re-elected, or even managed to win second place. Shortly after the election, Mauri Pacific disbanded.
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. It was formed in 1998 by five former members of the New Zealand First
New Zealand First
New Zealand First is a political party in New Zealand that was founded in 1993, following party founder Winston Peters' resignation from the National Party in 1992...
party. It has often been described as a Māori party. Officially, Mauri Pacific was a multiculturalist
Multiculturalism
Multiculturalism is the appreciation, acceptance or promotion of multiple cultures, applied to the demographic make-up of a specific place, usually at the organizational level, e.g...
party, welcoming anyone who supported racial and cultural harmony. Three of its five MPs were Māori, and two were Pākehā
Pakeha
Pākehā is a Māori language word for New Zealanders who are "of European descent". They are mostly descended from British and to a lesser extent Irish settlers of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, although some Pākehā have Dutch, Scandinavian, German, Yugoslav or other ancestry...
.
The party only contested one election, and failed to retain any of its five seats in Parliament. The party disbanded shortly afterwards.
Origins
Mauri Pacific had its origins in New Zealand FirstNew Zealand First
New Zealand First is a political party in New Zealand that was founded in 1993, following party founder Winston Peters' resignation from the National Party in 1992...
, a populist
Populism
Populism can be defined as an ideology, political philosophy, or type of discourse. Generally, a common theme compares "the people" against "the elite", and urges social and political system changes. It can also be defined as a rhetorical style employed by members of various political or social...
party led by former National Party
New Zealand National Party
The New Zealand National Party is the largest party in the New Zealand House of Representatives and in November 2008 formed a minority government with support from three minor parties.-Policies:...
minister Winston Peters
Winston Peters
Winston Raymond Peters is a New Zealand politician and leader of New Zealand First, a political party he founded in 1993. Peters has had a turbulent political career since entering Parliament in 1978. He served as Minister of Maori Affairs in the Bolger National Party Government before being...
. After the 1996 election
New Zealand general election, 1996
The 1996 New Zealand general election was held on 12 October 1996 to determine the composition of the 45th New Zealand Parliament. It was notable for being the first election to be held under the new Mixed Member Proportional electoral system, and produced a parliament considerably more diverse...
, New Zealand First won 17 seats, including a sweep of all five Māori seats
Maori seats
In New Zealand politics, Māori electorates, colloquially also called Māori seats, are a special category of electorate that gives reserved positions to representatives of Māori in the New Zealand Parliament...
. It held the balance of power in Parliament, and eventually went into coalition with the incumbent conservative
Conservatism
Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...
National Party
New Zealand National Party
The New Zealand National Party is the largest party in the New Zealand House of Representatives and in November 2008 formed a minority government with support from three minor parties.-Policies:...
with Peters as deputy prime minister
Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand
The Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand is second most senior officer in the Government of New Zealand, although this seniority does not necessarily translate into power....
. Gradually, however, the relationship between New Zealand First and the National Party deteriorated. In August 1998, Peters was sacked from Cabinet, and he pulled New Zealand First out of the coalition.
Many New Zealand First MPs were not willing to follow their party back into Opposition, however. Eight of the party's sixteen MPs defected, establishing themselves as independents. These MPs supported the National Party government, enabling it to keep a slim majority in Parliament.
Some time later, five of the newly independent MPs gathered together to establish Mauri Pacific. They were led by Tau Henare
Tau Henare
Tau Henare is a New Zealand Māori parliamentarian. He served as a Member of Parliament from 1993 to 1999 and returned to Parliament in 2005. He has been involved with four political parties: Mana Motuhake, New Zealand First, Mauri Pacific and the National Party - representing three in...
, Minister of Māori Affairs and former deputy leader of New Zealand First. The other MPs were Tuku Morgan
Tuku Morgan
Tukoroirangi Morgan is a New Zealand Māori politician. He was chair of Te Arataura, the Waikato-Tainui committee or tribal parliament, but his status and membership within that body remain undecided...
, Rana Waitai
Rana Waitai
Rana Donald Waitai is a former politician. He was an MP from 1996 to 1999.-Early years:His father was Te Rangi Koroingo Te Oreore Waitai born and died in Lower Hutt...
, Jack Elder
Jack Elder
Jack Arnold Elder is a former New Zealand politician. He was an MP from 1984 to 1999, representing first the Labour Party, then New Zealand First, and then Mauri Pacific.-Early life:...
, and Ann Batten
Ann Batten
-Member of Parliament:She was an MP from 1996 to 1999. She was elected to Parliament in the 1996 elections as a New Zealand First list MP. In 1998, when New Zealand First splintered, Batten was one of the eight MPs who left the party. She eventually joined with four other MPs to form the Mauri...
.
Henare, Morgan, and Waitai were previously members of the so-called "tight five", New Zealand First's group of Māori MPs. (The other two members of the "tight five," Tu Wyllie
Tu Wyllie
Tutekawa Wyllie , generally called Tu Wyllie, is a former New Zealand politician and rugby union player, who represented his country.-Early years:...
and Tuariki Delamere
Tuariki Delamere
Tuariki John Delamere is a former New Zealand politician. He served as an MP from 1996 to 1999, and was a member of Cabinet for the duration of his term.-Before politics:...
, were not involved with Mauri Pacific - Wyllie had remained with New Zealand First, and Delamere eventually joined the small Te Tawharau
Te Tawharau
Te Tawharau was a Māori political party in New Zealand.Te Tawharau briefly had representation in Parliament when Tuariki Delamere, a former New Zealand First MP, transferred his loyalty to it. In the 1999 elections, Te Tawharau contested electorates under its own banner, but contested the party...
party.) Because its three highest-profile MPs were Māori, Mauri Pacific was considered by many to be a Māori party. Its policies were generally favourable towards Māori, such as its proposal to give customary Māori law equal status to modern Western law
Western law
Western law refers to the legal traditions of Western culture. Western culture has an idea of the importance of law which has its roots in both Roman law and the Bible...
, but the party portrayed this as multiculturalism rather than mere Māori advocacy. The party made a particular attempt to gather support from Pacific Islander
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islander , is a geographic term to describe the indigenous inhabitants of any of the three major sub-regions of Oceania: Polynesia, Melanesia and Micronesia.According to the Encyclopædia Britannica, these three regions, together with their islands consist of:Polynesia:...
s, although was not particularly successful.
Fate
Mauri Pacific was not well received by the general public. The behaviour of its members (particularly Tuku Morgan) had been criticised even before the splintering of New Zealand First, and the perception that these MPs had "betrayed" their former party was strong. Many voters believed that Mauri Pacific had been born out of political opportunism, not out of firmly-held principle. It later came out that Henare had challenged Peters for leadership of New Zealand First prior to the split. In addition, the party's policies were criticised as vague and unspecific.In the 1999 elections
New Zealand general election, 1999
The 1999 New Zealand general election was held on 27 November 1999 to determine the composition of the 46th New Zealand Parliament. The governing National Party, led by Prime Minister Jenny Shipley, was defeated, being replaced by a coalition of Helen Clark's Labour Party and the smaller Alliance...
, Mauri Pacific stood candidates in twenty electorates. It also put forward a party list of twenty-two people. However, the party gained only 4,008 list votes (0.19% of the total), putting it in thirteenth place. None of Mauri Pacific's sitting MPs were re-elected, or even managed to win second place. Shortly after the election, Mauri Pacific disbanded.