NZ Politics: Coalition Strained As key Plays With Fire
April 28th, 2010
Rodney Hide savaged National this week for breaching the spirit of the “no surprises” element of its coalition agreement with ACT. He attacked the “covert” action of the Govt in affirming its support for the UN’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. ACT was “shocked” and “appalled” to find itself a supporting a Govt which could accept the UN Declaration, which ACT says asserts Maori have rights and privileges above those of other NZers. As if this did not put a strain on the coalition, Maori Party MP Hone Harawira stoked the potential bonfire when he asserted Maori would use the Govt’s sign-up to bolster the drive for self-determination.
So has John Key gone a step too far in overturning the decision of the Clark Govt which in 2007 rejected the D.R.I.P. on the grounds it was inconsistent with NZ law and conferred rights on the indigenous people to self-Govt, access to resources and land? There’s little doubt Key has used his own political mana to push through a decision which will be deeply unpopular with many NZers, and in some of the bluest of National electorates. Even in Cabinet a good deal of scepticism could be detected. But as one senior Minister put it, Key made it clear he believed NZ should embrace the Declaration for symbolic reasons.
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As for the decision to keep Dr Pita Sharples’ mission to New York secret, which seemed also to be a political judgement made by Key, it underlined how far he is prepared to go to cement the relationship with the Maori Party leadership. Some Cabinet Ministers appeared to be unaware of the timing of Sharples’ UN speech. Other commentators wondered why Justice Minister Simon Power made the Ministerial statement to Parliament rather than Attorney-General Chris Finlayson.
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Duncan Cotterill