Claire Trevett: Recipe for the survival of the Māori Party – first caught a leader

COMMENTARY:

The news Te Ururoa Flavell resigned as co-leader of the Maori Party was a surprise, especially for those who thought that he had resigned 10 months ago.

Flavell announced today that he had resigned as a co-leader to hold a new position of executive director at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa.

He had in fact stated after the devastating results of the Māori Party last September that he would then resign – but decided a little later to stay until somebody died. other be ready to take his place.

Little has been heard of since.

Party co-leader Marama Fox remains. Fox is still a force of nature and able to attract media attention, but she also said that she would not stay in 2020 and that she was busy with a new business. affordable housing.

Some wrote the Epitaph of the Maori Party on the night of This election result allowed the Labor Party to find the only remaining seat of the Maori party – the former Waiariki stronghold of Flavell.

The Maori party is now in the muddle of a term outside Parliament without resources, money, attention or leaders needed to pull it out.

The chances of returning in 2020 seem slim, although two downwinds may come its way. You just have to catch them

The first would be an impressive new leader or two. It does not just mean charisma. It means someone who can organize and who has enough courage to grin and endure the hard times.

The second is an inadvertent helping hand of the Labor Party. The only sign of hope so far was in the budget, which gave very little to the Māori Development portfolio compared to the sums that the Maori Party got from the National.

Labor MPs had rather the opportunity to show the benefits to Maori families. universal packages, such as the Family Package

The Maori Party made a jump in this glimmer of hope, claiming that it showed the need for an independent Maori voice to push for targeted funding Maori. In 2020, he will also target MPs who he believes are not considered effective in their seats.

But it's a bad strategy to rely on the opponent who is preparing for his own survival.

It will be up to the Maori Party to develop a strategy at its annual conference in October.

Part of this will be the face that it presents in the future. But he will also come back to what has worked in the past. It was his basic style of campaign and organization.

It was one of his strongest costumes, and Flavell pointed to the weakening of that in 2017 as one of the reasons for the loss.

When it comes to leadership The name of Dr. Lance O. Sullivan was mentioned although O. Sullivan said that he would only charge it for He was the only leader and that he could change the party as he thought necessary. He has been quiet on his political plans lately.

Fox and himself could do a favor to the party by stopping to pretend and firmly committing it anyway.

The party has something of a "new generation" inside, young people who have long been involved in the party and are now holding higher positions.

Among them, current President Che Wilson and Vice President Kaapua Smith. Both are well founded on how the Maori Party works in practice, and energetic.

Other parties had their epitaphs written too early, and therefore often.

Many predictions of misfortune for Act, United Future and NZ First

The fortunes of some parties are attached to their leaders. The Maori Party sought to impose itself as a party of principle rather than personality, similar to the Greens.

In theory, such parties should be more durable. The Māori Party hopes that its epitaph was also written prematurely.

But as with all recipes, there is a critical first step before the Maori Party can even attempt a second attempt. First, catch your leader.