WELL... in the morning Parekura will be laid to rest on the
East Coast... but even as he lies in state the thoughts of political leaders are
focused on the gapping hole left in parliament and the pending battle for the
Tairawhiti. You can almost hear the whispers as the political manuhiri shuffle
past the coffin and Labour will have to think long and hard about a replacement
for Parekura. The Maori Party hasn’t done itself any favors with the recent in-fighting
and leadership squabbles... but if Na Raihania is running he has a strong whanau links...
Mana remains confident as ever... They’re in a strong position to really
contest the seat.
It’s also possible National might put up a local like Hekia
to break-up the numbers... and possibly the Greens will kick in with a
candidate (go Manu Caddie). Not sure they’ll all bother to really push hard but
they might all contest... to show respect to the Ikaroa Rawhiti. Of Course the
Maori Roll is currently in recount mode and it’s quite conceivable not too many
of the cuzzies on the coast have bothered to re-enroll. The parties will have
to push for registrations I guess... and some Maori don’t like being hurried
for any reason... interesting to see what happens. Can’t wait to see Native
Affairs kick into gear and analyze the political maneuvering leading up to the
by-election.
With the Asset Sales and Water Rights so fresh in the minds of
Maori be interesting to see how voters react... will the Maori Party suffer the
affects of an iwi backlash or are people happy with what they’ve done? Anyway
within the next 45 days we’ll have a new MP for Ikaroa-Rawhiti... and they’ll
have huge shoes to fill... whoever they are.
Well that's what I reckon anyways
WNRP
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