Green Party to contest by-election

The Green party has opened nominations for a candidate to contest the Ikaroa Rāwhiti by-election.

The party has only ever won one electorate. that was a general seat and the party didn’t manage to hold that.

The chances of its winning the by-election are slight.

The interest will be in whether it manages to mobilise voters and which party it takes votes from – Labour, the Maori Party or Mana.

 

If they can’t run a conference . .

Quote of the day:

“Let’s face it, the Labour Party can’t even run a conference, how on earth could they run the country?

“What they’re demonstrating is they just fundamentally do not like each other and it’s no great surprise that a lot of New Zealanders don’t like what they are doing,” he said. John Key.

The polls show a Labour/Green/New Zealand First/Maori Party/Mana coalition with a similar number of seats as National and its potential coalition partners.

But the public usually waits for a party to perform well in opposition before it’s trusted in government.

Labour has been overshadowed by the Green Party and NZ First in opposition. Now it’s disunity is on display, and will continue to be so at least until February, it’s shown it can’t even run itself.

“I always treat whoever the leader of the opposition is with respect … but the simple bottom line is if you go and have a party which is going to be internally consumed, which will be the case whoever wins, in the end it’s a really bad news story for Labour.

“The only winner out of this will be [Greens leader] Russel Norman.”

It certainly won’t be New Zealand which deserves politicians who put their energies into serving their constituents rather than mismanaging themselves.

Word of the day

Mana – (Maori) prestige, authority, control, power, influence, status, spiritual power, charisma; an impersonal force or quality that resides in people; supernatural force believed to dwell in a person or sacred object.

Some words don’t translate exactly from one language to another. My understanding is that mana means more than any of the English words in isolation.

Epsom stitch-up?

Labour is accusing National of a stitch-up in the selection of Paul Goldsmith as the Epsom electorate candidate.

National has the most democratic selection process and most difficult to rig of any party in New Zealand.

At least 60 members in the electorate, who have been in the party for at least 6 months, choose the candidate by preferential voting.

It would be impossible for National’s board or leadership to influence selection. Such is the feeling about the importance of local selection, any attempt to sway the vote would almost certainly have the opposite affect.

It’s more than a bit rich for Labour to make this accusation against National when its selection process can be not just swayed but determined by unions and/or the party hierarchy.

It’s even richer if the rumour Kiwiblog reports is true – that Labour’s leadership and council have selected list MP David Parker as their Epsom candidate.

Keeping Stock has another example of Labour’s leadership exerting its power in last year’s selection for Mana.

Can’t vote if not enrolled

People helping with Hekia Parata’s campaign and scrutineering  in the Mana by-election last year came across a good number* of people who wanted to vote for her but couldn’t.

They had opted to be on the Maori roll last time they had the choice and those who do so can’t swap to the general roll between elections.

The matter of supporters not being able to vote might also trouble candidates in the Te Tai Tokerau by-election because either they’re on the general roll or not enrolled at all.

Duncan Garner writes:

I have just spoken to the pollster of the Maori TV Poll. He says Harawira may face a further and much more serious problem. Many of those identifying themselves as Harawira supporters are not enrolled on the Maori roll. This will mean that many can’t vote next weekend.

If people are on the general roll they can’t swap to the Maori roll but if they’re not enrolled at all they can enrol until next Friday and cast a special vote. However, I think both Labour and the Maori Party would be better placed to mobilise people who aren’t enrolled to do so then vote than Harawira and his supporters.

Garner’s not the only one to think Harawira’s in trouble. Brunette at Roar Prawn has become addicted to iPredict and is backing labour’s Kelvin Davis:

And the stocks are climbing all the time.

Due in large part to some people finally realising that Hone’s support does not run that deep and most Maori in the Far North are sensible enough to see that he is not the man to take them to the promised land.

* good number = vague amount based on anecdotes.

The mana of mana

The French like to keep their language pure and aren’t keen on borrowing words from others.

Speakers of English aren’t so fussy, taking words from many other languages because often there isn’t one which expresses what we want to in our mother tongue.

One such word is mana. The closest I’ve come to finding a single word to express something close to what it means is honorificabilitudinitatibus .

It’s defined as with honour, characterised by honour, deserving respect. But honorificabilitudinitatibus is  far too much of a mouthful to use when mana expresses the meaning at least as well and far more simply, at least to those of us familiar with the New Zealand vernacular.

Given it’s meaning I wonder about how appropriate it is to use mana as the name for a political party. Hone Harawira’s new vehicle for radical Maori and left wing ideology isn’t the first  Mana Party. Mat Rata formed Mana Motuhake when he left Labour in 1980 and I think there’s been at least one other party calling itself Mana.

It’s a name that behoves the members of a party which uses it to keep to high standards and so far those associated with the newest one haven’t done that.

Hone Harawira started by lying to Duncan Garner about his intention to call a by-election and although he apologised for that, it wasn’t a good first step.

He then got hyperbolic in comparing Act leader Don Brash to Hitler and followed that by praising Osama bin Laden as a freedom fighter. He apologised for that as well but too late to prevent the impression he hasn’t got the very necessary attribute for leaders of engaging his brain before opening his mouth.

Then his mother and sister demonstrated that they fall well short of the standards acceptable for anyone who might be said to have mana with their prolonged shouting and swearing at Saturday’s Maori party hui.

Richard put it well in a comment on yesterday’s post:

The lack of respect will be noted if not explicitly commented on- that is not the way its done.

So far almost everything the party and its front people have done hasn’t been the way it should be done and has been the opposite of anything which might be considered worthy of the word mana.

Was apathy the winner?

The election results for Mana show 22,387 people voted: http://www.electionresults.org.nz/electorate-21.html

BUCHANAN, Kelly			ALL		37
CRAWFORD, Julian Lloyd			ALCP		107
DU PLESSIS, Colin			ACT		132
FAAFOI, Kris			LAB		10,397
FITZPATRICK, Sean			LIB		43
LOGIE, Jan			GP		1,493
McCARTEN, Matt			IND		816
PARATA, Hekia			NAT		9,317

To put that number of votes cast in to perspective, compare that with results for the electorate in the 2008 election: http://www.parliament.nz/en-NZ/MPP/Electorates/EPData/f/2/a/DBHOH_Lib_EP_Mana_Data_3-Mana-Electoral-Profile.htm#_64

LABAN, Winnie (LAB)	18,070	53.06
PARATA, Hekia (NAT)	11,915	34.99
GILCHRIST, Michael (GP)	2,288	6.72
COLLINS, Mike (ACT)	628	1.84
GUNSTON, Robin (UFNZ)	472	1.39
MACLACHLAN, Renton (KIWI)	337	0.99
MANU, Tim Salele’a (NZPP)	282	0.83
GOODE, Richard (LIB)	64	0.19
Total Valid Votes	34,056	100.00
Total Votes Cast	34,333	100.81

Compare that with the 2008 results for Waitaki:

 http://www.parliament.nz/en-NZ/MPP/Electorates/EPData/2/3/4/DBHOH_Lib_EP_Waitaki_Data_3-Waitaki-Electoral-Profile.htm

Candidate	Valid Votes	Share (%)
DEAN, Jacqui (NAT)	23,649	60.13
PARKER, David (LAB)	12,610	32.06
BRIGGS, Oliver (GP)	1,916	4.87
FRASER, John (ACT)	516	1.31
MAIN, Claire (JAP)	333	0.85
VAN WIEREN, Hessel (NZDSC)	140	0.36
MacRITCHIE, Norman (ALL)	93	0.24
GUY, Simon (DDP)	70	0.18
Total Valid Votes	39,327	100.00
Total Votes Cast	39,688	100.92

Jacqui Dean got nearly as many votes in 2008 as the total votes cast in the Mana by-election.

Does this mean the real winner in Mana was apathy?

(P.S. sorry about the cumbersome links – when I try to link the usual way I get a message saying error on page).

Turning red to blue a big ask

A win for National candidate Hekia Parata in Mana today would be like Labour winning Bay of Plenty.

That commentators are even contemplating a loss for Labour is a very good reflection on Hekia and the campaign she and the party have run.

Labour started on the wrong foot by selecting a candidate supported by HQ and unions rather than the electorate. The late entry of Matt McCarten which gives another focus for disaffected left voters hasn’t helped.

If Hekia did win, a strange twist of MMP would give National another MP in parliament on the list to replace her and Labour would end an MP down by losing an electorate.

I’m not predicting that, even with a terrific candidate and a faultless campaign, turning a deep red seat to blue is a big ask. But  whatever happens today, Hekia can’t lose – even if she doesn’t take the seat she’s rattled the opposition and anyone who can do that in the heat of a by-election is a winner.

McCarten to contest Mana

TV3  reports that Matt McCarten intends to contest the Mana by-election.

Unite Union general secretary Matt McCarten has announced he will stand in the Mana by-election.

Mr McCarten will hold a press conference at 2pm to announce his candidacy.

That’s very bad news for Labour.

It will split the left vote and it’s also a sign that at least one union isn’t happy with the party it would normally align itself with.

National’s Hekia Parata is still the underdog in this very red electorate but her campaign will be less difficult if some of the other dogs are fighting amongst themselves.

Some members more equal than others

Labour is selecting its Dunedin North candidate this weekend.

Three people have been nominated to replace retiring MP Pete Hodgson, who has held the seat for four terms, are  New Zealand Nurses Organisation national adviser Glenda Alexander. current electorate committee chair and warden of Selwyn College, David Clark ; and former electorate chair Simon Wilson.

Taking part in the selection process will be three Labour Party council representatives appointed by head office, including a Dunedin-based representative; two Labour Electorate Committee representatives, selected on the day; one panel member elected by members attending; and the “popular vote” from members, which will count as one vote.

That gives six panel members and a vote from the floor.

In some selections, Labour’s head office officials have stacked the panel to ensure their preferred candidate is selected.

However, it is unlikely the head office appointees will go against the wishes of Dunedin North members.

The last time that happened, Labour lost the seat to National candidate Richard Walls, in 1975.

What’s the difference between Labour Party members in Dunedin North and those in Mana where unions out-voted members?

Big News has the story of that selection  which is confirmed by this comment from Alex in the North  at Kiwiblog.

If all Labour members are equal, those in Dunedin North must be more equal than their comrades in Mana.

UPDATE: Kiwiblog has more on this.

Parata selected for Mana

National list MP Hekia Parata has been selected to contest the seat of Mana in the forthcoming by-election.

This is a safe Labour seat and no-one is pretending otherwise, but Hekia says she’s ready to run a strong campaign for National.

“I have a sound record of bringing energy, action, and voice to the interests of everyone who lives and works here. I want the best for Mana’s people and its businesses.” . . .

“I come from a family which understands the importance of education. Now, as a mother, I am focused on ensuring that my daughters have good health, an excellent education, and a set of values that will guide them well as proud New Zealand citizens of the world. 

“I want the same opportunities for all the people of Mana.” . . .

It’s a little early for a quote of the campaign but Big News is a contender with this:

Labour’s candidate has been selected too, but they haven’t announced it yet, because the official selection -process hasn’t been completed, and nominations don’t close until tomorrow.

He’s referring to the news that:

  Fran Mould has resigned as Deputy Political Editor for TVNZ , according to well placed sources.

The reason is an agreement in principle that she will replace Kris Faafoi as Chief Press Secretary to Phil Goff, when Faafoi becomes the Mana MP.

That’s what happens when you think democracy means of the party, by the party for the party.