The Maori Party failed to hold any seats in the 2017 election, and The Opportunities Party (TOP) fell well short of the 5% MMP threshold. Both parties have had leadership changes since then.
And now they are talking to each other looking at whether they can succeed by joining forces.
1 News: …TOP-Māori Party alliances could shake up NZ politics
The Opportunities Party, founded by Gareth Morgan, and the Māori Party both failed to attract voters at the last election and are now hoping a combined effort could pay off.
Kaapua Smith of the Māori Party said being a small, minor party, “we can’t do these things alone in Parliament”.
“We need to start building our relationships.”
Geoff Simmons, leader of TOP, told TVNZ1’s Te Karere it could be an opportunity for both parties which he described as having “an awful lot in common”.
Though adamant talks are still fresh, the parties have met twice already, and will not rule out the idea of forming one party.
“One of the criticisms of the Māori Party has always been that we’re too close to National. This is about reaffirming that no we’re not particularly close to any particular party. We want to talk to all parties,” Ms Smith said.
So while Simmons appears to be looking to the Maori Party, Smith says that the Maori party is looking to all parties.
But Labour is unlikely to let go any of the seven Maori electorates they now hold. The Greens like their own slant on Maori engagement and activism. And NZ First have campaigned on scrapping the Maori seats. So that leaves National or parties not in Parliament. Like TOP.
Party vote in the 2017 election:
- TOP 2.4%
- Māori Party 1.2%
Combined that’s still a long way off the threshold. Both parties have leaders with lower profiles. It will be a battle for them to succeed, even if they combine forces.
PartisanZ
/ 29th January 2019It figures that the Maori Party would go with the most sensible other Party in the political landscape …
TOP did amazingly well to achieve 2.4% as a new Party, especially given the polarizing nature of its founder and ex-leader …
This possible relationship will be worth watching, especially if the threshold gets lowered … although lowering it to 4% will ultimately only lead to a campaign to lower it further, since is should be at 2.5 – 3%
Duker
/ 29th January 2019No.
4% is a sort of ‘floor’ as it gives a group of Mps , enough to make a party viable in parliament ( which is why I think it should be based on the 3-4 Mps rather than a % number)
As for TOP , pop up partys without any ‘trust’ from the voters wont get much traction.
As for saying TOP did amazingly well., thats nonsense. Colin Craigs Conservatives got 4.1% as a pop up party and that was with all that was dumped on them in last few days ( engineered by the Taxpayers Union/Jordan Williams)
PartisanZ
/ 29th January 2019Yeah … Weeeeeeeell … I think there’s a big difference …
The potential for a Party [like TOP-Maori] with sensible, evidence-based policy is ultimately much more expansive than a Party like the Conservatives or New Conservatives with very narrow, Right-Wing, emotionally-bounded policy appeal …
The New Conservatives are never gonna sway many ‘swing voters’ in their direction. Their voter base is extremely finite. 4.1% is probably about their limit …
Kitty Catkin
/ 29th January 2019Hello, Samantha ! 🙂
NOEL
/ 29th January 2019The Maori party lost last time from a perception that their long association to National didn’t produce much.
Blazer
/ 29th January 2019what about a TOP POT Party…?
Zedd
/ 29th January 2019I think they still called the ALCP 😀
gearing up for 2020 ?
Kitty Catkin
/ 29th January 2019The Maori/TOP will will be the MOP Party.
TOP and ALCP will be issuing a joint statement soon, :D:D 😀
Gezza
/ 29th January 2019One of the failings I noticed with the Maori Party in the lead up to the election was their leaders relied to much on rhetoric. There were a couple of debates I watched in which Marama Fox & Hone Harawira (I think) joined minor party representatives. They weren’t shown on msm tv (I think one of them I viewed through a news artlice link and another was on YouTube.
Both of them just had nothing in the way of research, no facts and figures, no idea of the costs of the policies they were advocating, and their defence was that they were small parties and couldn’t afford the kind of researchers and experts needed to do this kind of mahi for them.
To me that indicated they needed to build relationships with Pakeha who do have those skills and background, if the problem is that Maoridom doesn’t have enough economists and statisticians.
TOP could help them here, maybe?
But I don’t understand how this working together will work in practice come, election time. The Maori and Internet party combo confused everyone and crashed. They could end up competing in the same territory as the Greens – who I think suffer from seeming to be a bit confused and to be poaching in Labour’s territory.
Blazer
/ 29th January 2019you would be surprised at the number of ostensibly well funded and large organisations that…’don’t have…the data’!
Gezza
/ 29th January 2019Yes, The Labour Party seems to be one.
Blazer
/ 29th January 2019specifically?
Gezza
/ 29th January 2019Don’t think Andy Little has yet managed to identify what low-level offenders he was talking about – apart from that ONE who was a high level offender. Lack of data, I assumed.
Blazer
/ 29th January 2019try again.
Gezza
/ 29th January 2019Exactly. One over the score line already.
High Flying Duck
/ 29th January 2019Oil and gas legislation is an obvious one. Kiwibuild another.
Duker
/ 29th January 2019Bridges doesn’t even ‘have the data’ when asked about party donations.Then again Joyce just made up the data to back his claims
Maybe after 9 years in opposition Nationals grasp of the data will be a distant memory too
Zedd
/ 29th January 2019hey good idea man; Maori/TOP (echoes of Internet/Mana) might just have the numbers to get in 2020 !
The more the merrier.. welcome to MMP 🙂
Gezza
/ 29th January 2019Remind me how Internet /Mana did in the election ?
Duker
/ 29th January 2019The media love these fringe groups…easy stories and local colour ( which used to describe run down Asian cities), the voters won’t touch them