NZ First MP Shane Jones. Photo: RNZ / Mark Papalii
* This story has been updated to clarify that Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency is not a government agency and chair Merepeka Raukawa-Tait stood for Te Pāti Māori in the 2023 general election.
Senior NZ First MP Shane Jones has criticised a Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency ad campaign encouraging Māori to enrol on the Māori Roll, saying it aligns too closely with Te Pāti Māori.
But the Chair of Whānau Ora, which is not a government agency, said it exists to advance the well-being of Māori and part of that is ensuring Māori have a voice in the democratic process.
The agency launched its ad campaign fronted by artist and activist Tame Iti on Wednesday encouraging more Māori to sign up to the Māori Electoral Roll.
Jones told Morning Report that the agency had become 'tainted' by its connection to Te Pāti Māori.
"Whānau Ora has been sadly tainted by the Māori Party ... I fear that this type of politicisation just shows that public taxpayer money historically has been used for ideological experiments," he said.
Jones said this episode had shown "Whānau Ora has sunk to a very low ebb".
"Kiwi's have had a gutsfull of how the Māori Party and Whānau Ora have worked hand in glove quite frankly to polarise and diminish the spirit of unity," he said.
Comment has been requested from Te Pāti Māori.
The Chair of the Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency, Merepeka Raukawa-Tait, stood as a Te Pāti Māori candidate in Rotorua in 2023
She told Morning Report the agency had been inundated with questions, particularly from rangatahi, or young people, asking how they can have their voice heard through the democratic process.
"Right now there are over 120,000 Māori of voting age who are not on any roll, whether it's the General roll or the Māori roll, so it's time for people to get off the couch," Raukawa-Tait said.
Ultimately, it will be up to those young people to decide whether they enrol on the General or Māori roll, but she said Māori issues are not always reflected on the General roll.
"If you're going to go on the General roll, what you're doing is you're going into basically the mainstream parties. Māori issues never come to the fore in the mainstream parties... so this is why it is necessary," Raukawa-Tait said.
Photo: Supplied / Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency
Raukawa-Tait said voters on the Māori roll can vote for whoever they want. NZ First, National and Labour have all stood candidates in the Māori seats in the past and some of them have been successful, she said.
It's no secret that Māori have been very slow to take part in the democratic process, she said.
"If you're concerned about the state of Māori right now and what it might be in the next 10 to 20 years then you must have your voice heard and you must be engaged in the democratic process," Raukawa-Tait said.
"Get involved, get on the Māori roll and get your voice heard through the electoral process."
Raukawa-Tait said the Electoral Commission has also funded campaigns to try and get more people enrolled, but in the past that hasn't happened for Māori and the agency wants to ensure it does now.
She said the agency was not at liberty to currently say how much they had spent on the campaign. Those figures would be released next year.
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