The Maori Party - The People's Party

Broadcast on MAORI Television 8.30 Wednesday 10th June, 2009

THE MĀORI PARTY
THE PEOPLE’S PARTY


Every year is election year for the Māori Party. Since they entered parliament in 2004 they have been courting Māori. Every Māori, voting age or not is important to this Party. Not because the people have the ability to put them into or oust them from Parliament, but because these four MP’s, their Party President and their supporters love their people.

It’s the type of love that sees them supporting from the front, leading from the back, being used as the mangai for Māori rather than being the ‘one true prophet. It’s the type of love that sees them defer constantly to iwi. It’s the type of love borne of injustice and fuelled by a desire for justice. It’s the type of love than wills them to unite, iwi to iwi to hapu to urban to rural, Pakeha to Māori. They are a Party seeking kotahitanga.

And Māori love them in return. Iwi respect their style of leadership, are empowered when shown deference and so they allow themselves to be united to fight for common causes. This is indeed the people’s party.

How is it they a small unassuming group of four men and one woman, can transverse tribal lines, unite the fractious urbans and rurals? Is it the issues they bring to the people or is it the individual MP’s themselves that win them the hearts and minds of iwi? Or is it both? Maybe it is te iwi Māori themselves who are the phenomenon. Is it that Māori have at last found a vehicle to exert rangatiratanga, unconditionally? Is it that Māori upon hearing their words, repeated back as true and correct by the Party are affirmed and empowered to demand what they deserve, justice? Is it that the phenomenon is Party and People, entwined, inseparable?

Producer: Claudette Hauiti Front of the Box Productions Director: Erana Keelan. From Qantas Media Awards Winners comes another insightful documentary detailing the journey of the Māori Party to the 2008 general elections. With high hopes and high expectations of the Party becoming king makers, were the Māori voters able to rise to the occasion and take political control? 


PRODUCTION HOUSE PEOPLE
Front of the Box Productions is a multi-award winning company specialising in Māori and Pasifika content programming. The 2008 Qantas Media Award winner for Best Māori Programme with ‘Children of the Revolution’ is the largest supplier of Māori programming to mainstream television. The Company produces the only independent current affairs programme ‘Eye to Eye with Willie Jackson which screens on TV1, Sunday mornings. “The Māori Party – the People’s Party’ is Directed by Erana Keelan. A freelance Director/Producer her last two documentaries for Front of the Box Productions were ‘Mana Wahine’ a biography on Māori women in power and ‘George Nepia’ a poignant tribute to one of the country’s most outstanding rugby players.