Maori Party leaders decide to lift retirement age to 95

Morgan Godfery is fast becoming one of the top bloggers in the country and he nails the options for the Maori Party coffin shut today.

They are pretty bleak and with no new leadership possibilites, the current team are doomed to go down with the ship. Pita and Tariana won't bow out because that will spell the end of the Party. Annette Sykes slashed Te Ururoa Flavell’s 6812 majority down to a mere 1883. The Maori Party's relationship with National will build further resentment as the cut backs and austerity continue leaving the current set of MPs with little or no strategy to employ other than hold on for dear life.

Pita won't hold Tamaki Makaurau, Shane Jones just managed to lose it after putting bugger all effort in and the MANA candidate was late to the game. Expect a very strong candidate from MANA and perhaps an arrangement that sees Labour running Tamihere in a general seat. Tamihere is being wooed heavily to return to Labour for his mainstream bloke appeal but with Pita being as weak as he is, the strategic smarts of the Auckland Maori political families will seek out the maximum return for efforts in 2014.

The creation of a new Maori seat will most likely occur in South Auckland, expect a real challenge for the hearts and minds of the city's most impoverished. MANA's strong support for Pacific Island citizenship rights will give the party political grip in those communities.

Also watch for MANA to make sizable inroads into Australia for votes and fund raising.

What Pita and Tariana have forgotten is that Maori have shown their mastery of using MMP better than any other group in society. They have elected and turned on NZ First, Labour and the Maori Party with MANA now the new political force within Maoridom in ascension.

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