Maori, Mana parties sign electorate deals

The Maori Party and the Mana Party have signed an agreement deal centred around electorate deals to enhance their chances of winning seats.

Peace moves between the two parties have been going on since July last year when Maori Party president Tukoroirangi Morgan approached Mana's leader Hone Harawira.

Arrangements were formalised on Monday with the signing of an official agreement in Whangarei.

The Mana party will focus on winning Te Tai Tokerau, while the Maori Party will stand candidates in the six other Maori seats.

"Both parties have agreed not to stand candidates against one another," Mana Party president Lisa McNab said.

"And both parties will be free to develop the policies they think best; to campaign for party vote and to criticise one another's policies without attacking each other's candidates."

Photos: Getty

Maori Party president Tukoroirangi Morgan said the parties would unite to work tactically together in the best interest of Maori people.

"This kawenata is a genuine response to the undeniable and growing call from whanau, hapu, iwi and Maori organisations around the country to collectivise our efforts to reclaim all the seat from Labour," he said.

"Maori disunity gifted the Maori seats to Labour in 2014 and it's time for us to bring all the seats home to kaupapa Maori parties so we can hold the balance of power in Parliament and ensure a strong voice in government, regardless of which major party rules."

Labour currently holds six of the Maori seats and Maori Party co-leader Te Ururoa Flavell holds the seventh.

Mr Harawira lost his Te Tai Tokerau seat in 2014, narrowly beaten by Labour's Kelvin Davis, and the Mana Party ceased to have a presence in parliament.

The Maori Party's candidate drew more than 2500 votes, and it's likely most of them would have gone to Mr Harawira if he'd been given a clear run.

Mr Morgan and Mr Harawira appear to have healed the bitter divisions between their parties.

Mr Harawira was a Maori Party MP until 2011 when he quit, accusing it of supporting government legislation that disadvantaged Maori.

He resigned from parliament, formed the Mana Party, fought a by-election in Te Tai Tokerau and won.

Several reconciliation attempts failed, and Mr Harawira continued as an MP until he lost the seat to Mr Davis.

– With NZN