Editorial: Waitangi Day stock take

OPINION: February 6 is here again, which is a great excuse to take stock of where we are at as a nation.

On Waitangi Day last year, this newspaper felt there were many reasons to cheer on the anniversary of the signing of our founding document. Ahead of the 2009 celebrations there was a feeling that the new Government was on track to weave together a cohesive nation on Waitangi Day.

The chief reason for our optimism back then was the positive contribution the Maori Party had made as part of Government.

The challenge back then, we felt, was for the Maori Party to get on and better the lot of the people who put it in power.

One year on the Maori Party is hanging in there, but it has been a tough year for the party.

The National Party leadership has the Maori Party's support to thank for much of its success so far, but its partners in Government have got little in return so far, although much is promised. Prime Minister John Key has agreed to give the Maori Party's tino rangatiratanga flag official status, and it will be fluttering away on a number of significant flag poles today. Next week the Maori Party will unveil the Whanau Ora reforms, which promises to reinvent the way that Government aid is delivered to Maori. Work is also under way on the successor to Labour's controversial Foreshore and Seabed Act, the legislation which outraged Maori and torpedoed the former Government's iwi support by giving rise to the formation of the Maori Party.

Two thorns remain in the Maori Party's side. The first is Hone Harawira, whose racist railing against white New Zealanders earlier this year outraged Kiwis and will haunt race relations for a long time. Mr Harawira came as close as it is possible to come to expulsion from the party, but managed to hang on. As yesterday's events show, he remains a ticking political time bomb waiting to go off.

The other problem remains economic inequality. The recession has been tough on all New Zealanders, but disproportionately tough on Maori. Maori now have a jobless rates of 15.4 per cent, compared to the national average of 7.3 per cent. Young Maori have joined the dole queue in droves, and this, more than anything, is a massive challenge for the Maori Party. It is certainly far more important than worrying about flags.

Nevertheless, there are plenty of reasons for optimism today. New Zealand has come through the economic downturn in better shape than expected and businesses are more confident than they have been in a long time.

Maori – through the Maori Party – are still in the driving seat in Government and have the chance to have real sway between now and the next election. In spite of our differences we live peacefully side-by-side in a beautiful, corruption-free nation where a genuine effort is being made to eradicate any inequality that still exists. It remains a land of opportunity and a great place to live.

- © Fairfax NZ News