The Maori Party, launched on 7 July 2004, is Aotearoa New Zealand's first independent indigenous party to win seats in New Zealand's Parliament.
We currently have four Maori Party MPs in Parliament (the links take you outside MySpace)Tariana Turia (Co-leader, Te Tai Hauauru)
Dr Pita Sharples (Co-leader, Tamaki Makaurau)
Te Ururoa Flavell (Whip, Waiariki)
Hone Harawira (Te Taitokerau)
Or click here for the Official Maori Party Homepage
History of the Maori Party
"The foreshore and seabed controversy , a debate about whether Maori have legitimate claim to ownership of part or all of New Zealand's foreshore and seabed, became the catalyst for setting up the Maori Party.
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Maori owned the foreshore and seabed before British colonisation.
The Treaty of Waitangi made no specific mention of foreshore or seabed
No-one has subsequently purchased or otherwise acquired the foreshore or the seabed
Maori should therefore still own the seabed and the foreshore today
A court judgment stated that some Maori appeared to have the right to seek formal ownership of a specific portion of seabed in the Marlborough Sounds (South Island). This prospect alarmed many sectors of New Zealand society, however, and the Labour Party foreshadowed legislation in favour of state ownership instead. This angered many Maori, including many of Labour's Maori MPs. Two MPs representing Maori seats, Tariana Turia and Nanaia Mahuta, announced an intent to vote against the legislation.
Turia, then a Junior Minister, once informed that voting against the government would appear "incompatible" with holding ministerial rank, announced on April 30, 2004 her intention to resign from the Labour Party. Her resignation took effect on May 17, and she left parliament until she won a by-election (by a landslide) in her Te Tai Hauauru seat two months later.
After leaving the Labour Party, Turia, subsequently joined by Sharples, began organising a new political party. The leaders of the Maori Party have indicated that they wish to unite "all Maori" into a single political movement.
To locate the contact details of our Maori Party MPs check out TangataWhenua.com for the info, it also gives a brief background to the history of the Maori Seats in Parliament.
* Please note that this page is maintained by Registered Members of the Maori Party and not the Maori Party itself.