Labour leader Chris Hipkins has accused National's Christopher Luxon of “race-baiting” for votes - one of two paths he says politicians from traditional political parties have taken at elections.
Hipkins made the comments in a passionate scene-setting speech in Kawakawa today to a predominately Māori audience, where he described those pathways as “race-baiting” or avoiding the issue.
“It’s depressing the options have been race-baiting or just keeping quiet.”
And in a later interview, Hipkins said National leader Luxon was condoning racism by not calling it out.
“I don’t think you should condone racism by not calling it out. I think when you see it, you should call it out. And that’s what I have always tried to do and is what I’ll continue to do. He certainly is not calling out racism in the way that I think leaders should. I have and I will.”
During his Kawakawa speech, Hipkins said he intended to take a different route and celebrate the benefits to the nation when Māori and the Crown worked together.
“I’ve decided to do something novel and stick to the truth and my own values.”
It comes after a fiery Newshub leaders debate last night where he accused Luxon of wanting to work with people who are “race-baiting”.
Hipkins spoke of the journey taken by New Zealand through the experience of deputy leader Kelvin Davis’ “Aunty Isie”, who was 104.
“We have changed from a country that punished children for speaking Māori at school to one that embraces te reo in our classrooms, in our homes and on air every single day.
“We’ve grown from a country that ignored its history to one that teaches it to every child in our schools.”
New Zealand was a country “that refuses to turn a blind eye to racism”.
Hipkins said there remained politicians who saw taking an approach against Māori as a way to win votes.
“It’s not pretty and it’s wrong.”
That included using terms such as “one system for all”, referencing Luxon using that phrase in the first televised leaders’ debate.
“It made me angry,” said a visibly riled Hipkins, adding it “ignores all the facts”.
He said Māori were not “over-privileged” but on the wrong side of health and social statistics.
Hipkins, speaking at Ngāti Hine Health Trust, said Luxon’s pledge to abolish the Māori Health Authority showed “he knows better than Māori about Māori health and wellbeing”.
“He wants one system for all even when that system is failing 20 per cent of our population.”
Hipkins said Luxon thought it was “okay because he thinks it gives him 10 per cent in the polls”.
“It’s the wrong time to undo the hard-fought gains that have been made.”
Hipkins also fired shots at Act.
“We all assume the Treaty is set in stone.” Yet Seymour’s “bottom line” referendum on the Treaty of Waitangi threatened to chip away at it until “all they have is a pile of rubble”.
“It’s as if history never happened.”
In contrast, he said he believed in the Treaty.
Hipkins returned to the quote he read from a NZ First candidate during last night’s debate in which that person spoke of removing a “disease”.
“I will not stand for that kind of overt racism and I will call it out whenever and wherever I see it.”
He said Crown and Māori working together was “not scary and does not cause division”.
“It feels like decades of gains are at risk in this election. I want us to draw a line in the sand. I want us as a country to say division has no place in politics and it will not win an election.
“I firmly believe when Māori thrive then Aotearoa New Zealand will thrive.”
He said those with the most to lose were Māori and the place of Te Tiriti.
Hipkins’ speech was a pivotal part of his election campaign visit to the electorates of Te Tai Tokerau and Northland.
Earlier, Ngāti Hine leader Pita Tipene greeted Hipkins, acknowledging his predecessor Jacinda Ardern and said the Government was building positive Crown and Māori relations.
“The relationship we have with the current Government with you as Prime Minister has us on the right path while others are exploiting the uncertainty of people’s fears, particularly as they relate to Māori.
“Me, I don’t like it one bit.”
Tipene said he was not encouraging people to vote for a particular party - “I just want people to vote”.
