Democracy HQ A personal view, by Councillor Steve Morris

When Māori Party president Che Wilson claimed Tauranga was mentioned as a 'hotspot” of white supremacy in a Department of Internal Affairs report, I noticed.

As a husband and father of 'women of colour”, I was concerned. It turned out I needn't be. Che's claim was untrue…as he later withdrew the allegation.

There was no mention of Tauranga in the report. It turned out to be a made-up claim to justify why the Māori Party wasn't standing a candidate in the Tauranga by-election. But if you do a little digging, you may find there are other reasons why they aren't standing, and they have nothing to do with racism.

Suppose the only reason the Māori Party didn't stand a candidate in Tauranga was because it is too racist. In that case, they must feel the same way about Rotorua and the East Coast, too, because they didn't stand candidates in those general seats in 2020. In fact, they didn't stand a single candidate in a general electorate in New Zealand at the last election!

By-elections are expensive; how are their finances? Pretty poor, it turns out. They only received $13,000 in donations last year from across the country. That's less than half the New Conservatives received and about 10 per cent of what New Zealand First received; neither are in Parliament.

What are their chances of being elected? They received 155 votes in the Tauranga electorate in 2020, so not great. If it is a question of city-wide racism, then why have Winston Peters and Simon Bridges held the Tauranga seat for 35 out of the last 38 years?

Instead of being honest and citing their position of not standing in general electorates, poor finances, and poor electoral performance, they stereotyped an entire city. In doing so, they became exactly the thing they are supposed to be railing against – prejudiced.

Is there racism in Tauranga? Unfortunately, yes, there is; my family has experienced it and not just from European people either. Fortunately, it has been rare during the last 18 years compared to the love and acceptance my family feel from the people of this beautiful city and at my own marae. We love living here and we love locals.

To single out Tauranga compared to other cities that equally struggle with racism was a deeply offensive, politically cynical, and prejudiced move by the Māori Party. They owe Tauranga an apology or risk being compared to others who stereotype for political gain.