16. Lets Talk About Maori

Here’s the fourth and final one from the beach walk!

In this episode, I share my thoughts on Māori representation, why sudden political shifts create division, and how small wins lead to real progress.

Unity isn’t about taking away—it’s about working together, respecting our differences, and building a better future for all of us. Stick with me, and I’ll show you why there’s nothing to fear—only opportunities to grow together.

🎥 Full video available here: https://youtu.be/tTC0-TZ89PE?si=W74N5Uf8n8WBrxI6

📢 That’s all four from the beach walk—thanks for coming along for the journey! More to come soon.

In this episode, we’ve enhanced the audio by removing background noise from the beach to ensure better clarity. As a result, there may be brief moments where the sound is slightly distorted or digitized, but these minor artifacts should not affect the overall message. Thanks for listening! 

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Together, we’ll piece it all together — one idea, one story, and one conversation at a time.

Transcript

Episode Transcript: Let's Talk About Māori

[00:00:00]
This episode is really important to me. I don't like what's happening at the moment.

Looking at two political parties first—Te Pāti Māori, although not all their voters are Māori, and some Māori don’t vote for them. Their focus is on Māori, so I'll start with them. They have a rigid way of thinking where Māori need to progress quickly. If they got into government, the next day everything changes. That doesn’t work—it never would.

Unity is for Māori. We want to give them a voice. But we believe in little wins. We want to show New Zealanders how Māori perspectives and views can work—not just for Māori, but for everyone. A lot of their past ways would make New Zealand a better place. I'm all about small wins, stacking up over time until everything is in place.

Shifting the dynamic too fast creates division. That’s why Unity, and I personally, don’t agree with what the government has done. Cutting things like the Māori Health Authority is a big issue. Māori fought hard for years to get those small wins. To build the society we want, those wins needed to continue, so the shift was gradual, not stark. This government has taken those little wins away, pushing Māori back. Now, it’s harder to regain and build on them.

[00:02:00]
New Zealand has always recognized Māori as tangata whenua. We understand the Treaty—or maybe we don’t. Some of us need to break it down and see what it really means. Some people, like me, see things from a spiritual and holistic perspective. Others need to see something practical to understand it. We need more of that.

Māori are entitled to things that don’t take away from others. The problem is, people blame Māori for issues like poverty, drug use, and crime when it's really government policies that create these problems. Policies matter. The right ones are crucial. Māori are not the enemy. They aren’t taking anything from anyone. In fact, there’s a lot we can learn from them—working together, supporting each other, the collective mindset. That’s the key to doing better as a nation.

[00:04:00]
We need to start working collectively—buying food in bulk, living in structured communal villages. Not everyone can afford their own house, but these solutions help. I want to meet as many people as possible and learn from them. I don’t know everything. My skill is connecting people, resources, and building solutions. I love complex problems—the harder they are, the better. But they need to be social problems. I don’t care about making money. My priority is looking after people. That’s what makes a good politician. It’s not usual, but it’s what defines Unity—having a leader who thinks this way.

[00:06:00]
Unity doesn’t align with Te Pāti Māori’s sharp shift approach, but we will champion Māori getting those little wins. If we get in, we will restore what was lost. You can’t build on small wins if they’ve already been taken away. They need to come back, and then we build further.

No one needs to be afraid. Stick with me—stick with Unity. I’ll show you why there’s nothing to fear. We’ll talk to people, go on this journey together, and show how we can all work as one.

We can be Māori and non-Māori while still working together, respecting uniqueness and identity. It’s not about ‘one New Zealand’—treating everyone the same doesn’t work. Our diversity is our strength. We don’t need to apply the same solution to everyone. We can adapt to meet the needs of different communities.

That’s what Unity will do.

[00:08:00]
This is my last video for the day. No idea where I’ve walked to, but thanks for tuning in. Catch you later. Take care.