Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka. Photo: RNZ / Mark Papalii
Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka has asked his officials for urgent advice around "electioneering" concerns related to a Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency advertisement encouraging Māori to sign up for the Māori roll was released this week.
The half-hour ad was rolled out by the Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency this week, featuring artist and activist Tame Iti (Ngāi Tūhoe).
The agency's chair Merepeka Raukawa-Tait, a former Te Pāti Māori candidate, has defended the ad as being part of her mission to advance Māori wellbeing, but senior ministers on Wednesday raised alarm.
Speaking to reporters at Parliament, Potaka said he had written to Te Puni Kōkiri (TPK) - which administers funding for Whānau Ora - for an assurance that public funding had not been used for "electioneering".
"In the event that public funding that has been set up to help whānau in need, if that has been used for electioneering or any improper purposes that is inappropriate," he said.
"I've asked TPK to look into the matter."
Potaka said the potential misuse of public fund would be "unacceptable" and he expected to get advice on the matter "ASAP".
Labour MP and former Whānau Ora Minister Peeni Henare said he supported Potaka's query to TPK.
"It was clear that there were questions after the last election with respect to some of the expenditure by groups looking towards trying to get votes," Henare said.
Acting Prime Minister David Seymour told reporters a government department should never engage in such politics.
"The point of elections is the New Zealand people should be able to elect someone to control the government departments. The government departments shouldn't be trying to control the process that's supposed to control them, which is the election," Seymour said.
Asked what the difference between the Electoral Commission promoting getting enrolled and the agency's advertisement, Seymour said the Electoral Commission had a clear mandate.
"The Electoral Commission does not encourage people to vote one way or another. It does not encourage people to register on the roll. It simply gives information about when people can enrol and how they can enrol," Seymour said.
"Government departments do not have a mandate to participate in politics. They're supposed to be apolitical, whatever their message may be."
New Zealand First leader Winston Peters told reporters: "If something's unfair going on, we'll stop it."
In a statement, Te Puni Kōkiri Deputy Secretary for Regions, Grace Smit, said the agency holds two contracts with TPK for Whānau Ora services, one of which expires on Monday.
"Te Puni Kōkiri can confirm that we have today written to Te Pou Matakana asking for an explanation to these serious concerns regarding funding use, political neutrality and conflicts of interest."
TPK would not comment further until they received a response, Smit said.
The Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency has been asked for fresh comment.
Speaking earlier on Morning Report, Raukawa-Tait was unapologetic and compared the ad to the Electoral Commission's campaign to encourage people to enrol.
"Get involved, get yourself on the roll, and we're saying it's the Māori roll. And obviously when we trying to encourage young people, they're not going to go on the general roll, so let's be clear about that," Raukawa-Tait said.
"If you're going to go on the general roll... you're going into basically the mainstream parties. Māori issues never come to the fore in the mainstream parties... so this is why it is necessary."
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