Waihoroi Shortland, Maori Party Candidate for Te Taitokerau
te-pati-maori
Mon Sep 19 2011 12:00:00 GMT+1200 (New Zealand Standard Time)
Waihoroi Shortland, Maori Party Candidate for Te Taitokerau
Monday, 19 September 2011, 9:13 am
Press Release: The Maori Party
Waihoroi Shortland, Maori Party Candidate for Te Taitokerau electorate.
My name is Waihoroi Shortland I was born and raised in Te Taitokerau. Those who shaped, influenced and gave substance to my life were people of simple wisdom, good conscience and a strong sense of social justice and service to others. They had a well-defined notion of who they were. All this tinted by an ample smattering of humour and a bent for mischief. I am a cutting from that puriri tree.
I am standing for the Maori Party, because I believe that the Party and Te Taitokerau have been poorly represented and deserve better. Those who would lead Te Taitokerau into political oblivion must be opposed and defeated. Te Taitokerau must take back its mandate, empower the disenfranchised, inspire the disaffected and instill hope in the disenchanted.
The electorate has been rendered into silence by misinformation, bluster and intimidation. To coin a phrase this election will be about, repossessing mana. The by-election should remind us that the vast majority of the electorate (more than 20 thousand) had no faith in the incumbent. They did not flood back to Labour nor did they feel inspired by how our Party presented itself. We must win back trust, raise expectations, offer a clear vision and give Te Taitokerau back to the people.
The reality for Te Taitokerau is that after six years of commitment to the Maori Party, it had its good faith hijacked to serve personal ambition and a misguided sense of purpose. For the last twenty months the incumbent has wasted any gains made by the Māori Party by keeping Te Taitokerau uninformed and on the outside looking on. That is the electorate’s future if it doesn’t take back control.
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While employment, education, health, housing and the state of the economy will be core issues at these elections, whanau ora, Maori language and constitutional change will be matters that will set Maori Party aspirations apart from the rest.
The Party’s record of achievement with government is the spur the electorate needs to raise itself above the discord that has been its lot. My opponent aims to be the voice of the poor and disadvantaged. My aim is to give those people back their voice that lets them become agents of change and captains of their own destiny. For my part, I ask only for the opportunity to make it happen as Member of Parliament, for Te Taitokerau.
This press release is authorized by Waihoroi Shortland, 188 Mountain Road, Waitakere City
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