Maori invisible in health study

A report on the primary healthcare workforce has been slammed for missing out Maori.

The Workforce Taskforce was commissioned by the Health Minister last November to report on issues in the workforce, but admitted it was unable to consult with all interested parties and more work is needed on issues specific to Maori, Pacific and rural populations.

Ripeka Evans from the Maori Medical Practitioners Association says the omission of Maori was lazy and sloppy.

“The ministry was well resources to be able to pick up the phone and initiate the participation of Maori primary healthcare providers. Maori doctors and nurses are involved every day at the coalface in delivering primary healthcare and there’s no excuse to omit the participation of Maori in creating such a strategy.” Ms Evans says.

She says by not including Maori issues, the Workforce Taskforce skewed the report in favour of the wealthy and healthy non-Maori population.

MAORI PARTY JOINS IN WINSTON HUNT

Winston Peters says the Maori Party's support of a censure motion against him was driven by electoral politics rather than the facts of the case.

On the advice of its representative on Parliament's privileges committee, Te Ururoa Flavell, the party accepted the committee's finding the New Zealand First leader knew about and should have declared a $100,000 donation from billionaire Owen Glenn in the register of pecuniary interests.

Its four votes, when added its four votes to those of National, ACT, the Greens, United and the two independents, allowed the censure motion to pass.

Mr Peters says that's after Maori Party MPs had gone round marae and radio stations telling Maori they were supporting him.

“When it came to the crunch, they lined up for a political alignment with National and the ACT Party and I couldn’t believe it when I saw that was going to happen because it told me they weren’t focused on this hearing at all. They were focused on the next election and what might be the outcome, and I think that's a travesty,” he says.

Mr Peters says he's been convicted of breaking a rule that didn't exist at the time the donation was made.

CENSURE BLOW TO PETERS’ IMAGE

Meanwhile, a former New Zealand First MP says the censure is a blow to Winston Peters' self-made image of political integrity.

Tau Henare, who is now a National list MP, says the majority on the privileges committee was clear Mr Peters must have known about the donation from Owen Glenn, and acted accordingly.

“He touted himself around the traps as being the one clean person in the world and that’s been Winston’s moniker for the last 25 years and all well and good to him but he just got caught out this time,” Mr Henare says.

FLAVELL DEFENDS PETERS PILLORYING

Maori Party MP Te Ururoa Flavell is defending his advice that the party censure Winston Peters, despite earlier expressions of solidarity by his colleagues for the embattled New Zealand First leader.

Mr Flavell was on the privileges committee, and signed the majority report which found Mr Peters knew about a $100,000 donation from billionaire Owen Glenn, and should have declared it in the register of pecuniary interests.

Mr Peters has accused the Maori Party of playing electoral politics in anticipation of a National Party win in the election.

But Mr Flavell says he went on the evidence.

“In the end I’m not too much fussed about anything else and I didn’t take any cognisance of how anyone else was voting. I tried to stay focused on those issues and as I say for me and indeed with the support of my colleagues all of the evidence lined up and it was a clear issue of contempt,” Mr Flavell says.

He says there is no way he would back another MP just because he or she is Maori.

PETERS BLOWS WHISTLE OF DOUBLE STANDARD ON TRAIN SHARES

Winston Peters meanwhile says the censure motion is the height of hypocrisy at a time when the National Party leader has admitted asking parliamentary questions about shares he was trading.

The New Zealand First leader is standing by his claim he had no knowledge of the Owen Glenn donation to his legal fund until July this year - and even if he had known, he got no personal pecuniary benefit that needed to be declared.

He says the Maori Party is aligning itself with the National Party at a time its leader John Key has admitted a far more serious breach of parliamentary standards.

“He went out there and was trading in the market at a time he was asking questions about the rail shares and the value of them. He made tens and tens of thousands (of dollars) out of his transaction and I just lost (my electoral petition) and there he just sits in judgment on me on the basis I can’t be trusted. I’ll tell you who can’t be trusted: somebody who asks parliamentary questions who’s got a private and personal reason why he's asking them,” Mr Peters says.

TAITOKERAU GETS BACK TO THE FUTURE IMAGE MAKEOVER

Taitokerau has a new image ... or rather a new old image.

Enterprise Northland is dropping its Naturally Northland brand and promoting the region as the birthplace of the nation.

Tourism minister Damien O'Connor says it's a chance to make tourists aware of the area's rich Maori and Pakeha heritage, especially in places like Russell and Waitangi where there are well-developed facilities.

“The relationship between Maori and non-Maori and Pakeha development early on is so unique and something we should be proud of. While not perfect, understand the challenges that were there and the need to work with Maori who were there in the communities and build a strong relationship is something that is often not well understood by other New Zealanders or people from elsewhere in the world,” Mr O'Conner says.

He expects to see more ventures focusing on early Maori and Pakeha stories.