Nick Mills: Hana-Rāwhiti Maipi-Clarke has dissapointed me

EDITORIAL: Now for me one of the biggest problems facing politics today isn't the just the economy, it's not just crime, it's not just health, it's not even just the cost of living, which are all hugely important.  

But it’s one word: trust. 

Who do we trust in politics? 

Do we actually believe what politicians tell us anymore? 

Because if we don't, then don’t we have a real problem? 

This latest story involving Te Pāti Māori MP Hana-Rāwhiti Maipi-Clarke has genuinely disappointed me.  

Not because she's from Te Pāti Māori. Not because she's young. Actually, because she represented something different. 

She arrived in Parliament as one of the new generation.  

Young, energetic, hugely popular on social media, someone many people thought could genuinely inspire young Māori to get involved in politics.  

Whether you agreed with her politics or not, there was a sense that she could become a powerful voice for her people, young people. 

That's why this matters. 

Stuff has now questioned a series of social media posts where Hana-Rāwhiti Maipi-Clarke appeared to claim credit for work that ministers say she wasn't involved in. 

The latest involves extending free breast screening from age 69 to 74. 

The policy was promised before the 2023 election by then National health spokesperson Shane Reti, funded in the 2024 Budget and is now being rolled out.  

Yet Maipi-Clarke posted that she had been "supporting the minister" and described it as an announcement she'd been working on since last year.  

After questions were raised, the wording of that post has suddenly changed. 

And this one really stings for me.  

I've known a number of Māori women, people very close to me, who've battled breast cancer.  

So, when a young Māori wāhine appears to be claiming a significant role in something so important for her own people, if that claim isn't accurate, that's incredibly disappointing.  

For me breast cancer is too serious to become part of anyone's political image. 

But it's not just this. 

Last week another social media post was deleted after questions were raised about claims she'd spent 65 percent of her time advocating for young people in prisons and youth justice facilities. 

According to the article, the office of the Corrections Minister said she had visited one prison once since becoming an MP, while the Children's Minister said she had never visited, or even asked to visit, an Oranga Tamariki youth justice facility.  

Those are enormous differences between what people were led to believe, what we were told and what ministers say actually happened. 

Every politician likes to put their best foot forward. Every politician celebrates wins. 

But here’s the line. 

If you supported a policy, say you supported it. 

If you campaigned for a policy, say you campaigned for it. 

If you delivered it, then by all means take the credit. 

But don't leave thousands of followers believing you've done work you may, or probably have not done. 

Social media is where many New Zealanders, me included now get their political information. Watch, study and keep in their minds. 

That means politicians have an even greater responsibility to get it right. Even greater responsibility to tell the damn truth. 

Because if we can't trust what our elected representatives are telling us online, then what exactly are we supposed to believe? 

Politics doesn't need more spin. 

It needs more honesty. 

And I think New Zealanders deserve exactly that. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:07):
You're listening to the Wellington Mornings podcast with Nick Mills
from News Talk said, b.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
Now, for me, one of the biggest problems facing politics
today isn't just the economy, isn't just crime. It's not
even just health, and it's not even the cost of living,
which are all hugely important, but it's one word. Trust.

(00:34):
Who do we trust in politics? Do we actually believe
what politicians tell us anymore? Because if we don't, then
don't we have a real problem. The latest story that's
involving to Party Mary's MP, Hannah Raffiti might p Clark

(00:58):
has generally disappointed me. Not because she's from to Party Mari,
not because she's young, very young, actually because she represented
something very different. She arrived in Parliament as one of
the new generation, young, energetic, hugely popular on social media,

(01:22):
someone many people thought could generally inspire young mildy to
get involved in politics, and whether you agree with her
politics or not, there was a sense that she could
become a powerful voice for her people, young people. That's
why this matters. Stuff has now questioned a series of

(01:48):
social media posts where Hannah Rafferti my p Clark has
appeared to claim credit huge credit for work that ministers
say she wasn't even involved in. The latest involved extending
free breast screening from the ages of sixty nine to

(02:10):
seventy four. The policy was promised before the twenty twenty
three election by the then National Health spokesperson Shane Ritti,
funded in the twenty twenty four budget and now has
been rolled out.

Speaker 1 (02:28):
Yet.

Speaker 2 (02:29):
My p Clark posted that she has been supporting the
minister and described it as an announcement she has been
working on since last year, working on. After questions were raised,
the wording of that post has suddenly changed, and this
one particularly stings for me. I've known a number of

(02:52):
mildy women very close to me who have battled breast cancer.
So when a young maldi Waheni appears to be claiming
a significant role in something so important to her own people,
if that claim isn't accurate, that is incredibly disappointing for me.

(03:14):
Breast cancer is far too serious to become something of
anyone's political image. But it's not just this. Last week,
another social media post was deleted after questions were raised
about claims that she had spent sixty five percent of
her time advocating for young people in prisons and youth

(03:36):
justice facilities. According to the article, the Office of the
Corrections Minister said she had visited one prison once since
becoming an MP, while the Children's Minister said she had
never visited or even asked to visit along the Tamadiki

(03:57):
Youth Justice facility sixty five percent of her time. Those
were enormous differences between what people were led to leave,
what we were told, what we were led to believe,
and what ministers said actually happened. Now, every politician likes
to put their best forward forward. Every politician celebrates win.

(04:20):
But here's a line. If you supported a policy, say
you support it. If you campaign for a policy, you
say you campaign for it, If you delivered it, then
by all means take all the credit, sing it from
the rafters, but don't leave thousands of followers believing you've

(04:40):
done work that you may or probably have not done.
Social media is where many New Zealanders may include it.
Now get their political information, watch study and keep in
their minds. That means politicians have an even greater responsibility
to get it right, even greater responsibility to tell the

(05:05):
damn truth. Because if we trust what our elected representers
are telling us online. If we can't trust that, what
are we actually supposed to believe. Politics doesn't need more spin,
Politics needs more honesty, and I think New Zealanders deserve

(05:27):
exactly that.

Speaker 1 (05:29):
For more from Wellington Mornings with Nick Mills, listen live
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or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio