Peter Dunne: Political Commentator says the allegations against Te Pāti Māori need to be handled carefully

The allegations against Te Pāti Māori need to be handled with sensitivity.  

It's been alleged information collected at Auckland's Manurewa Marae was used to help the party's election campaign, something Te Pāti Māori denies. 

Stats NZ has appointed an investigator, Police have received a complaint, and the Privacy Commissioner's considering what to do next. 

Political commentator Peter Dunne told Mike Hosking that it will turn into Te Pāti Māori tikanga versus the tikanga of the rest of the country.  

He says it needs to be dealt with in a way that can't be spun as colonisers attacking the party. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Back home, the Marory party facing these fresh allegations of
using personal information collected for the census and the COVID
immunization program to help their election campaign. They deny everything
but stats New Zealand has appointed and investigated the Privacy
commissioners involved past a complaint onto the police. I think
the Labour Party yesterday had a visit to the police
as well. A political commentator, Peter Dunns with us on
all of this, Peter Morning, Morning mate. At this stage,

(00:23):
given the various strands we've got, does it pass the
pub test or not?

Speaker 2 (00:28):
It's beginning to look a bit dodgy. We don't know
precisely what the allegations are, who did what, when and how,
but there's a bit of a smell beginning to emerge
about it. I think more for the fact of the
way people are reacting that you've colag you say, various
potential inquiries underway. As you talked this morning of the
Order to General being involved in both the politicians all
took knowing quite carefully around the edge of us. That

(00:51):
suggests that that concerned that there's something there that needs
to be inquired into as well. So it's beginning to
talk a little bit, a little bit squiffic.

Speaker 1 (00:58):
If you go back and I remember raising it on
the show at the time, when you have a Mariah
the chief executive of which turns out to be a candidate,
and that Mariah then turns into a polling booth, that
alone just I mean, there's nothing illegal about it, obviously,
but that alone doesn't pass the test either, does it?

Speaker 2 (01:16):
No, I think, And I think that's probably the core
of the problem, because we don't know what the I
imaginations were, if there were any, but sort of the
close link to the Maria candidate and to party mari
all just starts to look for a little bit too convenient.
And that's the problem here. It's the perception off and
rather than reality that dooms people.

Speaker 1 (01:37):
You see, you've got a whole lot of little things,
like you're watching a video of the person saying, come
and get your vex jab. But the person telling you
to come and get your vex jab and we can
get some grocery vouchers is wearing a married party T shirt.
So is the married party T shirt. The problem is
the grocery vouchers. The problem. You see what I'm saying,
you've got You've got all sorts of sort of rules
potentially being breached here or not breach, depending on which
side of the argument you're on.

Speaker 2 (01:59):
Yes, And I think this this is where the thing
gets a bit tricky because you've also got the argument
put up I think by god Tamer Harry that this
is just the traditional concept of car and you know,
it's no big deal. And I think the risk here
is that this turns into a sort of a Mari
party tea conger versus the rest of the zealanty hunger

(02:21):
and it's a very divisive situation. They easily spin off
this to their constituents that they are just being picked
on and this is the white system sort of attacking them.
That's the sort of thing that White City's been talking
about a bit of late. So, but this is going
to be handled with a degree of sensitivity. It is wrongdoing.
It needs to be found out and how to account.

(02:42):
It's got to be done in a way that doesn't
look like we're sort of, you know, again the colonizers
victimizing the thing of the fee.

Speaker 1 (02:49):
But then you've got the legal side of the equation,
because I mean people gave I mean the sensus, people
gave out warriors, sica's for God's sake to fill it
out and all those sort of things. But having said that,
if you use census information and or electoral role information
and you punch out ads on texts and you don't
do it legally, that's when lawyers get involved, isn't it potentially?

Speaker 2 (03:09):
Yeah, And the Electric Act and the legislation and government
the collection of information for the sensors are both quite
specific about how they can and cannot be used for
electrical purposes. I remember at the time they were being
developed there was a lot of discussion about making sure
that political parties had legitimate access to the data in

(03:29):
terms of the information, but how it was to be
used was of great concern because there are massive personal
privacies just involved.

Speaker 1 (03:37):
Yeah, exactly, all right, pet go well, appreciate it very much.
Peter donpolitical commentator.

Speaker 2 (03:42):
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