Tariana Turia

The Honourable Tariana Turia MP
1st Minister responsible for Whānau Ora
Incumbent
Assumed office 8 April 2010
Prime Minister	John Key
Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector
Incumbent
Assumed office 19 November 2008
Prime Minister	John Key
Preceded by	Ruth Dyson
Minister for Disability Issues
Incumbent
Assumed office 13 June 2009
Prime Minister	John Key
Preceded by	Paula Bennett
Co-leader of the Māori Party
Incumbent
Assumed office 7 July 2004 Co-leader with Pita Sharples
Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Labour Party List
In office October 12, 1996 – July 27, 2002
Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Te Tai Hauāuru
Incumbent
Assumed office July 27, 2002
Preceded by	Nanaia Mahuta
Majority	5,113[1]
Personal details
Born	(1944-04-08) 8 April 1944
Political party	Labour Māori Party
Spouse(s)	George Turia
Religion	Ratana[2]

Tariana Turia (born 8 April 1944) is a New Zealand politician. She gained considerable prominence during the foreshore and seabed controversy, and eventually broke with her party as a result. She resigned from parliament, and successfully contested a by-election in her former electorate as a candidate of the newly formed Māori Party.

Early work

Turia was born in 1944 to an American (probably Native American) father^[3] and Māori mother. Her Māori roots are Whanganui, Ngati Apa, Nga Rauru, and Tuwharetoa iwi.

She is married to George Turia. They have 4 children, 2 whāngai^a, and 28 grandchildren, and great grandchildren.^{[citation needed]}

Before entering politics, she had considerable involvement with a number of Māori organisations, working with Te Puni Kōkiri (the Ministry of Māori Development) and a number of Māori health providers. She also had associations with the Te Kura Kaupapa and kohanga reo movements.

^^a Child adopted though Māori customary practice of adoption within the extended family, or Whānau

Member of Parliament

Turia entered the New Zealand Parliament in the 1996 election as a list MP for the Labour Party, ranking 20th on the party list. In the 1999 election, she remained a list MP, but ranked sixteenth. In the 2002 election, however, she contested the Te Tai Hauauru Māori electorate, and opted not to place herself on the party list at all. Te Tai Hauauru (roughly, the Māori voters of the west of the North Island) returned her as their member of parliament.

Although never a member of Cabinet, Turia has held a number of non-Cabinet ministerial roles. From Labour's electoral victory in 1999, she served as Associate Minister of Māori Affairs, Associate Minister of Social Services and Employment, Associate Minister of Health, and Associate Minister of Housing. In 2002, she also became Associate Minister of Corrections. After the formation of the Labour-Progressive coalition in 2002, she dropped the Corrections role and gained full ministerial rank as Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector.

Foreshore and seabed legislation

When debate about ownership of New Zealand's foreshore and seabed broke out in 2003, and the Labour Party proposed vesting ownership in the state, Turia voiced dissatisfaction. Along with many of her supporters in Te Tai Hauauru, she claimed that Labour's proposal amounted to an outright confiscation of Māori land. When it became publicly known that Turia might vote against Labour's bill in parliament, tensions between Turia and the Labour Party's leadership increased. The hierarchy strongly implied that if Turia did not support Labour policy, she could not retain her ministerial roles.

By-election

On 30 April 2004, after a considerable period of confusion about Turia's intentions, she announced that she would resign from parliament on 17 May. This precipitated a by-election being called in Te Tai Hauauru, which Turia contested as a member of the new Māori Party that formed around her. On the same day that Turia announced her resignation, Prime Minister Helen Clark sacked her from her ministerial posts.

Her supporters see Turia as having bravely defied her party in order to stand up for her principles. Her critics, however, portray her as dangerous and racist, notably for her support for race based policies which favour Maori over other New Zealanders. The Labour Party has criticised Turia for putting the foreshore and seabed issue before the party's wider policies for Māori development, and says that she has unreasonably focused on a single issue. Helen Clark said that Turia had shown "an astonishing lack of perspective". Turia described the Te Tai Hauauru by-election of 10 July 2004 as a chance to test her mandate, and to ensure that she had the support of her voters, but doubts remained about the significance of the by-election, since none of the major parties put forward candidates. Labour called the event "a waste of time and money".

Turia received 92.74% of the vote in the by-election, and resumed her seat in Parliament on 27 July 2004.

2005 general election

Turia and Pita Sharples in 2005

On 17 September 2005, the Māori Party contested the general election with electoral candidates in all seven of the Māori seats. Turia was re-elected in Te Tai Hauauru and that night three more Māori Party candidates won parliamentary seats, Pita Sharples (co-leader) in Tamaki Makaurau, Hone Harawira in Te Tai Tokerau and Te Ururoa Flavell in Waiariki. The winning of the four seats resulted in celebration for their supporters who anticipated seeing an independent, Māori voice in parliament. However, the Māori Party share of the party vote across the country was 2.1 percent, placing them sixth out of the eight parties in parliament by party vote. This was attributed to voters in the Māori electorates mainly giving their party vote to the incumbent Labour government.

2008 general election and Ministerial posts

Support for the Māori Party in the 2008 general election increased with the party gaining an additional seat.^[4] National won most seats overall, to form a minority government with support from the Māori Party as well as Act New Zealand and United Future. In return for Māori Party support in confidence and supply, John Key agreed to not abolish the Māori seats without the consent of Māori.^[5] It was also agreed to review the Foreshore and Seabed Act 2004 and to consider Māori representation in a wider constitutional review which began in 2010.^[6] Turia and co-leader Sharples were both made Ministers, although like other support party members both remained outside Cabinet. Turia was given the portfolios of Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector, Associate Minister of Health and Associate Minister for Social Development and Employment, while Sharples was made Minister of Māori Affairs.^[7] When Paula Bennett stepped down as Minister for Disability Issues on 30 June 2009, Key appointed Turia the new minister.^[8] In 2010, the National and Māori Parties announced Whānau Ora, a taskforce designed to streamline social service resources. Turia was announced Minister responsible for the implementing of the scheme.^[9]

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tariana Turia.

• Te Tai Hauāuru
• Profile at Māori Party
• Profile at New Zealand Parliament
• Releases and speeches at Beehive.govt.nz