Pacific voters not guaranteed Labour support - commentator

A political commentator says Pacific people should not be taken for granted as Labour voters amid changing socio-economic dynamics within the community and an emerging Pasifika middle class.

Speaking on a political panel on Pacific Mornings, commentator Richard Pamatatau says more Pacific people want to be part of National’s political conversation and this presents both a challenge and an opportunity for the party.

He says National has previously made efforts to increase Pacific representation within its ranks.

“Not every Islander wants to vote for Labour or the Greens, so that's something I think that is really important going forward,” Pamatatau says. “We did see a few years ago Judith Collins working hard to bring more Pacific people to stand.

“That is an opportunity for National going forward if it can find more people like Angee [Nicholas] who want to be in the political system and not leave that up to Labour.”

Former National candidate for Te Atatū, Angee Nicholas, says Pacific voters are often spoken about in overly simplistic terms during election campaigns.

There are currently no Pacific MPs in any of the coalition government parties. Photo/Supplied

Nicholas told the panel that her decision to stand for National was shaped by strong relationships within the party’s Pacific branch.

“Those relationships and me being open to hearing about the different policies and hearing about National led me there and I'm still there. So I'm really excited for the year ahead,” Nicholas says.

Pamatatau says National should consider Pacific candidates in electorates that traditionally vote blue, such as the North Shore, and not limit Pasifika representation to Labour-held seats.

Listen to the political panel below.

Despite Pacific communities making up a major portion of the population, the current government has no Pacific MPs.

Nicholas won the Te Atatu electorate on election night but ultimately lost the seat to Labour’s Phil Twyford after the special votes were counted.

At the last general election, former National candidate for Māngere, Agnes Loheni, was the highest-ranked Pacific candidate on the party’s list, placed at number 25.

The panel also discussed Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s State of the Nation address this week, which Pamatatau rated three out of five.

“There was nothing groundbreaking in the speech, but let's just look at the context for that.

Agned Loheni (left) and Angee Nicholas (right) campaigning ahead of the 2023 general elections. Photo/Supplied

“Luxon has got a really big year ahead of him and from that position, he did not want to put anything out into the public sphere that Labour or the Greens or anybody else could mobilise against him so it was a very considered, very, very steady speech.”

Nicholas rated Luxon’s address a five, saying the country needs a National-led government as its economic policies begin to show results.

“We need sensible, reliable future focus, and I'm not seeing any of that from the left,” she says. “We need a National government.”