Many who voted for New Zealand First with their party vote will feel deeply betrayed, Hobson’s Pledge spokesman Don Brash said today. 

With 46 percent support, National could form a government with NZ First that could look beyond paternalistic policies intended to “improve the lot of Maori”.

Over the last year, the Hobson’s Pledge Trust has been promoting the message that New Zealanders are one people, with equal rights to live in this land – not two people, Maori and “the rest”, as successive governments have asked us to believe.  Over the last month or so, with the upcoming election in mind, we have been urging people to “use your vote to end National’s race-based policies”.  Not surprisingly, people have asked: how?

First let me explain why voting National won’t end the race-based policies which have been increasingly built into central and local government practice in recent years.

The policies of Labour’s new leader Jacinda Ardern on Maori seats and a water tax should send a chill through Hobson’s Pledge supporters.

Labour has yet another leader and the Green Party is overrun with a leader’s past indiscretions, what is the National Party about to do? One thing they could do would be to match the promise made by Winston Peters to hold a binding referendum of all voters on the future of the Maori seats.

We’ve reached the limits of what Government can do, the limits of Government grants and programmes, Prime Minister Bill English told Ratana members on Monday.

He was attending annual commemorations at the group’s settlement south of Wanganui. The event kicks off the political year.

New Zealand First voted against three Taranaki treaty settlement bills, last Wednesday, because they will force the Taranaki Regional Council to appoint six iwi members, three on the policy and planning committee, and three on the regulatory functions committee.

Parliament sat through extended sitting hours to pass the Ngaruahine, Te Atiawa and Taranaki Iwi Claims Settlement Bills through their third readings.

About 200 people attended the Hobson's Pledge public meeting in Tauranga on Tuesday, November 22, at the Hotel Armitage.

The standing room only meeting demonstrated the level of concern that exists with the current direction of National away from a democratic and equal New Zealand.

Auckland business manager Casey Costello quoted Maori leader Sir Peter Buck, who said “Beware of separatism. The Maori can do anything the Pakeha can do. But in order to achieve this we must all be New Zealanders first.”