We have NZ First MP Pita Paraone live with us now.
Tena koe, Pita.
NZ First had its annual general meeting in Rotorua on the weekend,
your leader gave a speech titled 'The New Kiwi deal' -
what's the essence of this vision and how will it impact on Maori?
Our policies are not specifically just for non-Maori,
they are for everybody.
That is why our party is called New Zealand First.
There were comments made by those who wished to bring us down,
saying that the problem with NZ First
is that we are always looking back.
When we take a look at the past, back to the recession,
we see the signs that have lead us to today.
That is why NZ First looks to the past.
A column in the Herald this morning
talks about NZ First's diminishing 'fan' base -
how do you see it?
We're not shrinking, we're just growing older.
That's what we said at this year's AGM -
we need to work on strategies to attract a new group of voters.
We can't just depend of the elderly.
I'm happy to see those that, while they aren't exactly young,
they're parents, middle-aged, and they are stanch supporters.
How many Maori voters support NZ First?
There are many.
At the Northland by-election,
so many Maori wanted to vote for our member,
but they were on the Maori Role.
If we look at the stats from the last elections,
we'd see that almost 15% of Maori voted NZ First.
That's why believe support from Maori is on the rise.
Did you discuss standing candidates in the Maori electorates at the AGM?
It came up, but we decided
to leave it to the board to look into
before moving forward.
Maori language week has just finished –
what are your thoughts on the idea that the campaign
should be extended to a month?
It would be great,
but I'd prefer that instead of leaving it for a week or a month,
we speak it all the time.
The public needs to understand that Maori and sign language
are also official languages of this country by law.
We commonly speak English,
but there's no law to safeguard the other two.
Your party also believes that all children should be taught Maori?
That is a policy of yours?
Absolutely, but as I see it, many children know that language,
but their parent don't.
That's why I supported the Taura Whiri's theme
encouraging parents to speak Maori.
What an inspired theme that was.
Pita Paraone, thank you for your time.