John Tamihere

John Tamihere is a New Zealand politician. He is a member of the governing Labour Party, and currently serves as a Cabinet minister. Tamihere is one of the more prominent Maori politicians currently active in New Zealand politics.

Early life

Tamihere was born in Auckland, and was the 10th of 12 children. His father was Maori, of Ngati Porou, Whakatohea, and Tainui descent, while his mother was of Irish and Scotish descent. He gained arts and law degrees from Auckland University, becoming the first person in his family to attend university. After graduating, he became a lawyer, eventually working for the Maori Land Court and Department of Maori Affairs. In 1991, Tamihere became the chief executive of the Waipareira Trust, which provided health and education services to Maori in the Auckland region. He also served as chairmen of the New Zealand Maori Rugby League Board. Even before entering politics, Tamihere had a relatively high profile, having been selected as Person of the Year by the Sunday Star Times, New Zealander of the Year by North and South magazine, and Man of the Year by Metro magazine.

Parliamentary career

In the 1999 election, Tamihere stood as the Labour Party's candidate for the Hauraki electorate. He was successful, winning sixty percent of the vote. His nearest rival won only fifteen percent. Immediately upon entering parliament, he became chairman of the Maori Affairs Select Committee, and also served on the Finance and Expenditure Select Committee. In the 2002 election, Tamihere contested the newly-formed Tamaki Makaurau seat, which he won with seventy-two percent of the vote. His majority was the second highest of the Maori MPs, exceded only by that of Parekura Horomia, the Minister of Maori Affairs. Tamihere was elevated to Cabinet in the same year. He currently serves as Minister of Small Business, Minister of Youth Affairs, Minister of Statistics, and Minister for Land Information, as well as being Horomia's deputy as Associate Minister of Maori Affairs.

Tamihere is often considered to be a "rising star" of the Labour caucus, and is generally expected to play a prominent role in the party's future. He is sometimes even mentioned as a potential Prime Minister.

Views and opinions

Tamihere has a fairly high public profile, much of it derived from his outspoken beliefs on a number of issues. He has made a significant impact in Maori politics by campaigning on behalf of "urban Maori", who often have no remaining links to their iwi (tribal structures). According to Tamihere, traditional structures such as iwi do not reflect the reality of modern Maori life, and are inadequate for solving today's problems. Tamihere has condemned modern iwi organizations as "new feudal tribal constructs", dominated by an elite group that is far removed from the majority of Maori. These comments have angered many prominent Maori leaders, but won him considerable popularity with ordinary Maori voters.

Tamihere has also attracted both criticism and praise for his views on Maori self-sufficiency. According to Tamihere, too many Maori are "blaming others for our failure", and it is necessary for Maori to "take responsibility for our own actions." This has placed him at odds with Maori politicians such as Willie Jackson, who accuse Tamihere of "victim-blaming". Tamihere, however, claims that the "victim mentality" is holding Maori back, and needs to be abandoned if Maori living standards are to be improved.

The foreshore and seabed controversy put considerable strain on the Labour Party's Maori MPs, with many being dissatisfied with the party's policy. Two Labour MPs, Tariana Turia and Nanaia Mahuta, chose to vote against Labour's legislation, and Turia chose to leave the party. Tamihere, however, eventually voted in favour of the legislation, and has defended it from its critics. Tamihere has also been critical of the new Maori Party established by Turia and her supporters, saying that it will ultimately fail. According to Tamihere, the party's leaders "belong to a relatively wealthy, educated elite", and do not represent ordinary Maori.