She was nice as a nannie. As politician she was no different than any of them. So many of our old people rightly or wrongly believed (many still do) that if the politician is Maori then issues will be addressed and solved - at a personal level. Like a whanau approach. Most maoris in top hole government jobs, academia, NGO type ppl etc still impose that useful myth. When I was an advocate at the People's Centre in Wellington I remember writing letters to her on behalf of benes. TT was Minister of welfare/social development. Of course she didn't actually write back. Her niece did (pvt sec) did - just the usual bullet pointed policy drivel. I get it but elderly, sick and poor Maori folks didn't.
She was nice as a nannie. As politician she was no different than any of them. So many of our old people rightly or wrongly believed (many still do) that if the politician is Maori then issues will be addressed and solved - at a personal level. Like a whanau approach. Most maoris in top hole government jobs, academia, NGO type ppl etc still impose that useful myth. When I was an advocate at the People's Centre in Wellington I remember writing letters to her on behalf of benes. TT was Minister of welfare/social development. Of course she didn't actually write back. Her niece did (pvt sec) did - just the usual bullet pointed policy drivel. I get it but elderly, sick and poor Maori folks didn't.