Shane Jones

The Maori Party leaders boast they will select the governments of the future, but if this is their mission they must stop using the crutch of victimhood to sustain themselves, says Labour MP Shane Jones.

"Their ETS complicity shows them to be more of a national party rather than a natural party of government," Shane Jones said.

"Phil Goff"s robust speech on nationhood yesterday was an invitation to get in the ring and debate the issues of the future. The Maori Party response is to hide behind the fig leaf of race rather than account for why they do sly deals with a privileged tribal elite.

"The Maori Party is complicit in underhanded double dealing which benefits a narrow gentrified southern tribal class. They have repudiated their own members who opposed the ETS, and have left a enormous amount of ill will on the back of corporate welfare for the elite of planet Ngai Tahu.

"These issues are genuine political matters and given they represent a potential $1 billion corporate subsidy to a privileged tribal elite, the Maori Party now needs to account for itself to its own supporters as well as New Zealanders generally.

"It's time for them to own their rhetoric and realise that this ain't puppy love."