Tuesday, January 25, 2005
Courting Ratana
I'm fascinated at the strenuous courting each year by all political parties of the Ratana Church. Once again we saw a massive turnout by Labour (some 30 MPs, most no doubt under strict marching orders from She Who Must Be Obeyed). But none of the other parties dared absent themselves.
On a strict numbers basis this huge effort doesn't make a great deal of sense. According the last Census, the Ratana Church had just under 49,000 adherents. If 30% of those are under voting age (about the national percentage for Maori generally), that leaves 34,300. Let's say that 80% of those vote (being generous), that leaves 27,440. We don't know how many will follow the Church heirarchy's lead, but let's be generous again and say 70%. We're now down to 19,200 votes.
Those votes are largely going to be concentrated in a few pockets, with the biggest in the Wanganui district. So in terms of electorate seats, we're talking about a bloc vote that will affect maybe a couple of electorate seats.
Presumably, then, the effort is all about image and being seen to be the friend of Maori at large. It's all rather selective, though. There are probably almost as many Maori votes in the Tikanga Maori branch of the Anglican Church, but I don't recall the political parties all queueing up to address their annual Synod.
It's even stranger when you consider the great cry for separation of Church and State whenever anyone wants to intrude the meerest sniff of religion into politics. But when it comes to politicking, garnering votes, and promoting multi-culturalism, no mix is too strange.
I'm fascinated at the strenuous courting each year by all political parties of the Ratana Church. Once again we saw a massive turnout by Labour (some 30 MPs, most no doubt under strict marching orders from She Who Must Be Obeyed). But none of the other parties dared absent themselves.
On a strict numbers basis this huge effort doesn't make a great deal of sense. According the last Census, the Ratana Church had just under 49,000 adherents. If 30% of those are under voting age (about the national percentage for Maori generally), that leaves 34,300. Let's say that 80% of those vote (being generous), that leaves 27,440. We don't know how many will follow the Church heirarchy's lead, but let's be generous again and say 70%. We're now down to 19,200 votes.
Those votes are largely going to be concentrated in a few pockets, with the biggest in the Wanganui district. So in terms of electorate seats, we're talking about a bloc vote that will affect maybe a couple of electorate seats.
Presumably, then, the effort is all about image and being seen to be the friend of Maori at large. It's all rather selective, though. There are probably almost as many Maori votes in the Tikanga Maori branch of the Anglican Church, but I don't recall the political parties all queueing up to address their annual Synod.
It's even stranger when you consider the great cry for separation of Church and State whenever anyone wants to intrude the meerest sniff of religion into politics. But when it comes to politicking, garnering votes, and promoting multi-culturalism, no mix is too strange.
