Māori corporations who bank with ASB should reconsider their business if it continues to sponsor Mike Hosking's television show, says Māori Party president Tukoroirangi Morgan.
TV host Mike Hosking and Māori Party president Tukoroirangi Morgan Photo: RNZ
Mr Hosking misled viewers of TVNZ's Seven Sharp on Wednesday when he said those on the general electoral roll could not give their party vote to the Māori Party.
Mr Hosking made a "clarification" on the programme last night.
"Last night in a throw away line I appear to have confused the Māori Party around the rules of voting in MMP," he said.
"Now what I was suggesting ... was that the Māori Party, as their representation stands, is an electorate party. In other words they are only in Parliament because they won an electorate seat.
"Therefore what I said in referring to voting for them, was to vote for them in a Māori electorate you had to be on a Māori roll."
He said it "went without saying" that anyone could vote for the Māori Party as a "list party".
But Mr Morgan said Mr Hosking - who is set to moderate TVNZ's election debates - seemed to blame the Māori Party for the blunder, and said it was a "lukewarm attempt at trying to appease the damage" he had caused. It was "not enough", he said.
Māori Party co-leader Marama Fox Photo: VNP / Phil Smith
Māori Party co-leader Marama Fox said it was a "sorry not sorry moment" from Hosking and the clarification did not clear anything up.
"Clearly he has no idea what he's talking about because I came off the list, I am Marama Fox: list MP for the Māori Party.
"You can see that on any website or on Parliament's official page if he bothered to do any checking at all."
Mr Morgan said ASB was Seven Sharp's primary sponsor and boycotting the bank would show that having someone such as Mr Hosking as a debate moderator was unacceptable.
The Māori economy has been steadily growing following the post-Treaty settlement process. It is estimated to be worth $50 billion and growing, with a recent report showing a group of 31 hapū had an average return of 8.3 percent on assets.
The Māori Party has lodged formal complaints with TVNZ and the Electoral Commission over Mr Hosking's comments.
In a statement, ASB said it had no direct commercial relationship with Mr Hosking in his role as one of Seven Sharp's presenters. "Rather, our arrangement is with Seven Sharp as New Zealand's most watched current affairs show."