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Willie Jackson (politician)

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The Honourable
Willie Jackson
MP
27th Minister of Broadcasting and Media
In office
14 June 2022 – 27 November 2023
Prime MinisterJacinda Ardern
Chris Hipkins
Preceded byKris Faafoi
Succeeded byMelissa Lee
45th Minister for Māori Development
In office
6 November 2020 – 27 November 2023
Prime MinisterJacinda Ardern
Chris Hipkins
Preceded byNanaia Mahuta
Succeeded byTama Potaka
17th Minister of Employment
In office
26 October 2017 – 6 November 2020
Prime MinisterJacinda Ardern
Preceded byPaul Goldsmith
Succeeded byCarmel Sepuloni
Member of the New Zealand Parliament
for Labour Party list
Incumbent
Assumed office
23 September 2017
3rd Leader of Mana Motuhake
In office
2 June 2001 – 4 December 2003
Preceded bySandra Lee
Succeeded byParty dissolved
Member of the New Zealand Parliament
for Alliance party list
In office
27 November 1999 – 27 July 2002
Personal details
Born1961 (age 62–63)
NationalityNew Zealander
Political partyLabour (from 2017)
Alliance (1999–2002)
Spouse(s)
​
(div. 2001)​

Tania Rangiheuea
Parent
RelativesSyd Jackson (uncle)
Moana Jackson (uncle)
Everard Jackson (grandfather)
Fred Jackson (great-grandfather)
ProfessionBroadcaster
Trade unionist

William Wakatere Jackson[1] (born 1961) is a New Zealand politician and former unionist, broadcaster and Urban Māori leader. He was a Member of Parliament for the Alliance from 1999 to 2002 and is currently a Labour Party MP, having been re-elected in 2017.

Jackson was Minister of Employment, Minister for Māori Development, and Minister of Broadcasting and Media in the Sixth Labour Government.

Early life and family

[edit]

Jackson was born in 1961, the eldest of three children to Dame Temuranga “June” Batley-Jackson (Ngāti Maniapoto) and Bob Jackson (Ngāti Porou).[2][3] Bob Jackson's brothers were activist Syd Jackson and lawyer Moana Jackson; their father was All Black Everard Jackson. Bob and June were a dockworker and a cleaner but became leaders of the Urban Māori movement in the 1970s and 1980s.[4] Although Bob spoke te reo Māori as his first language, he did not pass it on to his children and Willie Jackson learned it as an adult through immersion classes.[5]

Willie Jackson has both Māori and Pākehā ancestry and grew up in Porirua until the age of 10, when the family moved to Māngere.[6][7] He describes himself as having been "a failure at school" and after leaving Mangere College became a freezing worker.[8][9]

Jackson married the singer Moana Maniapoto, whose band he managed; they divorced in 2001. His second wife is Tania Rangiheuea, a former Victoria University of Wellington lecturer and school principal. Jackson has three children, including journalist Hikurangi Jackson.[10][11]

Early career

[edit]

After leaving school, Jackson became a freezing worker, where he became involved with trade unions. By age 21, he was president of the freezing workers union and the youngest union leader in the country.[7][12] At 25, Jackson became an organiser at the Northern Clerical Workers’ Union where he worked with his uncle Syd Jackson and future New Zealand First MP Tau Henare.[13]

In the 1990s, Jackson became a partner at Tangata Records, a label that promoted and developed contemporary Māori music. He managed Moana and the Moahunters, a band fronted by his then-wife Moana Maniapoto.[14][15] He was also a sports and Māori radio broadcaster on Radio Aotearoa and the manager of All Black Frank Bunce.[16]

Jackson's mother established the Manukau Urban Maori Authority (MUMA) in 1986. He was a spokesperson for MUMA through the fisheries settlements of the 1990s, critisising the proposed allocation of fisheries resources only to iwi because it would disadvantage Urban Māori.[17] With John Tamihere of the West Auckland urban Māori trust Te Whanau o Waipareira, he brought an unsuccessful court case to stop the allocations going ahead in 1997/98.[18][19][20]

Mana Motuhake and the Alliance

[edit]
New Zealand Parliament
Years Term Electorate List Party
1999–2002 46th List 9 Alliance
2017–2020 52nd List 22 Labour
2020–2023 53rd List 19 Labour
2023–present 54th List 9 Labour

In 1995, Jackson joined the Mana Motuhake party, a Māori party which formed part of the Alliance. He was a candidate for the Alliance in the 1996 election, ranked 20 on the party list and contesting the Manurewa electorate. Jackson's list placement was controversial because he had been ranked eighth of eight Mana Motuhake candidates to be integrated within the combined party list of 65 candidates—an unelectable position. However, the NewLabour component party of the Alliance considered Jackson "one of the most talented new candidates" and enabled him to change his affiliation at the last moment, enabling him to be placed higher.[21][22] Despite the change, he was not elected.

Jackson returned to Mana Motuhake as its national director ahead of the 1999 general election. He was the Alliance candidate in the new Māori electorate of Hauraki, where he lost to his friend and fellow urban Māori advocate John Tamihere of the Labour Party.[23][24][25] Ranked ninth on the Alliance party list—the highest of any candidate who was not already in Parliament—Jackson was elected as a list MP. From 1999 to 2002, he was deputy chair of the Māori affairs committee and also sat on the transport and industrial relations committee.[26] His maiden speech, given on 8 February 2000, seconded the address in reply debate and set out his views on the socio-economic disparities between Māori and Pākehā:[27]

We are at the beginning of a new millennium, and it is timely that Māori should prepare themselves well for the future. One of my aims during this term is to assist Māori to engage in long-term strategic planning for economic and cultural survival. In the immediate term, Māori needs are exactly the same as those of Pākehā. We need jobs, and better housing, health, and education. However, we need a little bit more, for Māori have the responsibility of passing on a language and a culture to successive generations.

In his term in Parliament, Jackson was an outspoken advocate for Māori broadcasting. In his maiden speech, he said his aim was to have "a professional Maori broadcasting system that is well planned, properly resourced, and capable of encompassing all facets of Maori language and culture."[27] He was critical of the Labour government's inaction on the creation of a state-funded Māori television service but won a victory when the Government changed course to allow a pan-Māori authority to control part of the 3G radiowave spectrum.[28][29]

In 2001, Jackson successfully challenged Mana Motuhake leader Sandra Lee for the leadership of the party within the Alliance.[30] When the Alliance began to collapse in 2002, Jackson sided with the faction led by Laila Harré and Matt McCarten, and remained with the party when Jim Anderton established his breakaway group. In the 2002 election, Jackson became deputy leader of the Alliance under Harré's leadership, but the Alliance failed to win any seats.[31] Mana Motuhake withdrew from the Alliance after the election and Jackson resigned the party leadership in 2003.[32][33]

Return to broadcasting

[edit]

After losing his re-election bid at the 2002 general election, Jackson returned to his broadcasting career. He became general manager of Radio Waatea, and later the chief executive of Urban Māori Broadcasting,[34][35] and was the host of two television current affairs programmes. Eye to Eye with Willie Jackson aired on TV One from 2004 to 2009.[36][37] From 2009, Jackson moved to Māori Television where he hosted Willie Jackson's Newsbites until 2011. As an interviewer, Jackson was praised by Bill Ralston, who said that Jackson knew how to get the best out of his guests.[38]

A hosting partnership between Jackson and John Tamihere began in 2006 with an afternoon talkback programme on Radio Live; this ran until it was ended by the Roast Busters scandal in 2013. The duo also co-hosted The World According to Willie and JT on TV One in 2007.[39] Jackson returned to Radio Live in 2014, co-hosting the afternoon programme with Alison Mau. He resigned from Radio Live in early 2017 after being announced as a Labour Party candidate in the 2017 general election.[40]

Return to advocacy and politics

[edit]

Jackson remained involved in politics after his 2002 defeat. He unsuccessfully attempted to create a pan-Māori party between 2002 and 2003, then became an early supporter of Tariana Turia's Māori Party.[33] A bid to become Mayor of Manukau City in 2007 was unsuccessful, with Jackson placing fourth in a crowded field that also included Len Brown, Dick Quax, and Arthur Anae.[35][41] After Hone Harawira split from the Māori Party in 2011, Jackson became a supporter of the Mana Movement and an advocate for political peace between the two Māori parties.[42][43] Jackson considered standing for the Mana Movement in Tāmaki Makaurau at the 2011 election, but declined to run.[44]

Jackson was elected the first chair of the National Urban Māori Authority (NUMA) in 2003 and succeeded his mother as chief executive of the Manukau Urban Māori Authority (MUMA) in 2009.[45][46] He left those leadership roles after being re-elected to Parliament in 2017.[47] During Jackson's tenure leading these organisations, NUMA won a bid to be the North Island Whānau Ora commissioning agency in 2014 and a subsidiary of MUMA won the contract for a South Auckland charter school in 2017.[48][49]

Labour Party

[edit]

Sixth Labour Government, 2017–2023

[edit]

Jackson was recruited by Labour Party leader Andrew Little to stand as a Labour candidate and run the party's campaign for the Māori electorates in the 2017 general election.[40][50][51][52] As Māori campaign manager, Jackson called for the Green Party to withdraw some of its candidates so that Labour would have a stronger chance of winning its own races, but was rebuffed by his own leader.[53] Nonetheless, Labour won all seven Māori electorates. Jackson, who had stood as a list-only candidate, was elected as a Labour Party list MP.[54]

Following post-election negotiations between Labour, New Zealand First and the Greens and the formation of a coalition government, Jackson was appointed the Minister of Employment and Associate Minister for Māori Development (outside Cabinet).[55][56] He also sat on the foreign affairs, defence and trade committee.[26] After Jackson was re-elected in the 2020 general election, he was elevated to the Cabinet as Minister for Māori Development and given the associate portfolios for the Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) and justice.[57][58] He also held the internal Labour Party office of co-chair of the Māori caucus.[59][60]

In late November 2021, Jackson apologised to the Moriori on behalf of Ngāti Tama and Ngāti Mutunga for his ancestors' role in the Moriori genocide. This apology accompanied the passage of the Moriori Claims Settlements Bill, which formalised the New Zealand Government's financial compensation settlement to the Moriori within the framework of the Treaty of Waitangi.[61]

In early December 2021, Jackson was ejected from the New Zealand Parliament debating chamber for refusing to apologise after National Party MP Maureen Pugh had objected to him calling the ACT party "right-wing fascists." Jackson had made these remarks during a debate on a bill to include two Ngāi Tahu representatives on the Canterbury Regional Council after the 2022 New Zealand local elections.[62]

In a June 2022 reshuffle, Jackson was also appointed Minister of Broadcasting and Media.[63] As Broadcasting Minister, Jackson introduced draft legislation to merge the public broadcasters Radio New Zealand and TVNZ into a new non-profit autonomous Crown entity called Aotearoa New Zealand Public Media (ANZPM).[64][65][66] During a live television interview with TVNZ journalist Jack Tame on TVNZ's Q+A in December 2022, Jackson defended the Government's public media merger efforts particularly its commitment to editorial independence and questioned the motives and impartiality of his host.[67] In response, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern expressed disagreement with Jackson's remarks but defended his competence as Minister of Broadcasting. The interview was described as "a trainwreck" by the National Party's broadcasting spokesperson Melissa Lee and Jackson's apologised for his conduct on 6 December, but defended the public media merger and accused the New Zealand media of fomenting opposition to the merger effort.[68][69] The merger was cancelled two months later.[66]

Opposition, 2023–present

[edit]

During the 2023 New Zealand general election held on 14 October, Jackson was re-elected to Parliament on the Labour party list.[70] He again led Labour's campaign strategy for the Māori electorates, but was unsuccessful with only one seat being won by Labour. Jackson said he considered quitting politics after the election, but decided to stay on for the term.[71][72][73]

In early November 2023, Jackson stated that Māori people would "go to war" if the incoming Sixth National Government proceeded with an ACT campaign promise to hold a referendum on redefining the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi. In response to Jackson's remarks, ACT leader David Seymour reiterated that ACT wanted a "rational debate" on the topic and stated that "when people threaten war as the alternative to that, they are not being a good actor investing in the future of our country."[74]

In late November 2023, Jackson assumed the Māori Development, broadcasting and media, employment and associate housing and associate workplace relations and safety portfolios in the Shadow Cabinet of Chris Hipkins.[75]

On 5 December 2023, Jackson was granted retention of the title The Honourable, in recognition of his term as a member of the Executive Council.[76]

In late May 2024, Jackson participated in an Oxford Union debate where he delivered a winning speech calling for the return of seven mokomōkai (preserved Māori heads adorned with customary Māori tattoos known as moko) from the British Museum. His speech also criticised the legacy of British colonialism in New Zealand.[77]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Daily progress for Tuesday, 7 November 2017". New Zealand Parliament. Archived from the original on 6 December 2017. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
  2. ^ Tahana, Yvonne (7 June 2010). "Straight-talking Dame recalls humble origins". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
  3. ^ Maniapoto, Moana (2 April 2022). "The Matriarch of Māngere". E-Tangata. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  4. ^ Fuatai, Teuila (28 February 2019). "The incredible legacy of Dame June Jackson". The Spinoff. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
  5. ^ Jackson, Willie (2 June 2016). "The Politics of the Reo". Waatea News: Māori Radio Station. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
  6. ^ Page, Emma (28 October 2015). "DNA shock for Willie Jackson and family". Stuff.
  7. ^ a b Maxwell, Joel (13 November 2020). "Willie Jackson: 'You gotta get the deal .. to fulfil dreams'". www.stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
  8. ^ Newshub (6 March 2024). Backstory: Willie Jackson reflects on his winding road to parliament (Television production). Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  9. ^ "'True warrior' Jackson dies". The Dominion Post. 4 September 2007. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
  10. ^ "Dad's the way I like it". Stuff. 2007. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
  11. ^ "Willie Jackson likes to talk". NZ Herald. 30 March 2007. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
  12. ^ Maniapoto, Moana (18 February 2017). "Moana Maniapoto: The Willie Jackson I know". E-Tangata. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
  13. ^ Husband, Dale (21 November 2020). "Willie Jackson: Primed for politics". E-Tangata. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  14. ^ McLennan, Peter (17 July 2014). "Tangata Records". AudioCulture. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  15. ^ Refiti-Shopland, Alice. "Moana: Rhythm & Reo". NZ Musician. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  16. ^ Clifton, Jane (7 April 1996). "Why we can't tag Mana Motuhake as radically Maori". Sunday Star-Times. p. C6.
  17. ^ Kirk, Jeremy (18 April 1997). "Outrage at $300m fisheries plan". The Press.
  18. ^ Barlow, Hugh (22 October 1997). "City Maoris go to court over fishing allocations". The Dominion.
  19. ^ "Fisheries iwi ruling pleases Tainui". Waikato Times. 4 August 1998. p. 1.
  20. ^ Barnao, Pete (5 August 1998). "Urban Maoris ruled out". The Dominion. p. 10.
  21. ^ Speden, Graeme (14 June 1996). "Switch infuriates electorate". The Dominion. p. 2.
  22. ^ Kominik, Anna (27 September 1996). "Alliance counting on party vote". The Dominion. p. 3.
  23. ^ Knight, Richard. "Mates face off for new Hauraki seat". NZ Herald. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  24. ^ Bain, Helen (19 March 1999). "Mateship on the hustings". The Dominion. p. 19.
  25. ^ "Maoridom returns home to Labour". The Dominion. 29 November 1999. p. 2.
  26. ^ a b "Jackson, Willie". New Zealand Parliament. 29 February 2024. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  27. ^ a b Jackson, Willie. "Address in Reply" (PDF). Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  28. ^ Espiner, Guyon (30 April 2000). "Jackson makes his stand". Sunday Star-Times. p. A9.
  29. ^ "Govt backs pan-Maori trust for radiowaves". NZ Herald. 30 June 2000. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  30. ^ Venter, Nick (11 June 2001). "Joy turns to humiliation for new Mana Motuhake leader". The Southland Times. p. 2.
  31. ^ "Official Count Results – Overall Status". Electoral Commission. Retrieved 7 August 2013.
  32. ^ "Mana Motuhake leader quits". ONE News. 4 December 2003. Archived from the original on 5 December 2003. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
  33. ^ a b "Creating a pan-Maori party defeats Jackson". NZ Herald. 7 December 2003. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  34. ^ "Maori broadcasting weaves tangled web". NZ Herald. 26 June 2003. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  35. ^ a b Thompson, Wayne (22 August 2007). "Jackson and Tamihere running for mayor". NZ Herald. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  36. ^ "Networks rush to air Maori perspective". NZ Herald. 8 June 2004. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  37. ^ Drinnan, John (9 July 2009). "No longer seeing Eye to Eye". NZ Herald. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  38. ^ Trevett, Claire (13 June 2005). "Those were our presenters tonight". NZ Herald. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  39. ^ Drinnan, John (23 August 2007). "What to do about Willie". NZ Herald. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  40. ^ a b Forbes, Mihingarangi (5 February 2017). "Willie Jackson to stand for Labour". Radio New Zealand. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
  41. ^ "Election 2007 results". NZ Herald. 13 October 2007. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  42. ^ Trevett, Claire (6 July 2011). "Mana and Maori parties set for 'peace talks' today". NZ Herald. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  43. ^ Tahana, Yvonne (12 July 2011). "Maori, Mana party negotiations at deadlock". NZ Herald. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  44. ^ "Willie Jackson not standing for Mana". Otago Daily Times. 14 September 2011. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
  45. ^ Perrott, Alan (4 May 2003). "City-dwelling Maori get their own voice". NZ Herald. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  46. ^ Tahana, Yvonne (29 January 2009). "Mother passes leadership mantle to son". NZ Herald. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  47. ^ "Tribute to former chair Willie Jackson". Te Whakaruruhau o Nga Reo Irirangi Māori. Scoop. 26 October 2017. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
  48. ^ Davison, Isaac (7 September 2017). "Four new charter schools announced". NZ Herald. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  49. ^ "NUMA calls the shots in North Island". RNZ. 23 June 2014. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  50. ^ "Willie Jackson appointed as Labour's Māori Campaign Director". New Zealand Labour Party. Scoop. 2 May 2017. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
  51. ^ Jones, Nicholas (2 May 2017). "Willie Jackson fails to lift ranking on Labour's list". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
  52. ^ Moir, Jo (2 May 2017). "Willie Jackson's role in the Labour Party is still a bone of contention". Stuff. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
  53. ^ Trevett, Claire (30 July 2017). "Willie Jackson's call for Maori seats deal". NZ Herald. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  54. ^ "2017 General Election – Official Result Successful Candidates". Electoral Commission. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
  55. ^ "Who's in? Who's out?". Radio NZ. 20 October 2017. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
  56. ^ "Ministerial List". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
  57. ^ "2020 General Election and Referendums – Official Result Successful Candidates". Electoral Commission. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
  58. ^ "Ministerial List for Announcement on Monday" (PDF). Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 2 November 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on 3 November 2020. Retrieved 4 November 2020.
  59. ^ Kupenga, Talisa (26 September 2018). "Whaitiri's co-chair position could be reviewed at release of incident report". Te Ao Māori News. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  60. ^ Neilson, Michael (19 August 2023). "Analysis: Ugly campaign could be on cards as Labour mellows Māori message". NZ Herald. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  61. ^ O'Connor, Matai (24 December 2021). "Moriori praised for dedication, patience as $18m and apology settlement with Crown becomes law". The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 3 December 2021. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
  62. ^ Trevett, Claire (8 December 2021). "Māori Development Minister Willie Jackson kicked out of Parliament for 'right-wing fascist' comment". The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 8 December 2021. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
  63. ^ Manch, Thomas (13 June 2022). "Labour's new Cabinet – who's in, who's out, as Trevor Mallard and Kris Faafoi resign". Stuff. Archived from the original on 15 June 2022. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
  64. ^ "RNZ-TVNZ mega-entity named 'Aotearoa New Zealand Public Media' in draft legislation". Radio New Zealand. 23 June 2022. Archived from the original on 23 June 2022. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  65. ^ Jackson, Willie. "Aotearoa New Zealand Public Media Bill". New Zealand Parliament. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  66. ^ a b Whyte, Anna; Manch, Thomas (8 February 2023). "RNZ-TVNZ merger gone". www.stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
  67. ^ "'Such a negative interview' – Minister and Jack Tame spar on media merger". 1 News. TVNZ. 4 December 2022. Archived from the original on 23 December 2022. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  68. ^ "Willie Jackson gives partial apology over public media merger interview". Radio New Zealand. 6 December 2022. Archived from the original on 16 December 2022. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  69. ^ "Jacinda Ardern has 'spoken' to Willie Jackson about media merger interview that raised eyebrows". Newshub. Warner Bros. Discovery New Zealand. 5 December 2022. Archived from the original on 5 December 2022. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  70. ^ "2023 General Election – Official Result". Electoral Commission. 3 November 2023. Archived from the original on 8 November 2023. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  71. ^ Los'e, Joseph (25 October 2023). "Jackson: "I never looked at politics or advancing Māori as a job. I have always looked at it as a privilege."". NZ Herald. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  72. ^ Neilson, Michael (17 October 2023). "'Won't be on the sidelines': Jackson expects an 'attack on our people'". NZ Herald. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  73. ^ Moir, Jo (18 December 2023). "Willie Jackson fires shots at 'maniac' deputy PM". Newsroom. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  74. ^ Doyle, Trent (7 November 2023). "Labour MP Willie Jackson warns of Māori uprising over ACT's proposed Treaty referendum". Newshub. Archived from the original on 7 November 2023. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  75. ^ "Labour Party leader Chris Hipkins reveals new shadow Cabinet". Radio New Zealand. 30 November 2023. Archived from the original on 11 December 2023. Retrieved 16 December 2023.
  76. ^ "Retention of the title "The Honourable"". New Zealand Gazette. 8 December 2023. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
  77. ^ "Willie Jackson calls for return of mokomōkai in Oxford debate win". 1 News. 24 May 2024. Archived from the original on 25 May 2024. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
Party political offices
Preceded by Leader of Mana Motuhake
2001–2003 		Party dissolved
Political offices
Preceded by Minister for Broadcasting and Media
2022–2023 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Minister for Māori Development
2020–2023 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Minister of Employment
2017–2020 		Succeeded by
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