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It is taxing trying to keep up with National's latest stance on Te Pāti Māori, co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer has told Stuff.
This follows Christopher Luxon telling a group of about 50 at a dairy farm north of Morrinsville on Tuesday that National would not win the election by working with Te Pāti Māori, because it is "highly unlikely" it could cooperate with a party that believes in "two separate systems", the Stuff report says.
On Sunday, a newly released political poll suggested Te Pāti Māori "holds the balance of power" and could decide the next government if the election were held today.
But Luxon at Tuesday's gathering appeared to distance National from any real possibility of teaming up with Te Pāti Māori post-election - something a spokesperson for his office later walked back somewhat.
Asked during a Q&A session at the dairy farm, “Are you going to be able to win the election by working with the Māori Party?”, Luxon replied, “The short answer is no.”
According to Stuff, Luxon said the current leadership of Te Pāti Māori had changed too much since Sir Pita Sharples and Dame Tariana Turia, who held ministerial roles in Sir John Key’s government.
“The party that Key did a deal with back in 2008 was a party that believed in what we called localism and devolution... This is a party that now believes in two separate systems and that is something we cannot support.”
A spokesperson for Luxon later said that he only meant it was “highly unlikely” National could form a coalition with Te Pāti Māori and that he was not fully ruling out working with them.
“It is highly unlikely National would work with Te Pāti Māori. National is working hard to maximise its vote in the upcoming election.”
Te Pāti Māori's Ngarewa-Packer told Stuff she was not putting too much weight on Luxon’s comments, saying it was taxing “keeping up to date with whatever National’s latest leader has to say”.
Ngarewa-Packer said it was disappointing Luxon had characterised Te Pāti Māori as a “two-systems” party.
“We’ve always been open about being pro-Māori, but that does not mean we are anti non-Māori. We’re focused on trying to redress the imbalances that try to hold our people back.”