In an attempt to take the focus off the Todd Barclay incident, which is about to enter its second week in the news cycle, the right wing and their propagandists decided it would be a good idea to fabricate a story and go on the attack.Desperate for a target, Maori and the Labour party were singled out and a number of false allegations were made.
From the outset it was clear the Awataha Marae controversy was manufactured. Even some reporters questioned the timing and substance of the scandal. However most of the MSM unfortunately just went along with the Maori bashing, just like the bad old days.
Despite National's agenda, it soon turned out that the claims all 85 overseas volunteers “rebelled over their accommodation and their disappointment with what was supposed to be a high powered learning programme” turned out to be completely untrue. Two interns complained, one because they’d apparently become disgruntled after being caught stealing wine.
On Thursday, Radio NZ reported:
Awataha Marae rejects 'substandard' housings claim
In a phone converstation today, marae head Anthony Wilson rejected the complaints but ended the call when he was asked how much the Marae had been paid.
He said the facilities were well used by all parts of the community, including international visitors, and he did not think the facilities were substandard.
"We don't know what the organizers promised our guests but we are like any other marae we only have the facilities we currently have," he said.
ACT party leader David Seymour then claimed it was a ”sweat shop filled with immigrant labour".
Then on Saturday, Newsroom reported:
Labour's 'sweat shop' interns give glowing reviews
The Labour Party's campaign interns are giving glowing reviews of their marae accommodation, despite reports of living in sub-standard conditions with no working shower.
The right wing, desperate to take the focus off English’s lies concerning the National party’s attempted cover-up of the Todd Barclay debacle, clearly jumped the shark.
This didn’t stop many right-wingers from saying Awataha Marae was a slum and the volunteers were slaves though… claims that have turned out to be entirely untrue. In fact many went on to make even worse frenetic and racist accusations about Marae and Maori in general.
It wasn’t a nice spectacle to watch the right wing descend into their old racist arguments, especially because some in the media went along with it. New Zealand really needs to move on from the race baiting and racist extremism that the right wing often practice.
Clearly it’s disingenuous when trolls like Matthew Hooton, David Farrar and Cameron Slater start hollering about people living in slum conditions. Because unless it suits their and the National party’s political narrative, they simply don’t care.
