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Māori Development Minister Willie Jackson says in his opinion Act leader David Seymour - who he once described as a useless Māori - is the country’s most dangerous man, and if he gets into power will make life a misery for more than Māori.��

Jackson said Seymour’s Trump-like rhetoric was anti-Māori and in an instant would wipe out decades of Māori development.��

Both were involved in a fiery political debate last night in Auckland.��

“I want to say to our people, be very nervous because a National-Act Government will do away with everything that is dear to us. David Seymour’s already threatened that,” Jackson told the��Herald.��

David Seymour gets away with it because he’s quite articulate, well-dressed, says Maori Development Minister Willie Jackson. Photo / Mark Mitchell

In his opinion: “I think he’s the most dangerous man that we’ve ever seen in New Zealand politics. He gets away with it because he’s quite articulate, well-dressed.��

“This is someone who will challenge and has challenged every High Court and Supreme Court judge who’s been in place since 1987.��

“He thinks they’re all wrong. He thinks every Prime Minister since ‘87 is wrong when they agree and talk about partnership between Māori and the Crown.��

“He believes that’s nonsense. He is saying that there’s no partnership in the Treaty and wants the Treaty revamped and reshaped. It’s Donald Trump-type politics.”��

Act leader David Seymour has been called "dangerous" by Labour's Willie Jackson. Photo / Mark Mitchell��

Seymour said one of Jackson’s oral skills was his ability to exaggerate and Jackson needs to explain what makes him so dangerous.��

“People are tired of accusations of racism. It is a very serious accusation and people who make it need to explain what it is that I have ever said or done they believe is racist,” the Act leader said.��

“Racism is treating someone differently because of their race. It is a strange irony that we are called racist for criticising Government policies that treat people differently because of their race.��

“There are Māori and Pacific people who are doing extremely [well] and there are non-Maori and non-Pacific people who are having problems.”��

But Jackson said Seymour is rolling out the same rhetoric and divisive politics, just like Trump when he won the US presidency.��

“Trump said the same thing in America and changed the laws,” Jackson said.��

“Seymour wants to do the same thing. He wants to rehash, history in terms of the Treaty and rights.��

“He doesn’t believe Māori have any rights that are derived from the Treaty.��

“And there’s no politician in terms of senior politician in the last 30 years who has had that view.��

“There’s no politician who has been Prime Minister, deputy Prime Minister or senior minister who has agreed with him, not one politician apart from one - and that is Winston Peters.��

“And that’s the ironic thing, isn’t it?��

“They call them special rights. We know their Treaty rights, their indigenous rights.��

“They, every judge, every court, every prime minister, every senior minister has supported and agreed with [it], including the Act Party.��

“Rodney Hide went on and actually agreed to set up the Māori statutory board, at was a Rodney Hide creation.��

“So they’ve all, they’ve all supported it. But this guy Seymour says, no, I’m gonna give everybody the same rights and Māori will not have those rights anymore.��

“And I’m saying to our people to vote because if not, we let Seymour with his anti-Māori politics and his views into power.”��

Joseph Los’e joined ��һ�ǿ����� in 2022 as Kaupapa Māori Editor. Los’e was a chief reporter, news director at the��Sunday ��һ�ǿ�������newspaper covering crime, justice and sport. He was also editor of the��NZ Truth��and prior to joining ��һ�ǿ����� worked for 12 years for Whānau Waipareira.��