Abstract:
In the 2011 election, two Maori political parties will be in contention for the seven Maori electorates. The purpose of the paper is to shed some light into how Maori political parties react to electoral polling and media trends in their interactions with their electorates and the public. This paper provides a comparative analysis of some of the Maori and non-Maori polling and media trends apparent in the Maori electorates in the lead up to the election. It will identify how some of the political issues dominating the Maori electorate contests are interpreted and transmitted through the use of polling and media to the public. It will explore the methods of electorate engagement employed by both of the Maori political parties, and how polling and media information have been incorporated or challenged through these electorate engagements.
