The Maori Party has made an agreement with the National party to support them on confidence and supply votes, a similar agreement made with the ACT party means National will rule New Zealand as a minority government. The move has come as a surprise to some, not least because most voters who elected Maori Party MPs in the Maori Seats gave their party vote to Labor. Collin Espiner, political editor for The Press, wrote on his blog prior to the election

the Maori Party will not go into a coalition government with National. If I’m proved wrong after the election, I’ll print out this blog and eat it, live on webcam

He has since said he will make good on his bluff. Some however, such as political scientist Bryce Edwards have long thought a National-Maori Party a possibility. The ministerial positions given to Maori Party MPs are in areas where the party takes right-wing views in line with National. While it’s to be expected that Pita Sharples has been given the role of Maori Affairs Minister, he has also been given the job of Associate Corrections Minister; Sharples has long been an advocate of involvement of the private sector in prisons, a policy that fits well with National Party ideology. Likewise Tariana Turia, who supports scrapping the unemployment benefit, has been given the role of Associate Social Development Minister, though her main role is Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector.

This appointment may hint at Nationals plans for welfare reform, journalist Gordon Campbell has noted that John Key has already discussed the possibility of a “highly centralized, ’super contractor’ model of welfare delivery in New Zealand.” Some months ago the National Party met with representatives of ‘Mission Australia’ a huge religion based provider of family, community and employment services in Australia.

The future of corrections and social welfare under our new National-ACT-Maori Party government could make New Zealand’s future very different the the present.