Manu Alamein Kopu (born 1943) is a former New Zealand politician. 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1943 calendar). ...

Birth and early life

Kopu was raised in Opotiki. Her family was not wealthy, and Kopu characterises her youth as containing "much hardship". In 1978, her family moved to Sydney, Australia. In Australia, Kopu became involved with community programs aimed at drug users and prostitutes, something that she continued after arriving back in New Zealand in 1986. Kopu also had considerable involvement in rehabilitation programs for criminals. Opotiki is a town in the eastern Bay of Plenty in the North Island of New Zealand. ... 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1978 calendar). ... The Sydney Opera House is one of the most iconic landmarks in the world, and since its opening it has become an international symbol of Sydney Sydney (pronounced ) is the state capital of New South Wales, located on the east coast of Australia. ... Prostitution is the sale of sexual services (typically manual stimulation, oral sex, sexual intercourse, or anal sex) for cash or other kind of return, generally indiscriminately with many persons. ... 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This theory of punishment is based on the notion that punishment is to be inflicted on a offender so as to reform him, or rehabilitate him so as to make his re-integration into society easier. ... for other uses please see Crime (disambiguation) A crime is an act that violates a political or moral law. ...

Political life

In addition to this work, Kopu was also involved in various Māori cultural and educational programs. This was often not paid, and she ahd been a long time welfare beneficiary. She became a member of Mana Motuhake, a political party based around promoting Māori interests and welfare. When Mana Motuhake joined with several other groups to establish the Alliance, Kopu became involved in the new organization. In the 1993 election, she stood as its candidate for the Eastern Māori, but was unsuccessful. In the 1996 election, the first to be conducted under the new MMP system, Kopu contested the Te Tai Rawhiti seat, and was ranked twelfth on the Alliance list. While she did not win Te Tai Rawhiti - and only polled 1,200 votes - the Alliance received enough votes for Kopu to enter parliament as a list MP. For the Māori language, see Māori language. ... Mana Maori Motuhake is a Maori political party in New Zealand. ... A political party is an organization that seeks to attain political power within a government, usually by participating in electoral campaigns. ... Current Alliance logo The Alliance, when referring to New Zealand politics, refers to a left-wing political party. ... The 1993 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliament. ... The 1996 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliament. ... The Additional Member System (AMS) is a voting system where some representatives are elected from geographic constituencies and others are elected under proportional representation from party lists. ... A list MP is a Member of Parliament (MP) who is elected from a party list rather than from a geographical constituency. ...

She gained widespread public recognition when she resigned from her party and gave support to the government, a move which was widely criticised.

Much of the criticism however stemmed from her apparent lack of participation - many Alliance colleagues complained that she was rarely seen in parliament, and believed that she was not doing sufficient work. When she did appear, th emedia seized on unfortunate comments by her which were not necessarily apt, informed or germaine. Other causes of criticism stemmed from internal tensions between different factions of Mana Motuhake. Kopu resented the criticism, describing parliamanet as "a lion's den", and voiced the possibility of leaving the Alliance.

In July 1997, Kopu finally resigned from her party. This generated a great deal of criticism from many sides. The issue was of particular relevance due to her status as a list MP - she had been elected to parliament by virtue of her position on the Alliance list, not through any votes she had received personally, and as such, many believed that Kopu had no right to remain in parliament. Moreover, Kopu (like all other Alliance MPs) had previously signed a pledge affirming that if she ever left the party, she would resign from parliament. Kopu had, in fact, reaffirmed this pledge only a few days before she quit. The leader of the Alliance, Jim Anderton, said that Kopu's actions "breach[ed] every standard of morality and ethics that are known". 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A list MP is a Member of Parliament (MP) who is elected from a party list rather than from a geographical constituency. ... James Patrick Anderton (almost always referred to as Jim Anderton) is leader of the Progressive Party, a political party in the New Zealand Parliament. ...

Kopu defended her decision by saying that she was only doing what was best for Māori. Upon leaving the Alliance, she also received strong support from several other Māori MPs, notably Tau Henare of the New Zealand First party. Henare, who had often criticised the Alliance's (and Mana Motuhake's) approach to Māori affairs, said that Kopu was welcome to join New Zealand First, although this was later rejected by other members of the party. Kopu quickly aligned herself with the governing coalition. Tau Henare (29 September 1960 - ) is a New Zealand parliamentarian. ... New Zealand First functions as a political party in New Zealand. ...

Independence

After spending some time as an independent, Kopu decided to establish her own political party, Mana Wahine Te Ira Tangata. The party was ostensibly based on promoting the welfare of Māori women. Many of Kopu's critics, however, claimed that the party was established primarily to ensure Kopu received more generous parliamentary funding. Mana Wahine became significant when, in 1999, the governing National Party found itself reliant on Mana Wahine's support (along with that of various former New Zealand First MPs). National, left with a precarious majority when its coalition with New Zealand First collapsed, needed as much support as it could find, and managed to obtain Kopu's backing. Mana Wahine Te Ira Tangata was a small and short-lived political party in New Zealand. ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... The New Zealand National Party (often colloquially referred to as the Nats) currently forms the second-largest (in terms of seats) political party represented in the New Zealand Parliament, and thus functions as the core of the parliamentary Opposition. ...

In the 1999 election, Kopu stood as her party's candidate in the Waiariki electorate. Eleven other Mana Wahine candidates also stood. The party had also intended to submit a party list, but Kopu failed to submit it before the deadline. This eliminated the possibility of Kopu remaining in parliament as a list MP - she would need to win her electorate race in order to keep her seat. In the election, however, Kopu won only 1.7% of the vote in Waiariki, placing sixth. Moreover, the national vote for Mana Wahine candidates indicated that Kopu would not have been returned as a list MP in any case. Kopu lost her parliamentary seat. The 1999 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the 46th session of the New Zealand Parliament. ...