Winston Peters, charisma and the Māori test of character

Charisma can win attention, affection and political power. But Māori have long had a way of seeing through the performance: mana.

One of the dubious perks of being a politician is to become an insulting metaphor. Prime minister Christopher Luxon has been likened to white bread: barely nutritious, predictable and forgettable. Unfair, but not wrong. Luxon is a smart man and perhaps a good one, but he's not burdened by charisma. Beyond dutiful purchase by party faithful, he's just another loaf in the aisle.

The leader of the opposition Chris Hipkins is more plain spoken than the former CEO. He comes across as a humble and genuine Kiwi bloke. A pragmatic operator more than a polished politician. His nickname "Chippy" is as modest as his own pool of charisma.

You truly see charisma in action when it enters a room. The person anointed with the magnetism of attraction will suck up the attention, just by being there. Attraction, combined with the skill to communicate trust and warmth, completes the package.

People of celebrity or great achievement come pre-loaded with it. Taika. Jacinda. Buck.

It was like that when I first met our minister of foreign affairs Winston Peters. We shared a minute and a half at some function back in the late 80s. A couple of years earlier, I'd sent him a formal personal note expressing distaste about his anti-Māori stances and embarrassment about our mutual tribal connections.

When we met, he patted down the front of his double breasted suit, and extended a firm handshake. He smiled easily. Teeth sparkled. The moment shone. He said right away that he'd kept my letter in his top drawer. We laughed. He then asked me for a cigarette. We lit up and laughed some more. We said nothing of consequence before he moved on.

In time Winston Peters, his names both deeply imperial and deeply Māori, would become a substantial politician. He's long been a master of the darker arts of politics, and it's true his charisma has cloaked his opportunistic manipulation of voter grievances.

In Christian terms, charisma is a gift of extraordinary power from the Holy Spirit. In political terms it's a sign of someone with the power to inspire. In today's online world, political campaigning is supersized to the advantage of the charismatic. They have seconds to grab your attention. They'll go for your emotions. We humans feel before we think.

Charisma is not always a clue to character. We speak of the character of a person in terms of the values they represent. Whether or not they live up to those values is a clue to their character. We all develop our character over time, out of a mix of nature and nurture. In the end, it's our habits that shape us – especially those in our private moments when no one is looking. For good or bad, you are what you practice.

A person's character is often revealed in eulogy. The things that are said or written about you in death, reveal who you were and what you did when you were among us.

By nature and by need, Māori go to a hell of a lot of funerals. The tangihanga has long been and will always be a bastion of Māori culture and behaviour. Central to every tangihanga are long examinations of a person's character. It's all viewed through the prism of mana. That too, is a gift from the gods. A Māori with charisma knows that without mana underneath the surface, you can only ever look pretty. In  life, you are free to grow or diminish the store of mana you inherited. The day you pass, you pass it on.

Within the confines of a marae's operating culture, matters of life and death play out regularly and democratically. Citizens gather to talk to each other. We use rituals to bring everyone to a level playing field. Those who participate in this life – to whatever degree – reveal themselves. Charismatic Māori leaders know that on a marae, their every move is being assessed for motivation and results. The way you hold yourself in moments of karakia with others. What you might choose to say or sing, and when. Do you know what to do with a tea towel? Do you listen respectfully and know what's going on? Charisma may be the finest of cloaks, but on a marae it will not hide your character.

Peters’ truculent offsider Shane Jones relishes his own charisma. He's a controversial politician striding the Māori and Pākehā worlds. He's super intelligent and generous with the knowledge he received from his old people. He has few peers when it comes to propounding in Māori or English with facility, depth and dash. In his more florid political moments, he embodies what Disraeli said of Gladstone: "A sophistical rhetorician inebriated by the exuberance of his own verbosity." Quite.

I recall a time, however, when the cloak of charisma dropped and he revealed himself. For me, it was a small note-to-self moment. We were at a pōwhiri at a home marae in the North. Jones and local dignitaries were being welcomed to celebrate a fellow kinsman's achievements for our iwi. Jones would be one of the lead speakers; as he has been all his life. As our side gave our speeches, Jones saw fit to sit a little apart from others, slouch in his chair, and text on his phone. When he finally stood to swing into oratorical action, my daughter refused to look at him and texted on her phone.

But hey, even charismatic ministers of the Crown have shit days. And that's important, because it's a long game. Your charisma might fade when shinier things divert people's attention, but your mana and character endure.

I've often auditioned actors for television or film roles. Everyone comes to an audition wanting to be liked. The most charismatic people I know never audition for their right to be in that moment. It is the confidence of those who don't need to imitate themselves.

Peters’ charisma has led to his signal political legacy. It's not about what he did in opposition or office. His greatest gift is to have shown our people in the modern era that we too can do politics, in all its grubby honour.

I'm enormously heartened by the falling and rising tide of Māori politicians. They span the extremes of left, right and everywhere in the centre. Many of them are humble about their charisma and allow their mana to shine. They're shaped by the people they serve.

Voters have to believe their leaders can drag them and the country to safety. A politician's charisma can give them hope, but only their character will offer up evidence of the right choice.