We end the year with the welcome news that the bill making it harder to remove the Māori seats from Parliament has been voted down at the second reading, with New Zealand First opposing the change. Only Labour and the Green Party supported the legislation. The bill cleared its first hurdle in Parliament last year with the unlikely support of New Zealand First, which opposes the Māori seats. The party wanted to use the bill as a vehicle to hold a two-part referendum on the seats, asking whether they should be entrenched or done away with altogether. But no referendum was added after the select committee stage. Continue reading

Despite constituents strongly opposing separate race-based representation, as shown in referenda held in 2018, the number of councils across New Zealand which have appointed unelected members with voting rights to council committees has grown exponentially over the last couple of years. The following are examples (by no means the total number) of councils who have recently taken the obligation to consult with Māori to an undemocratic level: Continue reading

The Tūpuna Maunga Authority* (TMA), who control Auckland’s 14 volcanic cones (tūpuna maunga), is once again causing consternation amongst the people of Auckland - this time by wielding its powers in a destructive and seemingly vengeful way. Waging utu on the exotics? The TMA has plans to remove 2,000 exotic trees from the 14 maunga, and is currently in the process of implementing its decision. Continue reading

Finance Minister Grant Robertson has been negotiating a resolution to the stand-off between Fletcher Residential, a subsidiary of Fletcher Building, and the protest movement which has halted development of the South Auckland land. The latest news (as of late November 2019) is that Minister Robertson won't confirm or deny whether a Government loan to buy Ihumātao land is on the table, but has said the Government was conscious of setting a precedent which could affect existing Treaty settlements. Continue reading

There has been a disappointing response from the Race Relations Commissioner in relation to complaints made by members of the public about the a seven-part series published by the NZ Herald - “Land of the Long White Cloud – confronting NZ’s colonial past”. The commission has turned a blind eye to the series’ negative effect on race relations, instead lamely suggesting the correspondent contact the Media Council, or complain to the independent Human Rights Review Tribunal. Please see below a typical response received by a member of the public: Continue reading

One area where we have not been successful is in countering the claim that the land to establish the settlement of Auckland was gifted by Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei. This is despite offering evidence to the contrary to the powers-that-be, - copy of the Deed of Purchase - the text of which clearly states that "the chiefs consented to give up to sell a portion of the land to the Queen of England for ever and ever...... Continue reading

‘Dividing a Nation; the Return of Tikanga’ by John Robinson - available from Tross Publishing  It is important the issue of tikanga be known, discussed and debated. In his book, Dr Robinson writes about the introduction of tikanga into our laws and way of life, setting rules that determine the behaviour not just of Maori, but all New Zealanders. The appendix includes a list of legislation dividing New Zealanders. Continue reading

Thank you to everyone who took the opportunity to make a submission on the Government’s 'Action for Healthy Waterways' discussion document. Around seventeen and a half thousand submissions were received, reflecting much interest in the proposals. From a democracy point of view, it is of great concern that several proposals point to the undermining of the democratic control of water, and include the intention to require local authorities to compulsorily include a vague and undefined set of values and interests in the management of the water bodies and freshwater ecosystems in their region. Continue reading

Increasingly Treaty of Waitangi settlements are including a requirement to enter into co-governance arrangements. The Ngāti Hinerangi Claims Settlement Bill, which had its first reading in parliament on 19th September, is one such settlement. The Bill announces the intention to introduce a co-governance arrangement over the upper part of the Waihou and Piako river catchments areas. Continue reading

It has been quite some time since we covered the issue of Cultural Values Assessments (CVA). This does not mean they are no longer an issue. To the contrary – the taniwha has been quietly working in the background, sharpening its teeth – as evidenced by reports on a project undertaken to research the effectiveness of the CVA process for influencing resource management and consenting in Auckland, and recommending ways to increase iwi/hapu involvement in the resource consent process. Continue reading