As you probably know Hobson's Pledge has been running a petition to End the Waitangi Tribunal. That campaign continues, but in the meantime we heard some news that brought a smile to our faces... the Government has appointed former Labour Minister and ACT leader Richard Prebble to the Waitangi Tribunal!
The outrage machine has kicked into action with Willie Jackson even saying:
"I think we were all in shock [on Thursday] ... but what next - are we going to make Don Brash the new chair of the tribunal?"
Now there's an idea...
In other news, Anika Moa and Kiri Allen embarked on a racist tirade via podcast.
Radio NZ actually pulled the episode, recognising it was not in line with their values.
But unlike how hard they have fought Official Information Act requests previously, they happily handed over the episode to other media who published it anyway.
In the episode, Anika Moa was outspoken about her disdain for white men and not shy about displaying her ignorance of New Zealand Parliament. She said:
“Everything they do in parliament is white man rules, white women rules, white this, white that, whitewash.”
Given there are a record number of Māori MPs and ministers in Cabinet as well as many other ethnicities and cultures making up Parliament, Ms Moa's comments are seriously ignorant.
A train crash from start to finish, former Justice Minister Kiri Allan minimised her behaviour on the night she crashed into a parked car and fled from the police while under the influence of alcohol.
According to Stuff, Allan "said the parliamentary system was not designed for Māori women, citing the number of wahine Māori MPs who had left parliament under a cloud."
It was a divisive discussion that demonised white New Zealanders and perpetuated victim narratives. For those of us who believe in equality before the law and want to see New Zealanders valued by the content of their character rather than their skin colour or ancestors, the episode was indicative of the toxic race narratives that exist currently.
Meanwhile, Statistics New Zealand has announced that next election there will be 64 electorate seats rather than 65. There will be an additional list seat to compensate. The number of Māori seats remains the same, at seven.
It is disappointing that New Zealand still has Māori seats. One of the reasons for moving to the MMP system was that it would allow for a more diverse group of New Zealanders to be elected to Parliament. The intention was that we would not need quota seats after this change.
"With the introduction of MMP in 1996, the proportion of Māori in Parliament increased from 8% to 14%, a total of 17 MPs. In 2011, 22 MPs (18%) were Māori; the number increased to 28 (23%) in 2017, but fell to 25 (21%) in 2020, when no New Zealand First MPs were re-elected." - TeAra Encyclopedia
And those saying this were right! None of the record number of Māori in Cabinet were elected in Māori seats. Likewise the disproportionate number (compared to the wider population) of Māori MPs in all parties.
It is time to do away with the Māori seats.
And finally, I've saved the most ridiculous for last.
It truly beggars belief.
This week New Zealand Police carried out a large operation that targeted gangs mostly in Ōpōtiki. Firearms and drugs were seized. Violent offenders were apprehended. A successful mission to disrupt the scourge of organised crime that should have been supported by all.
Not Te Pāti Māori. No. Rawiri Waititi launched an attack on the Police Minister alleging that elderly Māori along with breastfeeding women were victimised by the operation.
He called it state terrorism.
Police Minister Mark Mitchell wasn't having it though. In response to Waititi's "WHAT ABOUT THE CHILDREN?" line of questioning the minister informed him that the operation had uncovered how the gangs were running methamphetamine through schools.
Te Pāti Māori's stance is hideous in that it links gangs to Māori as if they are some kind of extension of the whanau. They forget that not all gang members are Māori and not all Māori are gang members.
They also justify and defend violent crime and destruction of communities via drugs, intimidation, and weapons.
Māori in Ōpōtiki are more likely to be victimised by the gangs than the police trying to rid the place of them. All New Zealanders are entitled to live in safe communities without the violence of gangs.
I'll close on a positive note by repeating my congratulations to all Hobson's Pledge supporters who joined us in condemning the racist new Prosecution Guidelines. We secured a swift U-turn from the Solicitor-General and should all be very pleased.
However, we are keeping a close eye on what the guidelines will look like after this 'review'. We wouldn't put it past Crown Law to try pull a swift one.
Don Brash writing as trustee for Hobson's Pledge
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