DON BRASH: Shame on National and Christopher Luxon

The following is written by Don Brash in his capacity as Hobson's Pledge trustee.

So desperate are Christopher Luxon and the National Party to ignore their supporters, they are returning the Treaty Principles Bill from the Justice Committee over a month early.

The committee led by National MP, James Meager, has today tabled its report on the Bill – a report not due until May!

This decision makes further mockery of all those hundreds of thousands of New Zealanders who submitted on the Bill, not to mention the democratic process.

Be under no illusion, it’s the National Party MPs on the committee – on the instructions from their leadership – that will have used their majority vote to rush this process. Other political parties are up in arms – we even have Labour MP Duncan Webb saying it’s not right that Hobson’s Pledge supporters are having their submissions and views ignored!

Labour is right. It is completely wrong that tens of thousands of submissions are being ignored. The committee hasn't run out of time. They still have around 40 more days to process and engage the public’s view. But instead, they are rushing it through and ignoring proper parliamentary process.

Their strategy is as clear as it is disingenuous. By reporting the Bill back today, it means Parliament will have a second reading next week – just before Easter. Then, after next week, the MPs go on a three week break. Christopher Luxon and National will be hoping that it can be all done and dusted, and that by the time they are back in Parliament we will all have forgotten about that unpleasant Bill.

Alas! Unfortunately for the Prime Minister we will not be allowing that to happen. We are not going to forget how National in particular has sold out its values and supporters.

Whether at second reading next week, the upcoming local body elections and the referenda around Maori wards, or the next general election, their dismissal of the will of their voters will come back to haunt them. We will not forget and Hobson’s Pledge will keep advocating for equal rights and citizenship, and remind people which MPs and parties have delivered on these fundamental principles.

We already know that Luxon is at odds with many in his caucus. We know from our private conversations with various National MPs that many support the Treaty Principles Bill or at the very least, are not happy that Luxon said that National would not vote for the Bill at second reading. As you can imagine, it’s an insult to the Parliament, the select committee process, and every New Zealander, to say you will reject a Bill regardless of what people say, write, or think about it.

National is ignoring hundreds of thousands of New Zealand voters. Don’t forget, the polling still shows strong support for the Bill despite Luxon’s and the mainstream media’s efforts to undermine it.

You might want to take a moment today to email your local member of parliament, particularly if they are a National MP, and ask why the process is being rushed, as well as asking that they represent you and vote for the Treaty Principles Bill next week.

You can find the email address of your MP here.

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