In the 1980s, many New Zealanders stood proudly against apartheid – the South African system of government which enabled a race-based minority to impose its rule over the majority of the population.
It is therefore ironic that many of these same people now support a separatist minority to impose its culture and political will over the majority of New Zealanders.
The authority for the tribal elite’s plan to ‘co-govern’ New Zealand comes from their claim that Maori are Treaty of Waitangi ‘partners’ with the Crown.
But this is a lie – as the former Judge and law lecturer Anthony Willy points out: “It was and is constitutionally impossible for the Crown to enter into a partnership with her subjects. She can as she did in 1840 make promises to them but by definition, the Crown is supreme, and the people are subject to her laws.”
He further explains that the legal authority for their ‘partnership’ claim – which is alleged to have come from a 1987 Court of Appeal judgement – is a fabrication, since the reference to ‘partnership’ by Justice Cooke was not part of the decision, but of the commentary which has no standing in law: “In no legal sense does this case decide that that there is a partnership between Maori and non-Maori.”
The claim of partnership is a clever political construct used by separatists to dupe the public into thinking that those with Maori ancestry have greater political and legal rights than other New Zealanders. The Treaty however, confers no such privilege. In fact, the Treaty guarantees all New Zealanders equal rights.
While common sense would indicate that the Maori supremacy goal of having an unelected and unaccountable race-based 15 percent of the population ‘co-governing’ New Zealand with 50 percent of the power is profoundly undemocratic and highly unlikely in modern-day New Zealand, under Jacinda Ardern’s Government, this indeed appears to be the direction of travel.
In 2018, desperate to hold their grip on the Maori seats, the Office of Maori-Crown Relations was established. The objective of this new agency was to enable Maori to work in “partnership” with the Crown in the post Treaty settlement era. But as a result, a radical ‘Maori worldview’ has been introduced into agencies across the State sector and it is having a disproportionate influence.
New proposals published just before Christmas to enable State control of industry-based vocational training shows just how far this radicalisation has progressed. A requirement for the new Workforce Development Councils is that half of all members must be Maori.
This contravenes established State protocol. As the former Attorney General Chris Finlayson noted a few years ago, ‘proportionality’ is necessary to avoid racial bias: “In a representative democracy, it is important to maintain approximately the same level of representation for everyone”.
By requiring 50 percent of the new Council members to be Maori, the Government is ignoring the proportionality principle and as such is in breach of section 19(1) of the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990, which guarantees New Zealanders freedom from discrimination.
Please note: These Workforce Development Council proposals are open for submissions until February 5 – details can be found HERE.
As a result of these developments not only has the imposition of Maori cultural practices on the public escalated, but an inflammatory separatist narrative of victimisation and oppression – that denounces the ‘evils’ of colonisation and makes widespread accusations of ‘institutional racism’ – now increasingly dominates New Zealand society.
The end result is that our highly integrated and relatively harmonious society is now being openly described as ‘racist’, ‘colonisation’ is being reinvented as ‘evil oppression’, and anyone of European heritage speaking out against separatism is being framed as a ‘white supremacist’.
This is producing absurd and dangerous outcomes.
The disproportional number of Maori in prison is no longer deemed to be a consequence of their criminal offending, but the result of systemic and institutional racism within the Police Force, the Justice System, and Corrections.
Maori children are no longer being taken into State care to keep them safe from serious abuse by their parents and caregivers, but because the Ministry for Children is racist.
With the health system also being accused of racism, patients in desperate need of surgery are no longer being prioritised on the basis of their clinical urgency, but on their ethnicity.
Furthermore, with Maori disadvantage being blamed on colonisation and institutional racism, the real causes of social deprivation, namely the breakdown of the family, educational failure, and the growth of intergenerational welfare dependency, are being ignored because they don’t fit the prevailing narrative.
Those promoting such misrepresentations know that blaming society’s problems on racism is extremely effective as a weapon of control – to close down the debate and give themselves a platform to further their own agenda.
None of this is rocket science. But these days common sense is being subjugated by those seeking to undermine equal rights and democracy.
New Zealand has now reached a turning point. The radicals have become emboldened by Jacinda Ardern’s election success and the majority she now controls. As a result, demands for separatist policies are growing so strong that the country is indeed in danger of becoming an apartheid nation where a minority world view is increasingly used to control the majority of the population.
The education system has already fallen to the separatists, with a doctored New Zealand history due to enter the curriculum next year.
The teaching of the Maori language in schools is also well advanced – a move that the former Maori Party co-leader Marama Fox explained is essential for separatist control: “New Zealand would gradually move to its own unique form of governance, one that would abandon the Westminster model in favour of Maori customs, principles and values… The critical step… is to make the Maori language a core subject in the country’s schools… people look at things differently once they’ve acquired te reo.”
With vast sums of taxpayers’ money being ploughed into attempts to indoctrinate New Zealanders in the Maori language, the current strategy appears to be one of saturation: Maori language phrases are ever-more frequently being inserted into English communications; Maori names are increasingly used for Government initiatives and agencies; calls to replace English language road signs and place names with dual or Maori language signs is intensifying; and New Zealand is now being called “Aotearoa” so often that there is no doubt that the public is being softened up for a referendum on changing the country’s name at some stage in the not too far distant future.
But promoting the system of political control being used by separatists to gain influence over the country and turn us into Apartheid New Zealand is madness. We should not accept it.
To make matters worse, not only are accusations of racism increasingly being used to silence opposing opinions, but some in the mainstream media are abandoning their Fourth Estate responsibilities for balance in reporting, by refusing to publish anything that could be considered critical of Maori.
A case in point is the situation where a number of community groups around the country are challenging local council decisions to introduce Maori wards without consulting their community.
Petition rights were introduced into the Local Electoral Act by the former Labour Prime Minister Helen Clark as a democratic safeguard to protect communities from councils wanting to change the voting system to suit themselves – without first seeking a mandate from their ratepayers.
Since creating Maori wards requires a change to the voting system through the introduction of the Maori electoral roll, petition rights apply. This means that if communities can gather the support of 5 percent of voters, their councils are required to hold a binding referendum on Maori wards.
In an outrageous development, Stuff – one of the biggest media groups in the country – has not only refused petition advertising in their community newspapers, but they have also been publishing opinion pieces that falsely claim that petition rights are racist and only apply to Maori wards, when even a cursory review of the law shows they apply to all voting system changes.
How long a newspaper group can continue to exist as a consumer product when they have taken a seriously biased position on such an important issue, remains to be seen.
To make matters worse, the Minister of Local Government, Nania Mahuta has indicated that she intends abolishing Helen Clark’s petition rights because Mayors and activists are opposed to voters being able to challenge council decisions to support separatism.
But the Minister should be aware that there are legitimate and illegitimate ways for governments to abolish important constitutional rights. Since Helen Clark’s petition rights are a cornerstone of local government democracy, repealing them without undertaking a nation-wide referendum would be totally illegitimate and smack of totalitarianism.
As we look ahead and see that democracy is increasingly under threat, the question on everyone’s mind is how do we stand up to separatism?
This is a question that has also exercised this week’s NZCPR Guest Commentator, Associate Professor Jeff Fynn-Paul of Leiden University in Holland, who, as an economic historian, was so disturbed by the racist attacks on colonisation that emerged around the world last year that he wrote an opinion piece, The Myth of the Stolen Country, for Britain’s Spectator magazine.
His article touched a nerve and went viral. After reading it, I contacted Professor Fynn-Paul to ask his views on the best way to defend democracies against separatist attack. In his excellent commentary he explains why using accusations of racism to close down debate is not only absurd, but, “at a societal level, this attitude creates extreme dangers which work against the proper functioning of a democratic, science-based society”.
He also makes the point that it is only when full debate is possible on all topics of serious political importance, that democracies “can be returned to health”:
“In the process, we have to reject social tribalism. We are one society, and everyone is an equal stakeholder. We have to return to an embrace of meritocracy, and an embrace of the institutions which created our current prosperity as a society. We have to remember that Anglophone institutions remain the very best political institutions which the world has ever created. This is objectively true across any metric you care to use. We should not be ashamed of those institutions. They are tools which, bequeathed by a few Anglophone white dudes to the modern world, are now available for everyone to use – regardless of their ethnicity or identity.
“The left is now in grave danger of throwing out the baby of our democracy, with the bathwater of our colonial past. But our democratic institutions, and the science, and the meritocracy that support them, have to be allowed to flourish without wrong-minded opportunism based on an appropriation of history, including the history of race.
“In New Zealand, this means that all issues surrounding Maori rights have to be open to debate. To declare them to be out of bounds is not only anti-democratic. It is totalitarianism, plain and simple.”
We all have a responsibility to defend our democracy and fight back.
One of our readers recently shared his experience of ‘fighting back’. He was a long-standing supporter of a charity but after receiving letters heavily laced with Maori language, he questioned the appropriateness, and cancelled his financial support when no response was received.
That’s exactly as it should be in a consumer democracy. We should all exercise our choice to withdraw support. Only then will organisations get the message that their behaviour is not acceptable – they will need to heed the wake-up call if they are to survive.
On reflection, 2020 was not only the year in which a virus rampaged out of control around the world, but so too did left-wing activism. With their goal of securing power and control, separatists seized on the disruption and instability caused by Covid-19 to accelerate their agenda.
Anyone who is appalled by these developments can no longer do nothing. Everyone must join in collective action and we each must do our bit to help stem the tide and defend our democracy. It is no longer enough just to be concerned – 2021 is the year in which we must all act!
Please note: If you would like to take action by writing to MPs, newspaper editors, or by joining in the debate on our Breaking Views blog, our very active Facebook Group, or on our Twitter feed, our NZCPR Communications page HERE provides links to all of these avenues for engagement. Furthermore, if you haven’t already done so, please consider taking action by supporting the NZCPR by clicking HERE to ensure we can continue to take a lead in 2021 and speak out strongly against those seeking to undermine our Kiwi way of life.
Please note – you can register for our free weekly newsletter by clicking HERE.
THIS WEEK’S POLL ASKS:
*Do you believe the petition rights enabling citizens to challenge local councils when they change the voting system should remain? Note: Please feel free to use the poll comments to share your views on any of the issues raised in this week’s newsletter.
*Poll comments are posted below.
*All NZCPR poll results can be seen in the Archive.
THIS WEEK’S POLL COMMENTS
| Absolutely No Way!! All citizens must retain the right to interact with Local Government, whether it be changing voting (maori wards) or anything else. MAGA – Make Adern Go Away !!! | David |
| I have lived in the city I call home for more than 50 years. I have voted in every election. Ask me who my ward council or is and I can’t tell you. What selective purpose do they add to my ward. I really wouldn’t know. It’s never specified in council reports. So scrap the ward system but keep the referenda option in case there is a wish to change the voting methods . I don’t care if we have a Maori Ward because it’s only one seat at the table and there is more opportunity for them to have input and influence on the plethora of standing committees on which they have significant representation . You wouldn’t dare to question their views for reasons which you have outlined. Get rid of the ward system. It’s meaningless. | Mike |
| Vital protection. | Chris |
| I am a rural resident of the Gisborne District and i am collecting signatures for our referendum petition as much as my isolation allows. | Neil |
| Communism is creeping in, it must remain. | Tony |
| We are so racist already = the silent majority need to speak up | christopher |
| For your guest writer to mention that Joe Biden (voted in by the most undemocratic & rigged election) said that democracy is fragile, himself corrupted by family-influence pedaling through his son mainly with China, Ukraine & Russia; is old & cognitively challenged and an ’empty vessel’ for the radical left, is an outrage. Already Biden’s presidency is a disaster and I fear for the whole world. Mitch McConnell is a foolish old fraud. Pres. D. Trump was voted in by the people and the best I have ever seen. Watched Fox for 5 years and we need TV like that. Where are our NZ leaders and I don’t mean politicians, to stop this apartheid? | Monica |
| Democracy must prevail and not concede citizens rights to this sort of subversive behaviour. | Anne |
| Maori have no mandatory place on Council-we won’t be able to turn the clock back if this right is abandoned because of Maori leaders pushing for apartheid in NZ. We need to be FIRM about this and it not be sneaked into law by a left PC Labour Government | carol |
| Democracy and the belief in majority rule must prevail otherwise this country will descend into a worthless nation much like Zimbabwe. | Gifford |
| Too many Council ideas costing ratepayers, by incompetent councilors totally out of their depth. | Roy |
| A democracy means that regulations controlling the voting in Government and local bodies can only be altered by voters and usually by a 70% majority. They can’t be changed by a mayor or even a unanimous vote by councilors to decide who has the right to a seat at the table. Maoris want a 50% Maori representation at the table, which is over the top when their population is less than 20%. A subject that is really annoying me is the way National Radio has obviously come under pressure from the Government or some Maori group to hugely increase the use of the Maori language especially in their news reports every hour. Every announcer now speaks Maori to introduce and complete a news item and intersperses Maori language into every second sentence. I do not understand Maori, don’t wish to listen to it and hence often lose the meaning of the news item.Frequently the weather forecast has more Maori place names than English so it is impossible to identify the area and all this,I suspect is softening us up to dispense with the English language. English is spoken by the majority of the population. The Maoris have their own TV and radio stations and they don’t need to take over ours. | Chris |
| We are already losing our footing at the top of the slippery slope, If the woke agenda continues to gather momentum it will be a much harder and longer job to arrest the slide, Forget the media! Our opposition parties need to wake up and be in no uncertain terms of the public%u2019s opposition to these issues, | Derek |
| Up until Jacinder arrived we lived in a democratic country. It would appear that the radicals and councils are trying to overtake this ,once a democratic, country. It is time for ordinary citizens take back control of NZ and return it to a democracy. | Allan |
| Must not should! | Carol |
| The majority view must be recognised, not stifled. Local Bodies are subject to the same law as the rest of us. | Edgar W. |
| Anything else is not going to be democratic. | Laurie |
| go kiwis | Barry |
| Its happening in the USA at this very moment ,Socialism is rearing its ugly head .The CCP seems to be rearing its head here as well | Francis |
| If our local bodies honestly valued their constituents’ simple lawful rights, they would never remove them. | Richard |
| Absolutely they should remain. We are in grave danger of losing everything our forefathers worked and fought for. We must stand up and be heard. | Steve |
| Absolutely not. No apology was earned or deserved, given the benefits Maori enjoy along with all New Zealanders, no apology is required either way if we are to progress to a future for all! | Ross |
| Yes, definitely, the petition rights should remain, after all it is the rate payers that fund the councils in the first place! Having special Maori Wards would be an extra cost that most ratepayers could ill afford, also, more importantly, extremely racist!!! | Valerie |
| No brainer. We should all have a say when voting system changes are proposed. | Cherry |
| No council should the right to change the voting system unless it is a democratic vote by the people | IAN |
| Stop Maori from trying to take over everything. We are going to become an apartheid country in reverse otherwise. | Fraser |
| We must retain our democratic ‘right’ vote on anything, that’s the foundation of democracy! | Ced |
| To lose the ability to petition our councils and government means there is no Democracy and hence no freedom. Ms Ardern’s Kindness mantra is to racially divide our society. Surely the rule of law prevents this PM endorsing Apartheid for votes. Where are our countries Leaders or have they all been cancelled and de-platformed?. Emailing MP’s falls on deaf ears, they are in the same camp. New Zealand will no longer be a country you would want to live in if this right to petition is changed. It is scary what is happening. | Sam |
| Rights of freedom | Owen and Janet |
| This move is undemocratic and represents the imposition of the will of a minority on the will of a majority. | Tony |
| Some how we need a massive protest group movement down at Parliament as this losing our Democracy is failing fast! | Christina |
| Its the only way citizens are able to voice their concerns to elected councils when their actions are out of step with community aspirations | Tony |
| no way should should councils just do what they want to change the voting system without asking the the local electorate if they want it changed, but when the person who looks like they fell off there trike and scrapped their chin on the road says she will change the law just shows the arrogance of her and the commie govt we have, and she’s the so called minister of foreign affairs so why has she got anything to do with local councils, get rid of asap. | Richard |
| Many Councillors chose not to declare their plans regarding Maori Wards prior to the last local body elections. Bordering on dishonesty? | Murray |
| I emigrated to New Zealand from Britain over 50 years ago basically because of the immigration policies of the day along with various racist issues, which I felt was ramping up and would eventually destroy my heritage. Here we are now in 2021, and the same issues have become global, and is now impacting my kiwi grandchildren. I am bitterly disapointed in how the radicals in NZ are driving this issue, how our appeasing leftist/socialist government is encouraging it. | Roy |
| so sad through all this Moira rot I am now a fully blown racist they are making such demands to certainly make me think this way and don” think getting on to councils with out being voted in will work it won’t | Russell |
| Any person descendants of Maori or descendants of any culture that is not elected by a democratic system that can have influence on N.Z.ers is disgusting & corrupt to the core. | Allen |
| As you say in your article there are rules in place to ensure these challenges can not take place. The thing that worries me is who enforces these rules. They are the people who should be standing up at present and putting a stop to all this silly business. | Dennis |
| I am fed up with this Marxist Government and can only see disaster looming for kiwi citizens if a minority group is pigeon holed into 50% control in any political arena. | Garry |
| Any question on this topic is clearly non-democratic | bob |
| More racist propaganda by Maori | Gareth |
| The rights should remain to protect our society from anyone being elected to the councils without being voted on democraticaly. | Digby |
| YES YES YES | Martin |
| Since our Socialist/Communist gained control of the treasury benches in 2017, they have become increasingly emboldened in their removal and restriction of individual democratic rights. Two days given between the tabling and enacting of the Arms Restriction Bill; not one mention of the 9 days in which the Supreme Court determined the government’s implementation of lockdown to be illegal; The Police being permitted to support Maori sponsored roadblocks; special funding allocated under COVID-19 financial aid to those claiming Maori heritage because of “their greater need”; the permitting and fostering public hospital treatment to be ethnically based whereby those claiming Maori heritage required to receive treatment ahead of other citizens, irrespective of the seriousness of the disease/injury; the Honourable Ninia Mahutu in her capacity as Minister for Local Government and Maori Development (supported by the Member for the East Coast Kiri Allan) , stated the present law is “discriminatory” and “instead of there being the option for a binding poll of all electors in the district on the proposal, there should be a right of appeal or objection, that right of appeal would be determined by the Local Government Commission.%u201D are but a few examples of the Government believing they have the constitutional right to change democratic laws at their whim and without reference to to the electorate. Councils and Ministers are supposedly servants of the people. Only in a Communist regime are the people servants of the Government. This is what New Zealand is fast becoming if present trends continue. Where are those anti-aprthied leaders who lead the protest against South Africa and it relations with New Zealand? Any changes to the potion rights MUST be referred back to the electorate BEFORE any change is made to existing legislation. | Michael |
| The Adern government is being dictated to by the separatists who want to establish a race-based government that will “share” power with that elected by the people. This is an attack on democracy and must be repelled. Apathetic NZers are being sucked in by a media that is not impartial and has lost the rights that apply to the fourth estate. | Kerry |
| To be a democracy the majorities point of view must be preserved | Arthur |
| Isn’t this what being a democracy is all about. We creep closer to communism daily. That’s why the horse keeps flashing her teeth in pleasure. | Tony |
| Sadly the NZ Labour party want to disenfranchise all New Zealanders of European descent and promote Maori elitism.. This must not be allowed to happen | Rob |
| ABSOLUTELY!! Our wonderful NZ is going down hill rapidly and apathy is OUR worst enemy | tony |
| The alternative is a loss of democracy in this country of ours. It is so sad that so many ‘politicians’ are emasculated by fear of being labelled ‘racist’ that they support this appalling suggestion. | John |
| Nania Mahuta is the member of parliament for Maori electorate Hauraki/Waikato. Her mandate is to represent Maori people in this constituency. She is also the minister of local government. A role requiring her to represent all New Zealanders. Yet she has made it known that it is her intention to change local government constitutional legislation and abolish the rights of residents to initiate a binding referendum on the matter of Maori wards. Clearly a conflict of interest to appoint a Maori seat M.P. to the role of minister. | Louise |
| of course, keep things as they are | gerard |
| Absolutely. Politicians need to remember they work for the people not against them. | Pavel A |
| Yes because democracy is weakened and totalitarian rule is creeping in by such changes. | Ray |
| Duuuuuh! | Gary |
| Petition rights are essential in a democratic society and help maintain the right to disagree. | Pieter |
| Absolutely they should remain. This is our democratic right. | Margaret |
| The socialists are very sneaky people. | bruce |
| The voting system must fairly represent the voters. | Ian |
| Absolutely !!!!! | Alan |
| Yes naturally It is the people that grant authority to the Councils and not the people being subject without appeal to the whims of councils. I put a you tube commentary on line about the New Plymouth Council and it’s views One of the viewers made some comments They were basically that I was racist and did not understand the partnership rights of local Maori as provided for under the TOW. In the end I asked three questions What percentage of his ancestory was he denying, When is looking back better than looking forward other that to learn from history and when is identity politics better than a meritocracy I have yet to receive a reply | Robin |
| The minister for local government, Nania Mahuta is MP for maori electorate Hauraki/Waikato. her mandate is to represent maori in that electorate. Yet she is now a minister of the crown, presumably representing all races in New Zealand. This is the minister who has vowed to change our local government constitution to clear the way for maori wards. | Louise |
| Mahuta and the tribalists are being enabled by Ardern to snuff out all democratic systems in local Govt and free speech and equality are 1st on the hit list , this is a war we cant afford to lose | Philip |
| Not only should petition rights remain, they need to be made more robust. Not sure how that would be done, but would suggest that councils should understand they have no mandate to make constitutional changes without the full approval of those who elect them. Also, we need to reject the “racist” accusations as the lie that it is. Typical of the left to accuse someone of something that they themselves are guilty of. Ain’t that the truth? | Neil |
| This petition right is basic Democracy pure and simple. | John |
| We are underling democracy if this law is changed. | John |
| We are all NZers .Let’s not have Maori singled out for special treatment. | Ian |
| Yes. Doubt the council will take much notice though. Through voter apathy local councils are loaded with greens, do- gooders and pseudo historians. | Bruce |
| Taupo District voters have a petition to sign during the next 4 weeks. To ensure that all voters get the opportunity to vote on the issue of having Maori Wards in Taupo. All Councils need to have polls so that all voters can then decide. NOT just the elected Councilors. | RICHard |
| It is hard to believe that this strident racism is happening in N.Z. but it sure is! | Richard |
| Choice not dictatorship | Bruce |
| We have to stop this steady slide into a racially divided nation! | Hugh |
| Yes they should remain, no group should have special rights over the rest of the population | Jason |
| What has happened to peoples rights? | clive |
| We must stand up for democracy. I liked the comment of a man withdrawing his support of a charity because of use of maori language. I have expressed the same view to a request for money and also advised my MP if he insists on inserting maori language in his correspondence I will be instantly deleting it. I told him i ripped his christmas card up. | Bev |
| At last – someone with profile has had the guts to call out the separatism that exists in NZ for what it is: APARTHEID. | Geoff |
| Local councils are funded by, and are elected by local ratepayers as the representatives of those ratepayers who have a democratic right to challenge any thing that affects their democratic rights and general well being. | Carol |
| The voting system for any elected body, should only be changed as a result of a Referendum, or a Election Policy platform taken to the people in a General Election. | Bob |
| Absolutely. | Graeme |
| Where is democracy | David |
| It is imperative that the petition rights remain. I am appalled at the underhand methods and blatant lies of Maori sovereignty activists to push their dishonest agenda! | Ron |
| What do we have to do to stop all this crap! | bill |
| Everybody should have the right to have their say on any topic and especially local body politics as we pay their wages – they seem to forget that! | Janet |
| It’s time for all, who believe in unity and freedom of speech, to stand up and be counted. | Carol |
| democracy means all have the right to vote on issues that affect them. Open debate is essential. | Judith |
| Simple. You either want to live in a democracy or not. If you don’t then bugger off. | Mark |
| Definitely, an absolute must | Graeme |
| Race based appointments cannot be allowed. | Noel |
| We are definitely on a down hill spiral .racism is the key answer to anything /one disagreeing with Maori ,taking priority in health etc to place names to changing the name of NZ to anti forcing Te Reo down our throats ! The hatred from Maori is unacceptable | Karen |
| Most definitely. We are entering very dangerous times with all the racism being promoted left, right and centre. We should all be treated the same under the law. Anyone wanting a say on local councils should put their names up for election and not be given special unelected positions based on race – which is racist. | Helen |
| I Know I keep saying it but there are very few full brooded maori left in New Zealand and I would suggest most would be under 50% so why are we having different rules | Les |
| This is fundamental to democracy. The Councils should be forced to have a referendum if they want Maori wards. Maori have equal opportunity to stand for Council | Bill |
| Most definitely. Recent history shows councils making a number of biased opinions that do not reflect the majority | David |
| tho in next door council, have spent many days getting signatures in tauranga. been abused,called f…..g racist by blond young women, and worse. | norman |
| I shudder to think what NZ will be like when my grand-children become adult – if this seperatism rubbish continues. The voting system does NOT need change! | Carl |
| DEMOCRACY! | Doug |
| We should be one people, and the Maori minority needs to “pull their heads in” | Cecilie |
| And furthermore, councils should have to ask community permission to change a constitutional law, not change it and then have the community challenge it. Council represents the community and unless the community has asked them to alter a law, then they should not be even contemplating such things. For God’s sake Council, get back to the business of looking after the roads, fixing the sewer pipes and the footpaths and leave out social engineering altogether. That’s not why we pay you. | Dianna |
| Just spent 2 days in Taumaranui collecting enough signatures to force a referendum on this issue, and on both days the same (mostly European) Maori woman harangued us and screeched in the street, on the second day, she lunged at our petition forms and ripped them ,police called. But we got there! | Linzey |
| I have never read anything explaining the benefits of having Maori wards. This like everything race based is racist . | Kylee |
| Of course they should because who do the councils actually work for it seems the elected in local and elected government have a undisclosed agenda when standing which we find out when it’s to late do do anything about it | Peter |
| Absolutely. This is the slippery slope. Changing Local Council petition rights to block the public from voting for or against is WRONG. | caren |
| Yes, the rights should remain. This is but a small part of an overall plan to change our beautiful country forever. Wake up those who cannot see what is happening right under their nose. | Audrey |
| If they want maoris on the council’, ask them to stand for election.Just like any other candidate. | ROSS |
| It,s OUR right & dangerous if we DONT ACT NOW.It,s time some-one had the guts to say ALL LIVES MATTER & IN NZ WE ARE ALL EQUAL.Lefties wont like anyone having the guts to stand up but it NEEDS TO BE DONE & EVERYONE NEEDS to email ALL mp,s from ALL parties & tell them WE ARE ALL EQUAL & THERE IS ONE LAW GOR EVERYONE & THEY NEED TO READ THE FIRST 5 chapters of the waitangi treaty & see for themselves RACE BASED POLICIES are NOT DEMOCRATIC & NZ is going down the APARTHEID Africa went down | Cindy |
| We are fast loosing our rights as citizens of NZ It is time to stand up and be counted. | Bryan |
| Democracy is our chosen way of government. | warwick |
| It is absurd that ratepayers and residents be refused their right to vote on all issues that effect their community and this just one instant that this socialist government is imposing on us all so to those who voted this lot in take a hard look and wake up. | ken |
| Yes, absolutely otherwise we are going down some scary socialist path. | Stuart |
| This is a serious matter so I decided to get a full definition of ‘racism’. This is typical of 6 that I found – “Prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism by an individual, community, or institution against a person or people on the basis of their membership of a particular racial or ethnic group, typically one that is a minority or marginalized.” Now can anyone please tell me how the maoris can claim that their attempts to take over this nation are not based on racism? No? I thought not. The misconception that white races are the only ones that engage in racism must be laid to rest, once and for all. Racist policies, some of them truly horrible, are being enacted throughout the world, mainly nowadays by those who claim to have been subjected to it in their past. This represents human evolution going into reverse, and it is not a viable path for New Zealand to tread and remain a modern, democratic nation. | TOBY |
| We are on a slippery slope politically. | John |
| Councils must always be subservient to their employers, the people they are elected to represent. | Alan |
| I wrote to Mahuta on 8th December objecting to her intentions on this matter but as of today she has not bothered to reply. | Philip |
| Successive govts have already created a huge problem with the fear of Maori intimidation & violence ever present. Petition gatherers need their wits around them if our experience in Taumaranui was any guide. A part Maori-Pakeha woman followed us around screaming & yelling at us to get out of town & frightening potential signers away. The next day she tried to grab the petitions, ripping them in half before her arm was grabbed, then claiming she’d been physically assaulted to the police. Fortunately her latter performance was all on tape. It’s scary times while too many Kiwis choose to ignore the dangerous separatism agenda. Our Govts & all MPs should be ashamed. | Fiona |
| Fundamental to democratic principles | william |
| This is critical to democracy. | Brenton |
| Surely everyone should have the right of input into intended changes after all they will be affected by them | Arthur |
| I am despondent about the direction this country is heading in. I am to old to leave NZ and start a new life in Australia or some other true Western democracy but my advice to all young European children is think seriously about leaving NZ and making a life for you and your families in a true democracy with soundly based multi cultural policies. | Albyn |
| Democracy at work | Warren |
| Is there any ‘factual’ reason why not? (NOT partisan rhetoric !) | Michael |
| Only those attempting to destroy democracy in NZ are seeking to have these rights extinguished. Just part of the grand maori agenda. I do not agree with many things Helen Clarke did but the one that I applaud was the calling out and ridiculing of Turiana Turia. Just a pity subsequent National leaders did not follow Helens directions. | Chris |
| Only way to avoid unwanted takeovers | Graham |
| It is an appropriate democratic process or have we already become a Stalinist state? Councils are just another arm of government which are or appear to be increasingly under pressure to conform with this socialist government. How sad for this country and democracy. | chris |
| Democracy must prevail | Richard |
| Say no to racist legislation.Maintain the democratic rights of all citizens. | Nryan |
| Its vital that option remains. N Z is heading into a very dangerous period. Democracy must prevail in NZ if we are to progress as a nation. | Peter |
| Councils continue to ignore referanda, petitions, submssions from those whom they represent. Maori have the same opportunity to represent their wiw but a co-governance separatist belief has influenced an overrepresentation as paid members is already controlling council decisions who appear to not represent the majority of Citizens. It is dangerous that Maori wards would even be considered as democratic. | Rayna |
| Yes is the only answer if democracy is to be a true part of our country. | Andrew |
| One vote one person | tony |
| There is no alternative | David |
| A very definite YES. Anything else would be UNDEMOCRATIC. | Graeme |
| This government is against democracy when it becomes apparent that the will of the voters would be different from that of the government. The use of Aotearoa instead of New Zealand has now been forced into such widespread use that it is becoming more and more likely that the permanent change will be legally introduced by this government without a referendum. | John |
| Its a fundamental democracy issue. A change to our voting rights requires a majority in favour. | Maurice |
| Too many councils are ignoring submissions , referenda, petitions and letters going ahead with iei desisres Despite existing paid representation on Council Msori are persisting with sepratist co governance outside the legislative reprsentative system | Rayna |
| These Maori leaders should be put firmly in there place but unfortunately we do not have the leadership with the balls to do so | Tom |
| The petition rights is just the thin end of the wedge. It appalls me that many Councils are giving Maori Council members equal rights on City Councils when they were never voted in. ALL city council members should only be voted in. If Maori feel their views need to be heard, then put up candidates and vote them in. If those candidates have a good and sound message, I for one, would vote for them. | Keith |
| today in NZ smacks of 1930’s Germany in my opinion. | mike |
| We should always be able to challenge anything that takes away an individual’s ability to choose democratically. | Gill |
| The present government is doing all it can to undermine democracy and bring about a communist regime. If we don’t know about and fight for our human rights we will lose them | Jenny |
| Absolutely. A cornerstone of democracy. Govt proposals to delete this right is like a chapter out of Animal Farm. | Willy |
| Appalling slow creep of racism is seeping into our homes and dividing family loyalties. Must be stopped! | Robert |
| Absolutely! It is essential that this separationist policy does not come into force. The very description of it – 50:50 is totally undemocratic. This is a totally racist policy. You are quite right, Muriel – there is no “partnership” in the Treaty. There also are no “principles” in the Treaty. Both of these racist ideas are fiction. | Doug |
| This is all spine chilling stuff which very few people know about | Bev |
| A Democratic cornerstone! Movements starting now are very reminiscent of Germany in the 30’s | Peter |
| Personally I am sick of all this push towards Maori, to allow this to go ahead, would mean that the country would eventually grind to a halt, nothing would get done, because the councils would have to appease the whims of the ever moaning Maori, and there would always be one that would object just as a shake down for more money. | Merryl |
| AFTER ALL THEY ARE THERE TO REPRESENT THE PEOPLE WHO VOTED THEM IN. | Brian |
| Being able to democratically challenge any decision made by a public body is an underlying and very necessary factor. It is too easy for those who have been voted into a position of power to forget what the “average guy” thinks! | Ted |
| Apartheid is alive and well with this spineless government | peter |
| Everyone has the right to be elected onto local councils. Why do Maori need special dispensation when they already have same right. This country is fast falling into an apartheid Rhodesia and we all Know what happened there. | Wayne |
| The removal of this right would be a major attack by this government on our democracy and must be resisted. We need increased democracy not a decrease. | Roger |
| Absolutely | Sheena |
| One Law , One Nation, New Zealand. | Igor |
| End Apartheid in New Zealand now. | Kerry |
| Absolutely must remain, it is the ratepayers right to control the council. | Harry |
| Democratic processes should be strengthened not eroded. National and local government should reflect the will of all citizens. | Lee |
| This should and always be in place in any Democracy. | Geoff |
| Anyone who has been watching Fox or Sky News during the last 12 months will see the NZ similarities with the lefts drive for control through unfounded racist claims. BLM (black lives matter) and Antifa are funded and controlled by Marxist and other anti democratic organisations. China has been shown to fund left wing USA political parties and candidates and the same will have been happening here, so don’t expect Stuff, Twitter and Facebook to behave any differently in NZ. with their control of the narrative. Google, Amazon, Twitter and Facebook have all been shown to suppress and delete opinion on alternative views, and unfortunately they can do the same here. | Rex |
| Democracy must be upheld and the right for every voter to have a voice in both local and Government decisions. | Don |
| Do we want a communist form of local government or a democratic model – the answer is plain. | Mike |
| Any attempt to change any part of the voting system should be fully understood by those citizens affected. Changes without citizen involvement are undemocratic and thus suggest force by the council. | Paloma |
| Government that cannot be questioned is every politicians dream but for the country is a nightmare. | Mark |
| Brilliant article Muriel !! I can only agree with all the facts stated therein. All the hallmarks of these devious developments can be observed on a micro level all around us every day ( provided one keeps eyes and ears open) In the rural town where I live we have wokies in the council who want to change all the street signs to Maori names- despite the fact that this place was never a Maori settlement !!! The local news flyer and the weekly local paper is saturated with all this nonsense you have so well written about. My neighbour told me a little story just yesterday: One of his kids wore a Maori pendant made of greenstone in school. His Maori fellow students bullied him to take it off because only Maories can wear these. The teachers had nothing to say about this. So– there you have it– one could call that ‘ micro agression’ to use a favourite woke word of the demented left. My take is: The general apathy of ordinary NZ landers will come home to bite us all in the butt and then it will be too late. | Michael |
| Councils are at a stage NOW where they have become a BURDEN. Time to cut their powers | Carl |
| Bring back Helen Clarke – she save the seabed and shore shoreline and John Key lost it to win a few Maori seats | Tom |
| Absolutely. They are the last line of defence against totalitarian government | Frank |
| Of course: local councillors are representatives of the people, and it is the will of the people that must be heard and respected. The alternative is to live in a dictatorship, which is what the Maori activist/separatists seem to want. | Graham |
| A must | Graeme |
| The right to petition is an ancient one. Indeed, it is, in one sense, a form of final appeal in some instances. That it had to be formalised some 20 years ago was somewhat of a red herring. Local residents already had that right. To actively remove such an ancient method of expressing a democratic voice would be yet another nail in the coffin of democracy in New Zealand. The price of democracy is eternal vigilance – regrettably few take that to heart. | Ian |
| Without a doubt vote yes | Suzanne |
| Maori getting away with far too much !!! | Kevin |
| The rights must remain if wish to remain a functioning democracy. | Peter |
| Racist separatism is a cancer which will destroy our democracy, but the general public are blinded to it by the outrageous lies and bias of the mass media. | Ross |
| It is a well known fact that no rates are collected on Maori Land, another reason to have to be elected onto the council, not a right as some seem to think | Erin |
| This is vital | Bernie |
| But it needs strengthening to allow non-performers to be removed from office. | Mark |
| Bowing to special Maori rights is not equality – nor democracy! Ma Huta demonstrates she is unfit to handle local body affairs by indicating she will remove citizens’ rights to referendum – let alone her ability to handle foreign relations! | Paul |
| Yes, of course. It is common sense and democratic. | Peter |
| A cornerstone of democracy….the maintenance of choice is vital | Richard |
| There will be thousands of very angry and highly motivated people if the petition right is withdrawn, and more so because people will know that the reason for doing so is bogus. | jd |
| Jacinda admires the total control exerted over their populous by countries such as China, so she’s simply trying to silence those New Zealanders that oppose her agenda to destroy NZ and build back a better Aotearoa, a move I’m sure her mentor H1 surely approves of . | John |
| We were one people | James |
| For precisely the same reason Helen Clark introduced the requirement, democracy | Yerry |
| I cannot see the necessity for children to have to learn a language that is of not use to them anywhere in the world apart from New Zealand. It is a waste of their and their teacher’s time However to retain power our politicians will promise anything regardless of its impact on the well-being of our country. This compulsion to learn a non-international language was used in South Africa during the apartheid era. Do the politicians want our country to become a modern South Africa. No but they want to retain power, fat salaries and never-ending perks! | Tony |
| Removing that right imposes apartheid. | John |
| Yes, we need democracy. | Kate |
| My experience of contacting local or National government is to be ignored. What action does that leave? | Laurie |
| Yes, absolutely. It’s just a little freedom called DEMOCRACY!! | Tony |
| Councils must be overruled when they make apartheid decisions | Clive |
| If you prevent this form of challenge, you prevent democracy. Maori wards are racist. | Mark |
| Abolishing democratic rights without a referendum smacks of totalitarianism. | Colin |
| If Jacinda Ardern removes our democratic petition rights it would demonstrate that her election night promise “to govern for all New Zealanders” was just a lie. | Tess |
| New Zealand needs more democratic rights not fewer. Of course petition rights should remain otherwise there is no democratic control over the make up of councils. | Jeremy |
| What’s the bet that the proposals to abolish petition rights will introduce the 50:50 co-governance model. Then, the separatists will have total control of local government. It is appalling. | Tom |
| This is a very dangerous path that the country is on. New Zealand needs a political leader with the courage to rescue us from the abyss. | Lyall |