Category: Maori Issues
Waitangi Day has been steeped in local protest and controversy for years. That’s why Prime Minister Norman Kirk named it New Zealand Day when he turned it into a national holiday in 1973 - to signify that New Zealand was moving towards a broader concept of nationhood.
There is little public debate on the meaning of the Treaty. But there should be. Uncontested assertions are shaping government policy, judicial thinking and political debate. In the manner of the marae, our common interests are best served by robust debate, in an environment of mutual respect.
2016 has been a year of significant political change. Establishment politics has been turned on its head. From the Brexit referendum in the UK, to the election of Donald Trump in the US, the shock waves kept coming.
Not content with creating the Treaty of Waitangi grievance industry and inserting ‘undefined’ Treaty principles into legislation – to enable activist Judges to invent new Treaty ‘rights’ - Sir Geoffrey Palmer now wants replace the sovereignty of the Queen with a new Constitution embedding the Treaty as superior law.
The new Iwi Participation Agreements will require democratically elected councils to seek the approval of unelected tribal representatives in all major decision-making. Even though many councils have more than a dozen iwi claiming an interest in their areas – each will be entitled to set up their own Agreements and be individually consulted.
We were told that we needed RMA approval (for a new shop window, for God’s sake), this instantly forthcoming at a cost of $4500 plus the approval of 13 iwi. The council refused to advise the addresses of these iwi outfits, yet added that without their consent, we can’t put back the window.
On Election Day the US electorate delivered a crushing blow to the political establishment. Against all odds, the Republican candidate Donald Trump was elected to serve as the 45th American President.
With the Treaty claims process coming to an end, the right to control public resources is becoming a central focus for tribal corporations as they enter the post-settlement era. Their priority is the control of fresh water.
Earlier this year cabinet considered a paper on the future allocation of fresh water. One aspect is the recognition of rights and interests in water on a race basis, which will be available only to those persons claiming some Maori blood.
It’s hard to recall a more concerted gang-up against a public figure than the one that followed the launch of former National Party leader Don Brash’s Hobson’s Pledge movement, which wants an end to race-based preference.
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