Category: Maori Issues
Love him or hate him, John Key is one of New Zealand’s most successful Prime Ministers. Whether he becomes New Zealand’s longest serving PM remains to be seen. But his poll ratings have remained high, and to date, he has managed the high-wire act of governing in an MMP environment adeptly.
Kiwis have always disliked and distrusted Unearned Privilege. Our collective psyche tolerates individual success, and, if decently handled by that individual, it will get respect and even quiet admiration. But the essential Kiwi commitment to fairness and equality is never far below the surface.
Last Saturday, National launched their controversial water discussion document at a Party conference at Lake Tekapo. By announcing the major reform of the country’s system of freshwater management at a remote location on a weekend, National will have ensured that that most New Zealanders are unaware that a public consultation and submission process is now underway.
L’esprit de l’escalier, the French call it ~ the wit of the staircase. All those clever things to say that you think of only when you are walking down the stairs after the party is over. I had such thoughts last year, after an interview I did for Fishhead Radio on the subject of the Maori claim, before the Waitangi Tribunal and now to Parliament and government, to fresh water.
A report on the burden to economies of environmental policies, prepared by the OECD in 2014, ranked New Zealand 28th out of 34 member countries. It highlighted that real problems exist with our system of environmental regulation.
An increasingly common theme expressed by New Zealanders returning home from overseas is: this is about as good as it gets compared with most of the places they have visited, and it is not just the scenery they are talking about.
Last Thursday representatives from 12 nations - New Zealand, Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, Singapore, the US, and Vietnam – gathered in Auckland to sign the biggest free trade deal in history.
Widespread criticism about Trans Pacific Partnership, Maori and the Treaty of Waitangi forced me to reread a big chunk of the TPP and previous free trade agreements and to study every element of the criticisms being levelled against the TPP and Maori.
Last week, Prime Minister John Key reminded New Zealanders that governing the country in an MMP environment is all about numbers. Or, to be more precise, the number 61 - the number of votes the government needs to pass laws in this 51st Parliament.
Twelve years ago Don Brash, as the then leader of the National Party, delivered a landmark speech to the Orewa Rotary Club: He dared to confront the issue of separatism. While the response from some was predictably shrill, the message resonated with enough voters to rebuild National's support from what had been a crushing election defeat under Bill English
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