Category: Maori Issues
The New Zealand Centre for Political Research has long been concerned at the extent to which the ownership and control of communal resources are being transferred to private iwi corporations - without the public really being aware of what is going on. Under the guise of the Treaty of Waitangi settlement process, billions of dollars worth of cash and assets are being transferred from public ownership.
The latest Treaty Transparency report shows that with a total of 60 treaty settlements more or less completed and at least 23 under negotiation, a total of $2.23-billion has been agreed upon and largely transferred. According to the OTS progress report, the settlement process is probably less than half way through.
Last week New Zealanders saw yet another example of minor parliamentary parties, that secure only a fraction of the vote in a general election, having disproportionate power under MMP. In such circumstances, instead of proportional representation, which advocates of MMP argue is a cornerstone value, the system serves up disproportional representation and policy compromise.
Tribal leaders continue to make on-going demands for new rights and privileges based on claims of Treaty partnership and Maori sovereignty. The question that needs to be asked is whether such partnership and sovereignty claims are valid. The first example, which uses the Treaty partnership argument, is the situation in the Far North where iwi leaders are claiming guardianship rights over the region - “as affirmed in Te Tiriti o Waitangi as Treaty partners”.
This paper is concerned solely with the question of whether or not there is anything in the Treaty of Waitangi that requires it to be incorporated into a written constitution, and having the effect of conferring sovereignty in and over New Zealand on twenty first century Maori.
Over the weekend, Prime Minister John Key announced a new tranche of reforms for the Resource Management Act: “New Zealand needs planning law that enables economic growth and jobs, as well as providing strong environmental outcomes. The changes we are introducing are about striking that balance between our environmental responsibilities and our economic opportunities.
Auckland City’s draft Unitary Plan (UP) juggernaut has been forced to swerve this month. Maximum permitted height limitations proposed for buildings in Panmure, Onehunga and Pakuranga were lowered after concerted agitation by local residents. Much more needs to be done yet, not least because the UP has widespread ramifications for New Zealand’s economic performance.
With just a week to go until the consultation phase of the government’s constitutional review comes to an end, if you haven’t already sent in a submission, you have until 5pm Wednesday July 31st to do so. The review has focussed public attention on the exercise of constitutional power in New Zealand. In doing so it has become clear that the Maori sovereignty movement has made significant progress towards their goal of the co-management of the country.
We write this open letter to you to express our dismay at recent remarks by Sir Tipene O’Regan, the co-chair of your government’s Constitutional Advisory Panel, as reported in the Otago Daily Times, and to ask what your attitude can be to an official panel which displays the predetermination and partiality which a good number of panel members clearly hold.
A campaign is presently underway to convince the public that racism in the government sector is responsible for the poor social outcomes of Maori. Predictably the solution offered is preferential treatment for Maori - by enshrining the ‘principles’ of the Treaty of Waitangi into law.
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