BACKGROUND ISSUES

The Independent Constitutional Review has been established by the New Zealand Centre for Political Research in response to the Maori Party’s plan to replace our constitution with one based on the Treaty of Waitangi to give the tribal elite supreme power in New Zealand. Details of the government’s $4 million campaign to replace our constitution can be viewed here.

The NZCPR is a public policy think tank established in 2005 by former MP, Dr Muriel Newman. Each week our FREE weekly newsletter outlines public policy issues of concern. It is our rising concern, through this work, that has led to the establishment of this Independent Constitutional Review website. If we receive sufficient support, we will run a nation-wide public information campaign to alert New Zealanders to the threat to our future posed by the Maori Party’s Constitutional Review.

This page holds the NZCPR’s main articles written about constitutional issues – for your information. New information will be posted here as it becomes available. Radio interviews can be found at the bottom of the page. You can view the wealth of other material on the NZCPR website here.

NZCPR Articles on Constitutional Issues:

Date	Author	Title
09/12/12	Dr Muriel Newman	Extortion by a Thousand Demands	http://www.nzcpr.com/extortion-by-a-thousand-demands/
09/12/12	David Round	A Treaty of Waitangi Constitution	http://www.nzcpr.com/a-treaty-of-waitangi-constitution/
03/12/12	Dr Muriel Newman	Illegitimate Constitutional Change	http://www.nzcpr.com/major-constitutional-change-without-a-referendum-is-illegitimate/
03/12/12	Prof James Allan	What a Bastard	http://www.nzcpr.com/what-a-bastard/
05/11/12	Dr Muriel Newman	Focus on the Review	http://www.nzcpr.com/focus-on-review/
04/10/12	David Round	Report on "NZ's Constitution; The Conversation So Far"	http://www.nzcpr.com/new-zealands-constitution-the-conversation-so-far-constitutional-advisory-panel-september-2012/
22/10/12	Dr Muriel Newman	Independent Constitutional Review Panel established ...	http://www.nzcpr.com/independent-constitutional-review-panel-established/
22/10/12	Prof James Allan	A Written Constitution for NZ? ...	http://www.nzcpr.com/a-written-constitution-for-nz/
24/09/12	Dr Muriel Newman	Open Letter to the Prime Minister...	http://www.nzcpr.com/open-letter-to-the-prime-minister/
24/09/12	Prof Martin Devlin	Constitutional Advisory Panel...	http://www.nzcpr.com/constitutional-advisory-panel-engagement-strategy-for-the-consideration-of-constitutional-issues/
19/08/12	Dr Muriel Newman	Stand up for New Zealand!...	http://www.nzcpr.com/stand-up-for-new-zealand/
19/08/12	David Round	We get the government we deserve...	http://www.nzcpr.com/we-get-the-government-we-deserve/
09/09/12	Dr Muriel Newman	Time to challenge claims and claimants...	http://www.nzcpr.com/time-to-challenge-claims-and-claimants/
09/09/12	Dr Elizabeth Rata	An argument against iwi claims to constitutional recognition...	http://www.nzcpr.com/an-argument-against-iwi-claims-to-constitutional-recognition-and-public-resources/
19/08/12	Dr Muriel Newman	A Declaration of Equality...	http://www.nzcpr.com/a-declaration-of-equality/
19/08/12	David Round	Charter...	http://www.nzcpr.com/charter-declaration-of-equality/
22/07/2012	Dr Muriel Newman	Are we one or two?...	http://www.nzcpr.com/are-we-one-or-two/
22/07/2012	Dr Elizabeth Rata	New Zealand Constitution - why iwi have got it wrong...	http://www.nzcpr.com/new-zealand-constitution-why-iwi-have-got-it-wrong/
08/07/12	Dr Muriel Newman	One battle ends - a new one begins...	http://www.nzcpr.com/one-battle-ends-a-new-one-begins/
08/07/12	Dr Hugh Barr	Our foreshore and seabed - precious enough to fight for...	http://www.nzcpr.com/our-foreshore-seabed-precious-enough-to-fight-for/
01/07/12	Dr Muriel Newman	Equality for all...	http://www.nzcpr.com/equality-for-all/
01/07/12	Mike Butler	Turning around race-based policy...	http://www.nzcpr.com/turning-around-race-based-policy/
06/05/12	Dr Muriel Newman	Hijacking our constitution...	http://www.nzcpr.com/hijacking-our-constitution/
06/05/12	Mike Butler	Treaty beliefs - in their own words...	http://www.nzcpr.com/test-post-246/
01/04/2012	Dr Muriel Newman	Time to look forward...	http://www.nzcpr.com/time-to-look-forward/
01/04/2012	David Round	The biculturalism myth...	http://www.nzcpr.com/the-myth-of-biculturalism/
5/03/12	Dr Muriel Newman	Radical forces plan to replace our constitution...	http://www.nzcpr.com/radical-forces-plan-to-replace-our-constitution/
5/03/12	Dr Elizabeth Rata	Marching through the institutions...	http://www.nzcpr.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Marching-through-the-institutions-The-Neotribal-Elite-and-the-Treaty-of-Waitangi.pdf
18/09/11	Dr Muriel Newman	Leave our constitution alone...	http://www.nzcpr.com/test-post-587/
18/09/11	David Round	A slippery slope to ruin...	http://www.nzcpr.com/a-slippery-slope-to-ruin/
23/08/09	David Round	Judicial Activism - part 2...	http://www.nzcpr.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=23878#p23878
13/08/09	David Round	Judicial Activism - part 1...	http://www.nzcpr.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=23655#p23655

BREAKING VIEWS Articles on Constitutional Issues:

“Breaking Views” is a blog run by the New Zealand Centre for Political Research – see here

Date	Author	Title
18/09/12	Mike Butler	The hunger for a special Maori deal	http://breakingviewsnz.blogspot.co.nz/2012/09/mike-butler-hunger-for-special-maori.html
18/09/12	Mike Butler	Constitution 101 questions to ponder	http://breakingviewsnz.blogspot.co.nz/2012/09/mike-butler-constitution-101-questions.html
18/09/12	Mike Butler	Advisors' 'rangatiratanga' error	http://breakingviewsnz.blogspot.co.nz/2012/09/mike-butler-sovereignty-error-in-booklet.html
21/05/12	Mike Butler	Nelson, Wairoa oppose Maori seats	http://breakingviewsnz.blogspot.co.nz/2012/05/mike-butler-nelson-wairoa-oppose-maori.html
12/05/12	Mike Butler	Implications of Treaty in constitution	http://breakingviewsnz.blogspot.co.nz/2012/05/mike-butler-implications-of-treaty-in.html
21/04/12	Mike Butler	What Maori and non-Maori think about separate seats	http://breakingviewsnz.blogspot.co.nz/2012/04/mike-butler-what-maori-and-non-maori.html
16/03/12	Mike Butler	Be careful with the constitution	http://breakingviewsnz.blogspot.co.nz/2012/03/mike-butler-constitution-not-broken.html
11/03/12	Mike Butler	Bolivian constitution a model for NZ?	http://breakingviewsnz.blogspot.co.nz/2012/03/mike-butler-bolivian-constitution-model.html

Other Information on Constitutional Issues:

RADIO INTERVIEWS

Date	Interview With	Radio Show
18/10/12	Dr Muriel Newman	Leighton Smith Newstalk ZB: MMP & Declaration of Equality...	http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-Y_N_Vskzw&feature=relmfu
30/09/12	Dr Muriel Newman	Free Access Radio 89FM: Declaration of Equality...	http://youtu.be/XFox4dp75R8
25/09/12	Dr Muriel Newman	Farming Show with Jamie Mackay: Declaration of Equality...	http://www.farmingshow.com/player/ondemand/muriel-newman-declaration-of-equality

OTHER

Date	YouTube Video	Title
9/10/12	Geoff Parker	Declaration of Equality - STAND UP NZ! ...	http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbLBZ8LrGKA

Date	Article - Author	Title
7/04/00	Dr Roderick Deane	Globalisation and Constitutional Development...	http://www.independenteconomics.com/assets/papers/buildingtheconstitution.pdf

SUBMISSION GUIDE

below is a guide to the issues to assist you in your submission:

Number MPs/seats

Nominally 120 MPs but currently 121 because of the overhang created when a party wins ... more

Length Parliamentary term

Those in power would want longer terms and those out shorter. The question is how long ... more

Election date

Currently, the Prime Minister may set date for the party’s advantage. A fixed date would ... more

Number electorates

Currently there are 63 general electorate seats and 7 Maori seats, with 50 list seats ... more

Calculating electorates

The process for deciding the number and size of electorates is based on the South Island always ... more

Electoral Integrity Laws

Party hopping laws prevent MPs leaving a party and distorting the proportionality of ... more

Maori Electoral Option

The Maori electoral option gives New Zealanders of Maori descent the opportunity to choose ... more

Maori seats

Four Maori seats were established as a temporary measure back in 1867. They should have ... more

Local govt Maori seats

Separate Maori representation was established by legislation in 2001 at Environment Bay of Plenty ... more

Treaty of Waitangi

If Treaty principles were enshrined in a new written constitution, it would be a death blow ... more

Bill of Rights - property

The New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990 is a statute of the Parliament of New Zealand setting out ... more

Bill of Rights Entrenchment

The Electoral Act is the only New Zealand statute containing entrenched provisions ... more

Written constitution

If Treaty principles were enshrined in a new written constitution, it would be a death blow to ... more

Declaration of Equality

The Declaration of Equality states: We New Zealanders of all backgrounds having founded ..more

Change via Referendum

The only legitimate democratic way to enact major constitutional change is through a referendum ... more