On election night, Jacinda Ardern promised to govern for all New Zealanders. Yet here she is, barely three months later, using Parliamentary urgency to crush a fundamental democratic right of New Zealanders.
Not only that – she is misleading the country about the reasons for the law change.
The announcement by her Minister of Local Government Nanaia Mahuta that the right of ratepayers to veto decisions by councils to establish Maori wards would be abolished, is an unprecedented attack on local government democracy.
The reasons given for the law change are lies – there is no nice way to describe it.
In her press release the Minister says, “Polls have proven to be an almost insurmountable barrier to councils trying to improve the democratic representation of Maori interests. This process is fundamentally unfair to Maori. Increasing Maori representation is essential to ensuring equity in representation and to provide a Maori voice in local decision making.”
Yet the facts tell a different story.
According to a survey carried out by Local Government New Zealand in October 2020, the proportion of Maori elected to local authorities is now 13.5 percent. With the 2018 census showing Maori as 13.7 percent of the adult population, there is no under representation.
Quite simply Maori seats are not needed to increase Maori representation because Maori are quite capable of getting elected in general seats.
Since it is inconceivable that the Minister of Local Government would not be aware of these statistics, the question is, why would she be claiming that Maori are under-represented – unless her view of fair representation is where Maori occupy half of council seats. If 50:50 partnerships is her intention, then she should state it. She should not mislead the public – although that is becoming a hallmark of the Ardern government.
Local government veto rights were introduced into law by Helen Clark’s Labour Government in 2002 as a constitutional safeguard to protect the voting system.
In any democracy the voting system is sacrosanct and needs protecting to prevent those in power from manipulating it. That’s why democratic convention requires decisions to change the electoral system to have a higher threshold than ordinary decisions.
The veto rights in the Local Electoral Act take the form of petition rights. Ratepayers can challenge a council decision that changes the electoral system if 5 percent of voters support a petition calling for a binding referendum. The community then gets to vote – either supporting the council’s decision or opposing it.
Veto rights were applied to two new provisions in the Act that changed the electoral system.
The first enabled councils to introduce STV voting. Since single transferable voting completely changes the way the voting system operates the veto right safeguard was applied.
The second provision requiring the veto safeguard was the introduction of Maori wards. Any council that establishes Maori wards has to change the voting system to introduce the Maori electoral roll, since only voters on the Maori roll can vote for candidates standing in the Maori seats.
To justify the abolition of petition rights, the Minister is claiming, “The current system has a different set of rules for establishing Maori and general wards and that uneven playing field needs to change. The process of establishing a ward should be the same for both Maori and general wards.”
But this is a misrepresentation of the truth. It is inconceivable that the Minister would not know that petition rights only apply when the voting system is changed – especially as she was in Parliament when they were introduced into law.
Since establishing Maori wards changes the voting system, whereas establishing general wards does not, petition rights only apply to Maori wards, not general wards.
If Jacinda Ardern is truly sincere about making the provisions for establishing Maori wards and general wards the same, then, to uphold her Prime Ministerial duty to protect New Zealand’s democracy, the petition right should be expanded to apply to the creation of general wards as well.
To remove petition rights exposes the electoral system to abuse by self-serving politicians – the very reason the safeguards were introduced in the first place. Some are now arguing however, that voting system manipulation is the underlying objective for Labour’s radical change.
Without petition rights, there will be nothing to stop councils from changing the electoral system for their own advantage. The Maori seats in Parliament are generally pro-Labour. The local body Maori seats would be no different. Once petition rights are abolished, left-leaning councils could use Maori wards to create a permanent balance of power in Labour’s favour.
If this indeed is their sinister objective, the second stage of these reforms could well see the removal of the restriction on the number of Maori seats that a council can create, thus opening up the possibility of 50:50 representation. After all, that is the stated objective of the former New Plymouth Mayor Andrew Judd and other sovereignty extremists who already have the ear of Labour.
If the Government opened it up to 50:50, it would not be long before Maori gained full, unconstrained power over local authorities – including control of the rating system.
Consider for a moment the implications of this. There would be nothing to prevent the introduction of a differential rating system based on race – and there would be no recourse because those registered on the general could not vote them out.
Petition rights are a hugely important safeguard for the integrity of local government democracy and yet they are on the cusp of being abolished.
The bottom line is that the reasons being given by the Government for removing petition rights are lies. So, what is their real agenda? Has Labour done a deal with iwi leaders for local government partnerships? Is this all about Treaty politics – the first step towards Maori control of local government?
And is this the real reason this law change was not signalled before the election?
Audrey Young, the Herald’s Chief Political Reporter is scathing about this deceit: “The Government has made a strong case for abolishing local voters’ ability to overturn a council’s decision to establish a Maori ward. So it is unforgivable that Labour did not put it in its 2020 election manifesto. Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta foreshadowed the move in November, within weeks of the October election. It was clearly on Labour’s agenda all along. It may be a divisive issue but there is no excuse for Labour having hidden it at the election. No doubt Labour feared it could strengthen the arm of Act or, more importantly, of New Zealand First and did not want to take the risk of saying what it wanted to do in case the issue cost it votes.”
The Maori ward provisions and the veto right safeguard were included in the Local Electoral Act by Parliament on 17 December 2002 after two years of community consultation.
During the Parliamentary debate, the Labour MP David Cunliffe explained that Maori wards could only be established with community support: “there is a general referendum and a general trigger mechanism that means no Maori ward can be established unless a majority of all electors on the electoral roll say that should be the case… It has been done to continue an important constitutional principle, which states it is constitutionally appropriate for Maori wards to be established provided there is general support to do so.”
Nanaia Muhuta also spoke in the debate, stressing the importance of public consultation: “This bill is about ensuring that all citizens in our country have a greater say and participation in what happens at local government level… At a local level it is about everybody having a say on what is happening.”
Her comments gave no indication that when she became the Minister, instead of “everybody having a say on what is happening” she would deny communities the right to engage – even those that have already achieved the 5 percent petition threshold and have demonstrated that they want their voices heard.
With Helen Clark’s Government going to such great lengths to involve the community in the law changes, Jacinda Ardern’s approach – to now abolish this constitutional cornerstone of local government democracy under urgency and with only token consultation – is scandalous.
To Jacinda Ardern, what the community thinks is evidently no longer important. It is only what Maori thinks that seems to matter. Is this really the way to govern for all New Zealanders – or was that just another feel-good soundbite?
Certainly, her new legislation, the Local Electoral (Maori Wards and Maori Constituencies) Amendment Bill, destroys the notion of community involvement. It is retrospective, so those tens of thousands of New Zealanders who have signed petitions established under the law calling for their councils to hold a referendum on Maori seats will have their democratic rights trampled underfoot by her jack-booted totalitarianism.
A vital democratic safeguard that Minister Mahuta voted into our Statute books two decades ago, is about to be extinguished by her authoritarian Government.
So, what is the national crisis that has triggered this use of the overwhelming power of the State to crush the democratic rights of New Zealanders?
It is the fact that citizens in nine local authorities out of 78 are wanting councils to consult their communities over whether they support Maori seats.
This week’s NZCPR Guest Commentator Dr Don Brash, a former political leader and Reserve Bank Governor, is appalled at the law change:
“Nanaia Mahuta announced that she doesn’t like the ability of ratepayers to demand a referendum, and intends to change the law. In the meantime, she simply told the local authorities where ratepayers were demanding a referendum to ignore the current law.
“This is outrageous behaviour. In the last few months, nine local authorities have voted to create Maori wards, and in all nine districts ratepayers have begun collecting signatures demanding a referendum. In at least four of those nine – Tauranga, Whangarei, Kaipara and Northland – substantially more than 5% of ratepayers have already signed a petition demanding a referendum. The Minister has made it clear that she intends to ram a law change through Parliament under urgency, with virtually no time for the public to have a say on the change.”
The reality is that there is no national crisis to cause the Government to change the law retrospectively, under urgency, and with no proper consultation. It is a total abuse of power. There is no other way of describing it.
To be legitimate, the abolition of crucial constitutional rights in a democracy requires a proper consultative process. If those rights are entrenched, that would include a public referendum of all voters or a super-majority of 75 percent of Parliament.
It is surely only in countries like North Korea that democratic rights are taken away illegitimately. Or is dictatorial decision-making the new face of Aotearoa in 2021 and beyond.
The Labour Party’s 2020 election manifesto promised “Labour will uphold local decision making in the democratic institutions of local government… Labour will ensure that major decisions about local democracy involve full participation of the local population from the outset.”
Election promises clearly no longer matter to Labour.
Last year, Jacinda Ardern reminded us that we are part of the team of 5 million. Her characterisation struck a chord. Kiwis want to be united by the things we have in common, not divided by our differences.
That’s the reason why communities oppose Maori wards. They don’t want to be divided by race. They will vote for anyone of any ancestry who earns their respect. But they do not want to be told that because they are or are not on the Maori roll, they can or cannot vote for a particular candidate. They don’t want to be segregated by the voting system – and, most importantly, they want to retain their right to tell their council that dividing their community by race is wrong.
Helen Clark wanted to strengthen local democracy through petition rights. Jacinda Ardern is using her absolute power to undermine democracy to further her socialist agenda. George Orwell’s 1984 has become Jacinda Ardern’s 2021.
PLEASE NOTE: Firstly, the Herald reports, that Labour will call Parliament into urgency on Tuesday for the first reading of the Bill to abolish local government petition rights. There will then be a one-week select committee process for public input before the Bill is passed into law. This compares with six months for most law changes. Since our next newsletter will not come out for another week, we would urge as many readers as possible to send in a submission opposing the Bill. It does not need to be long or complicated, but it is essential that as many people as possible oppose this appalling abuse of power by Labour that well and truly breaks their election promise: “Labour will ensure that major decisions about local democracy involve full participation of the local population from the outset.” The information about where to send submissions and the timing should be available HERE – which is the link to Parliament’s list of Bills that are open for submissions – once the Select Committee has met and set the timetable.
And secondly, please feel free to email MPs to share your concerns about these developments – the PM and Labour MPs to urge them to withdraw their Bill, and National and ACT to urge them to campaign against this law change and pledge to either remove Maori ward provisions entirely, or at the very least, re-instate petition rights. All MP email addresses can be found HERE.
Thank you so much for helping to fight for democracy!
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THIS WEEK’S POLL ASKS:
*Should the Local Electoral (Maori Wards and Maori Constituencies) Amendment Bill be withdrawn?
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
| Ardern and Mahuta are not loyal to New Zealand, Ardern has no virtue and the country has lost. | Monica |
| Totalitarianism is starting up in NZ | Ian |
| I can say that the proposed amendment is undemocratic, is being promoted by a socialist/communist regime that cares naught for the rights of its citizens, and indeed acts illegally to enact retrospective legislation. But it will do me no good as it is clear that this Government is not going to act for all citizens and the only citizens that count are claiming their Maori heritage is of greater importance than all others that are incorporated into their DNA. The lies, half truths and distortions that have been expounded to justify the Bill’s introduction is but yet again more of the same tactics that enabled the amendments to the Arms Act and the passing of the Zero Carbon Bill. Despite the apathy of an electorate that permitted such a Government to gain a significant majority in the House, the straw that broke the camel’s back cannot be far away. Perhaps this was part of the plan behind the Arms Act amendments (also with a 48 hr public submission time) ensure that the populace does not have the where-with-al to truly attack the Government and its communistic sycophants! So much for the honey grin stating that HER GOVERNMENT WILL ACT FOR EVERY NEW ZEALANDER. Perhaps she could have been honest and also stated “BUT I WILL ACT FOR THOSE WITH MAORI HERITAGE BEFORE ALL OTHERS”. So much for her “team of 5 million” – this should now be seen for what is is – worthless diatribe. | Michael |
| The best suited person for the job should be elected to that position – not appointed. Race should have nothing to do with it. Labour need to be tossed out out on its’ collective ear for suggesting such a travesty | Steve |
| Total abuse of power as in Orwellas1964 which has now become Jaclda 2021 as so eloquently stated by drNewman | John |
| There is going to be a backlash soon. | Sue |
| I agree that the new Bill needs to be withdrawn and have made a submission to the Select Committee accordingly. With voting in Local Body Elections being so poorly actioned I can see that there possibly needs to be an extension to this 5% petition process to trigger a binding referendum on many matters where the citizenery consider that the Council have stepped over a boundary. Councilers are often elected as the lesser of the evils available for selection and as such further controlling resources in the hands of Joe Public are desired to stop rogue councillers achieving disastorist ends If there was such an extension there would be more local consoltation prior to making new by-laws More power to the people NOT LESS On top of this the provisions of this Bill further entrench the rational that part Maori are somewhat special and need extra assisstance to achieve NOTHING COULD BE FURTHER FROM THE TRUTH Just see the percentages of those elected with Maori Blood in Parliament and Local bodies Either greater or vitually the same the percentage of Maori in the population | Robin |
| Racism has no place in a democracy. Where is the Human Rights commissioner on this? Oh no, that’s right, he’s conveniently appointed & paid for by the BS camp that’s shafting us all by this racism. Hugs & feeling have no place in TRUE LEADERSHIP, not that any of these apparently elected or gravy train list ‘members’ would know. Given that we’re only 3 1/2 months into this election cycle & they’ve been on holiday for half of that, I’m picking, we ain’t seen nothing yet of what’s coming & most of the population is either hard out trying to survive or else they’re at the wheel. I’m really afraid of what’s coming, & what their incompetence will allow them to do without any accountability. | Rossco |
| Absolute power corrupts | mark |
| This appalling backtrack and attack on democracy by Ardern goes against every principle of our Parliament and surprisingly against Helen Clark’s introduction of the safety net of the law allowing a referendum to be voted on, which she introduced in 2002. There was some talk about Ardern being a protege of Clark in the early days of her rise through the ranks. Does she now want to be a new Labour dictator and hand the country to the Maoris? Is there nothing that the Governor General or university experts can do to prevent this dictatorship? | Chris |
| ….our freedoms are slowly but surely being taken from us….NZ the land of the not- free….Tragic . | CHowes |
| it is undemocratic. | Helen |
| The proposal is Undemocratic. Maori representation in local Government is already in proportion with the population of part Maori in New Zealand | David |
| Enter Nanaia Mugabee with the backing of Ardern. | Terry |
| It is racist. So much is done for Maori by the rest of the community and there is such little gratitude. shown. | bruce |
| Yes it should but no they won’t listen & will push it through. Another step on the slippery road to socialism. Divide & conquer the population & force bureaucratic control. | Rex |
| I do not want to live in a racially segregated New Zealand. If we need Maori wards we also should allow chinese wards Muslim wards etc. One law for all. | Tony |
| It all comes down to Geoff Palmer having the charge of treason written out of our laws. | Graham |
| This is a totally racist Bill. The abuse of process by passing it under urgency is a disgrace. This government is taking us along the road that Stalin would approve of. | Doug |
| Totally racist, against all principals and encouraging a larger gap for NZers to come together as one people | Ralph |
| freedom theft | bruce |
| It is an absolute abuse of power, completely at odds with the fames ‘treaty’. | Cherry |
| Parliament is now run by gutless wonders, fanatics and quite frankly idiots of the dangerous kind. | John |
| Definitely an abuse of power by this government | Shirley |
| Overdue that Maori be engaged in local government with first their particular issues to be put before councils, and not ignored. | Leo |
| This is terrible we can not let this act be passed | IAN |
| The very fact that separate representation by and for maoris is thought to be necessary is an admission by them, and an acknowledgement by us, that they are an inadequate people, and unable to flourish in the 21st century without special treatment. If I were a maori, I would be heartily ashamed of my origins because of this mindset, and would wish to relinquish any and all links to that failed race. It goes without saying that the underhanded and deceitful way the labour party is introducing this race-biased legislation comes as no surprise. They are in thrall to the maori vote, and know that this unseemly haste is the only way they can hope to succeed in this. | TOBY |
| Pure Communism and reverse prejudice. But the silver lining is that if you give idiots enough rope eventually they will hang themselves. This will be seen by average NZer’s for what it is. A move closer to Cindies communist roots and an abuse of power. Sadly made easier when a media is so left leaning also. If kiwi’s are worried about and by this, we are truly lost. Time to leave. | Tony |
| This move is a total disgrace. The trouble is most NZ people will not understand the implications . Why aren’t National screaming from the rooftops?? | Mary |
| Ardern & her Maori Minister are undermining basic democracy in NZ | Bob |
| Are we moving to an apartheid form of government? Looks like it! | Brian |
| This is absolutely racist and denies the citizens the rights promised by Adern in labour’s manifesto Labour will uphold local decision making in the democratic institutions of local government – Labour will ensure that major decisions about local democracy involve full participation of the local population from the outset. | Kerry |
| Oh Hell no! | Reuben |
| To implement this law would be a vile abuse of power. Labour were dishonest by not declaring this intent in their manifesto, | Allan |
| Jackboot politics indeed! Ma Hooter must go ASAP. | Paul |
| It is outrageous what is happening! | Jane |
| Stop devaluing Maori people they are intelligent and don’t need patronising. | Catherine |
| They have full representation without getting unfair advantage | Wolf |
| NZ has become a toxic country. Tax payers; pay public servants to verbally abuse anyone who does not agree with their lies. Apartheid is now entrenched, thanks to Labour. | Sam |
| There seems widespread awareness that the profile of Integrity, Trust and Democratic process, are in fact of little value to this current, iniquitous Labour Hypocrisy team. It is stunning to say the least, that these collective, intelligent Political personnel, can and do treat the general N.Z populace with outright arrogance and rank disrespect. Ardern and her colleagues, only months after securing a dangerous level of Authority, are clearly showing the taint of Power; in short, they are no longer Trustworthy. | Alan |
| Total abuse of political power ! Democratic rights are being hijacked ! Shame on you Labour ! | Rob |
| Absolutely .. rotten legislation. | Alan |
| This is moving us towards separatism. we are supposed to be one nation. | Lynne |
| If Winston hadnt put the labour Govt in power (with the object of having power himself) then this current govt wouldnt even exist let alone be in the position where it can ride roughshod over democracy as it pleases | richard |
| NZ should never be governed by race | warwick |
| This Bill is a scandalous abuse of power and has n o place in a democracy. | Peter |
| Oh dear Oh dear Oh dear, there is an elephant in the room. The parliamentary opposition can’t even see it or more correctly do not want to see it. Print media, radio, television, educators, local body politicians and Maori activists all singing from the same song sheet at the same time is more than a coincidence. I could be wrong , again, of course but that is what comes from reading too much history of the pre-Second World War era. | Bruce |
| A total abuse of power. This is a race based take over. We did not vote for this. I guess we should have expected it when we saw those she appointed to her cabinet. | Paloma |
| we need a racist free society | anthony |
| Yes yes yes!!! Protect our democracy and stop this .Bring back FPP election standards. Most Maori stepped into parliament from the List – unelected by voters. Many genuine caring Maori candidates put their names forward on legal election rolls and are elected for their own regard for what is best for their own locations for ALL.. | CMM |
| This is clearly divisive – for all New Zealanders. We all (up until now) have had a say. This is clearly in jeopardy. | Caren |
| This should be the straw that breaks the camels back! | Alan |
| A separate Maori roll for voting is not democratic;: it is racist. | Pam |
| New Zealand is composed of many races. According to the recent Census Maori is fairly represented, so why waste time changing the law. | Arthur |
| How can this HAKUNA MATATA even go down this path | Ed |
| It certainly should be withdrawn. What an insult to Maori. As if we are not able to get support and votes without the government treating us like victims all the time. We are disgusted by this amendment. | Christine |
| We’re heading down a dangerous, divisive path | Bruce |
| I’m becoming increasingly saddened at the general complacency of so many NZers who do not seem to notice what is happening in front of their eyes! Most of the media should hang their heads in shame at not reporting the truth of what is happening here. | Heather |
| Maori apartheid here we come ! | Donald |
| New Zealand or Maoriland Like many New Zealand citizens I am becoming heartily sick and tired of being accused being a Pakeha racist b***d .I used to watch the NEW ZEALAND News on one if I want the to watch the news in Maori I can watch the dedicated Maori news paid for by all of us .When I first came to live in West Auckland 1970 I settled in the district known as Lincoln next to Henderson it became Waitemata ,then it got a new name Waitakere City ,then it came under the auspices of Auckland SUPER City now it seems Auckland is to replaced with Tamaki Makoura WHY? Where is that, who makes these decisions who is asked about these ? We are continually being told to correctly pronounce Maori but it keeps getting changed and by the way the correct pronunciation of Oban is Oban not Orban or even Auban how do I know I have lived there’ I am in my advanced years in fact longer than most Maori today have been alive ;so I guess somewhere along I have learnt a few things perhaps . Why not ask the people who have seen this wonderful world develop who made it possible, fought the wars to create peace,actually know history because they are that history , Most of them have earned a BCs from the university of life;[ Batchelor of Commen sense ]it takes time . If NZ needs to rewrite its history to make it suit a few radicals please get some qualified Historians to check its factuality might I suggest Dr Michael Basset ,Alan Duff,Ian Wishart ,and so not to be called Pakeha racist pig [punch a pom a day not considered hate speech then or now ] lets have John Tamaheri [sorry John I know I have probably misspelt your surname] Just to clear up any misapprehension I am officially a Government listed Maori | Vivian |
| Most definitely as per Don Brash’s comments | Murray |
| We need to stop the rot setting in to our democratic rights now! | Howard |
| There is no reason why Maori can not stand for council as other New Zealanders do. If this bill is passed then we are no longer living in a democratic society. As for Nanaia Mahuta telling authorities to ignore the current laws, this is going down a very dangerous path. | Gayle |
| Racially concocted to bypass democratic rights of ALL New Zealanders | John |
| The government should not do this! | Kate |
| This is a disgusting attack on our democratic rights and they are probably taking the country down a separist path while they have a chance to do so. Shame on them all! | Janet |
| I thought the TREATY was supposed to make us one people. | Owen and Janet |
| This government is going to destroy what is good in NZ | Sheena |
| the ramming of a law amendment thru under urgency is another example of depriving public input into significant change to democratic rights | Bryan |
| God knows why Maori are so hell bent on living in the past .. I have been on the planet awhile now , and either , what we were taught at primary school was wrong , or , it’s wrong now , because it is very very different.!!! | Murray |
| THISIS JUST CREATING SEGRIGATION AND DIVISION | DAN |
| Of course it should be withdrawn. It is blatant racism | Robbie |
| National politics is for all NZers. We shouldnt be defining ourselves by our ethnicity when managing our country! Maori are NZers first as are Europeans and Asian citizens. Our democratic rights must be protected. One man/woman one vote. Equal rights for all. | Paul |
| What an absolute abuse of power. We are now a dictatorship and I really feel very worried for our country. | Helen |
| What is SO sad is that in our schools they indoctrinate our children so thoroughly that they totally believe all this claptrap. They are taught WHAT to think, not HOW to think. Because we question, they think WE are racist. It is sad and it is wrong. | joyce |
| Ironic that it has just been stated that NZ is in the top 5 countries in the world for democracy and freedom of speech. I must have missed something, as this amendment bill is far from being democratic and having no justification for dealing with it under urgency | John |
| If we were born here we are New Zealanders. Regardless of Ethnicity | Laurel |
| N.Z. has become a complete racist and sexist country. Try being a 70y.o.male. Who represents me? I have written letters to the CHCH Press criticising the Adern government and their pro-Maori bias. To date none of my letters have been published. The Press is so left wing that only pro Labour letters are published. Please investigate media bias especially The CHCH press and TV3. | Denis |
| Wake Up All you jacinda lovers she,s NOT your hero-it was ordinary people who POINTED out the failures in covid19 she had left open & she took the CREDIT from,now she,s dividing us AGAIN-there was no maori/pakeha troubles JUST 10 years ago BEFORE you leftieies/woke people started this trouble now race is dividing NZ which used to be a good place to live,now ALOT of us if we could affgord to LEAVE we would as NZ is no longer a nice place to live if your WHITE.maori,s get MORE & MORE CONTROL everywhere & they have made it PLAIN they want control by iwi & will make ALL whites learn to live by their rules & jacinda is all for a maori prime minister so what laws will they hit anyone who,s not in iwi circles. | Cindy |
| There is no place in New Zealand for racially based electoral systems. | Kevin |
| A shocking assault on democratic rights. Removing the referendum requirement is an admission that the majority of voters oppose Maori wards being set up. | Chris |
| Blatantly racist policy. | Nigel |
| We should have councillors voted in democratically by ability not by race. | Judith |
| Corruption out of control | Neil |
| Why can’t the people see what is happening to this country?? | Roger |
| Communism by any other name. I recall a headline in the DomPost after the election with a quote from the PM — “Okay. So they like me”. She has converted the misplaced adulation of the sheople into a “born-to-rule” middle-finger salute to democracy. Roll on 2023, if we are still allowed to vote. | Philip |
| A thousand times YES. What a disgraceful act by Mahuta when she says Myanmar must stand by its democratically elected government and has the blatant cheek to foist this on us. This is the opening of the door for any government to change laws to suit their agenda. We’ve seen it in other countries and look how much bloodshed and misery that causes. What are the weak media doing about this,need I ask!! | Peter |
| What a joke!!! We have only 1 week to submit!! Disgraceful!! | Gary |
| More tax-payer funded MOARI RACIST. When will this nonsense stop? When are we going yo recognise the true first people of New Zealand: the Mori-Ori? When will RACIST MOARI be required to make reparation for eating the Mori-Ori, chasing them to the Chatham Islands and then returning to MURDER children and women to “claim” the Islands theirs? Not holding my breath… | Mark |
| We vilified South Africa for their racial system. WILL OUR LEADERS EVER LEARN. “if you don’t want it to happen, don’t finance it!!! | Roger |
| It is against our institution and our rights as a New Zealander | sheryl |
| The statistics do not justify the Minister’s intentions | Doug |
| another step on the way to socialist and racist dictatorship | Frank |
| Disturbing abuse of power | David |
| should never have been raised in the first place is Ardern and her mob ever going to wake up ?? | cliff |
| Are we one nation or two different racial groups: Maori and all the others? Isn’t it hypocritical bringing up racism as something to be addressed, if by giving preferential rights to one group based on their race (on whatever reasons, even if this means righting an old wrong) is in itself a racist act (according to the definition of the term racism)? | Lucian |
| Absolutely ridiculous proposal. | Tim |
| Labour need to live by their written Policies – under urgency is a nonsense and not honest open government as they promised. | Mike |
| Absolutely | Fred |
| It is so totally undemocratic. Article 3 of the Treaty gave Maori equality with British subjects which is as important today as it was in 1840 when the Treaty was signed. Why would we now introduce separate racist Maori wards. | Margaret |
| Comrade Jacinda is a wolf in sheeps clothing | Laurie |
| it is an abomination to create wards on racial grounds. highly divisive. | Graeme |
| Democracy trumps race based legislation | Ken |
| Yet another example of the apartheid policies being promoted by this current bunch of left wing loonies | Rob |
| This is scary stuff, What will be the next thing Labour comes up with. How do we as a nation put stop to these sorts of things happening. General elections are obviously not the way. As for the bill, it is exactly the thing Labour would endorse.. Not one of their lot would even consider crossing the floor. Jacinder. you should tell Mahuta, its just not nice and she should be kinder to taxpayers. That should fix it. | Ray S |
| Are these idiots looking to start a civil war? Like every one else I am totally opposed to separatism, and am frustrated at the lack of action of our media and politicians. | Peter |
| Ms Adern and her part-maori Minister Mahuta need to start paying attention. Regardless of how they voted in the last general election, a huge majority of New Zealanders will not stand for democracy being trampled in this way. In the past this majority of ordinary voting New Zealanders has demonstrated quite clearly that they oppose having racially chosen wards imposed on them. My message to Ms Adern is: If you feel you can ride roughshod over that majority of decent New Zealanders go ahead and carry on and push through Mahuta’s proposed law change, and reap the result at the next election and for many elections to come. | Rob |
| this is apartheid….expect protestors from the 80’s to be out protesting this weekend | bill |
| Sure it should!! But the real problem we are facing is that the Covid Queen and her 65 dwarfs are not in the slightest interested in anything like democratic processes. And all this is possible because the voting population is totally apathetic and misinformed by what I would call a Govt owned propaganda machine bereft of proper journalism. This is just another nail rammed into the coffin folks. The years to come will be interesting so brace yourselfes. | Michael |
| We abhor the divisive manouvres becoming more and more prevalent in NZ society today. ALL EQUAL under the law!! | Bill |
| Every local council member should be appointed by a democratic vote. There is no room for appointments on a racial basis only. | Keith |
| Reverse racism | Ted |
| outrageous | david |
| It should never have been there in the first place! | Dick |
| Absolutely! | Mark |
| When are people going to realize that this sick government and maori savages are screwing New Zealand into the point of conflict and total destruction. This is and never was in any part of the treaty, that maori be given so much special treatment over and above all other citizens. It seems now, that maori can steal, kill their kids and commit any crime they want and the police are under instruction from Jacinda to “be nice” to them. We need to fight back fast. Good on Don Brash for telling it like it is. He would never have stood for this crap. | Des |
| Undemocratic. Regressive. Racist. What is next? | Dave |
| A hallmark of democracy is the ELECTION of representatives. | John |
| If passed, that Bill would be ANTI-democratic in the extreme | John |
| Unbelievable how Labour and its ministers are wrecking our country and don’t seem to care. Opposition parties are strangely silent or also don’t seem to care. Is there some sort of plot or agenda that they are not telling us about. Is this the total roll over and give Maori total control of the country? What the hell are we coming too? I am so full of rage about this. I am starting to think it is time to rise up against this government and take back control of our country. | Fraser |
| Having separate Maori-anyting is “apartheid”, which is Afrikaans for separatism. | Elmarie |
| This Maori thing is getting out of hand and the Govt keep pandering to them it has to stop no wonder I and a lot of friends are racist and will be until they screw up the treaty and throw it away | Russell |
| Apartheid rampant!! I fought against it in S Africa for 40 years !! | Michael |
| Total abuse of power. totally undemocratic. Heaven,help us. | Bev |
| Where is the equality Labour told us they were all for?Are we to become a Marxist state as the Greens want ? | Tony |
| Throughout history things always get worse before people wake up and there is a change for the good, BE PATIENT NZ CITIZEN | Geoff |
| Apply the “What’s Going On When Strange Things Happen? Test”: Option A: Incompetence Option B: Corruption The Marxist idiots in this case seem to have achieved a clear ‘slam dunk’. Anyone notice how racist Labour are when they purport that Maori cannot achieve equal representation on their own merits? | Tony |
| It hasn’t taken long for the Fairy Princes to show her hand. This is all part of the UN take over. Communism in action and it;s just what you would expect from a former President of the International Union of Socialist Youth. | Ronmac |
| Jacinda should remember that the Treaty promised to treat all New Zealanders equally. Maori are treated increasingly as more than equal. I feel like a second class citizen. | Elaine |
| The Local Electoral Amendment Bill will not be withdrawn by this government. They have the power and will use it to ram through the Bill. Too many voters were taken in prior to the election by the kindness and governing for all New Zealanders. As with many changes made by a racist government once in place they are almost impossible to reverse. | john |
| It is an unbelievable abuse of power and a major step in undermining democracy. | Robin |
| typical left wing bulls**t | allan |
| Disgraceful action by a corrupt government – needs to be stopped, we do not need divisive racist laws in New Zealand. | Roy |
| Yes but, if kept, must be subject to normal, non-urgent, law making processes. | Gordon |
| Everyone can be voted on to councils. Maori as well as New Zealanders have every right to be on Councils and Board but like everyone else should have to be voted on. Don’t do this. Why should the Maori have more rights than everyone else. They weren’t the first to arrive in NZ We have to work as one people. My family have contributed to NZ since they arrived in 1850 | Rosemary |
| Will Jacinda Last? | David |
| We need democracy in New Zealand. | clice |
| Absolutely! | Alan |
| YES, scrap it!!! If not, then we are heading rapidly towards a collectivist or tribal race-based dictatorship where we will be ruled by whim instead of government by an objectively based constitution of laws. However perfect or not, PLEASE…. 1Law4All. | Don |
| I am completely opposed to racist division of our community. | William |
| Then the question becomes – Who is Maori ? Does one ancestor 5 generations back who has 57 non Maori ancestors make one Maori > | Peter |
| What Ardern and Mahuta are proposing is a political scandel. We need to get rid of them ASAP. | Richard |
| I abhor the constant pressure of the various authority to divide the country into two camps. It does not bode well and is, in itself, racist. | Richard |
| To finalise this racist attack for that is what it is without the guns. | Warren |
| Most definitely. It occurs to me that should this bill be approved, and enacted then a result would render the Treaty of Waitangi null and void, because the “one people” principle would have disappeared and we’d be a complete Apartheid nation. | paul |
| What is there to say. It’s wrong in every aspect | Mike |
| They are just straight bullies .rates are collected from rate payers pocket. I sick to death of them they have to much say and the press love it to our detriment .look how the labour government persecuted that poor lady from orange tamariki God I’m so sick of them | Barry |
| It is a sad day to have arrived at this point where Democracy in New Zealand is under serious threat. There is no place for racially based politics. We are and must remain one nation, one people. Address social issues yes but not with racial political bias | Don |
| I thought Apartheid and other race based laws were wrong. Clearly our racist ministers think that race based Maori privilege and rights is OK. | Mike |
| Absolutely, It is suck an affront to democracy it smacks of pure Marxism! what has gone wrong with the world? Are we ignorant of the game communists/socialists play? ‘Divide and Conquer’ again in the name of ‘racism’ | Ced |
| It is being claimed the present system is racist – well is that not precisely what is being proposed? Yet another exhibit of promoting division amongst the races. | Graham |
| Apartheid is alive and well in the worst government NZ has ever had! | Murray |
| The minister is devoid of any common sense. In this country voters have elected a pack of idiots, thus making idiots out of the voters, enjoy, those that voted for this Govt thinking you would have a pack of clowns at least half interested in democracy. | Sam |
| Labour’s stinking now | Ian |
| Mahutu is knowingly breaking the law by introducing that bill. I am sure bills that break the law cannot be accepted, am I right? | Dennis |
| Who needs an apartheid/racist Labour Govt. Shades of communism !! Does the opposition have the balls to contest this disgrace in public…as they should. | Peter |
| This is just giving more rights to maori than the rest of New Zealanders , It is Racist and will divide the country | Colin |
| Unconstitutional | John |
| Is this the start of a dictatorship ?.If this law change is enacted then the door is open to end democracy. | Steve |
| Now..! | Peter |
| There is no national crisis in New Zealand that makes this legislation necessary. | Pieter |
| This is Jack Boot Government. The Maori seats AND wards must GO. They are pure racism and totally against democracy. As for giving such a short time for “Consultations” such terms are very close to dictatorship. This government is more communistic than any coming out of Moscow. | Graeme |
| It is such an abuse of power, typically Labour | Graeme |
| This is new zealand,not communist china or russia,or north korea, tho stupid socialist,non democratic jacinda is taking nz down that track,with maori help. | norman |
| Raced based wards must only be allowed where the majority of citizens want this. | Stuart |
| Ardern has got to be pulled back from her Socialist and often hidden agendas | Robbie |
| Not necessary as people of Maori ancestry can stand as candidate%u2019s in local body elections.I believe the legislation is heavily biased toward Maori and will do nothing towards racial harmony | Ross |
| No brainer | mark |
| What do you expect? If Winston hadn’t Weaselled, Red Cindy wouldn’t have had the chance to fool herself that she’s omnipotent. | Mike |
| It contravenes our existing Bill of Rights so is unlawful. | Edgar W. |
| This is scandalous. We are seeing the beginning of totalitarian rule. | John |
| An absolute travesty against democracy | Graham |
| Another step to apartheid | chris |
| Let%u2019s start getting more aggressive with these people who are trying to destroy our country with their blatant lies. | Alan |
| we are loosing our democracy under a very un trust worthy Govt | richard |
| Under Arderns leadership NZ is on a fast slippery slope to becoming an apartheid driven country with communism undertones. | wayne |
| Parliamentary Maori seats came into being before “apartheid” entered usage in NZ. This is a further step establishing apartheid in NZ. | John |
| Dictatorship is on the rise. But how many of us will do anything about it? | Robert |
| I’ve got a feeling I wrongly ticked “No” earlier. I can’t seem to check from my end. Please amend if indeed this is the case. | Glenn |
| Particularly for Tauranga where we now have a cohort of commissars in charge. Bureaucrats leading bureaucrats!!! | Alan |
| The start of an apartheid regime? | David |
| absolutely NO | tony |
| It’s just another step to cementing in Race based local and Government politics. We should be very aware of the consequences. So much for the philosophy of “one country – one people”. | Graeme |
| There has been much discussion on this topic on this website and on Breaking Views but virtually none in the mainstream media. And therein lies the problem. Most of the public are unaware of the proposals or don’t understand the implications. Just the way the government likes it! Where is our opposition? I’ve heard nothing from Collins or Seymour on this. Only Don Brash got airtime but he was painted as an old white guy who was out of touch and racist to Maori. I regret to say that this legislation will likely pass with hardly a whimper of public opposition – hope I’m wrong! | Derek |
| Yes this is an absolute abuse of power from government taking away the democratic right of New Zealanders to vote for whom they want on councils to represent them not chosen by race. | Digby |
| Nanaia Mahuta and this government are entrenching Apartheid even further in NZ. | Geoff |
| It is a giant abuse of power. A travesty of Justice. A flagrant abuse of ministerial powers | Kevin |
| Where is Trevor Richards in all of this fiasco? | John |
| We don’t need anything to create more division. This is another attempt at removing our democratic rights and I don’t agree with it. | Shelley |
| The present government promised to govern fairly for ALL New Zealanders. This bill is not necessary; Maori seats are not needed to increase Maori representation because Maori are already being elected in general seats, and this trend has been increasing in recent years. | Nola |
| Now. | Iain |
| This is a total reverse of the PM’s statement before the election that there would be public consultation on major matters. Maori representation at this time is equal to the percentage of Maori in NZ.Rushing this through the select committee process is an abuse of power. | Douglas |
| Totally undemocratic and based on untruths. | Ian |
| Who do they think there are the are more than represented now so what’s the problem anyone now can stand for local or government and if they are any good they will be voted in regardless of race or colour | Peter |
| ABSOLUTELY NOT. We are all one People under the Treaty of Waitangi | David |
| Maintain democracy | William |
| Absolutely | June |
| I agree with David Seymour’s comments. | Sandra |
| Withdrawn yes. Should never have gotten this far. It shows how the Maori have this Government by the short and curlies. | David |
| Maori on the grievance gravy train are NZ’s worst racists. | Richard |
| Parliamentary Maori seats came into being before “apartheid” entered usage in NZ. This is a further step establishing apartheid in NZ. | John |
| Absolute abuse of power and fast tracking a bill with no urgency what sover attaching to it. Negating Helen Clarkes wisdom and actions. Adern has bee hijacked by Maori radicals | Tom |
| Reverse racism. Maoris were not the first people in NZ and have no right to demand, but they are given everything they want and ask for. | Chris |
| It’s racist | Mike |
| Most shocking Ardern act to date | Steve |
| We should all be one irrespective of raze, greed etc.. | Peter |
| It is not good for N.Z | Jamie |
| Without doubt. As statistics show, Maori are well represented in government and local bodies. The most concerning factor is the removal of our democratic process on which this country was founded. It is without a doubt an abuse of power by this government. It is also time for the opposition parties to step up and their opposition to such abuse. | chris |
| To vote this Bill under urgency just shows how corrupt this Government is and how those Maori in positions of power have taken control ie Mahuta our so called Minister of foreign affairs What a Joke. The rest of the Western World must be thinking just how low we have become as a Western Nation .You can see why the Australian Government is Making things difficult with the trans Tasman travel bubble and you can see why the Australian Priminister Scoot Morrison has little Respect for Jack boots Jacinda.Ardern | ken |
| of course it should and mahuta should be fired. | john |
| It is undemocratic and racist. | Merv |
| Just another step towards seperatism. Whatever happened to “One Nation .. One People” | kabe |
| Jack booted control is an accurate expression as to how we are being treated by this Labour/Communist Govt. | Martin |
| Under a true democracy this bill would never have seen the light of day. It should be withdrawn immediately. | Bruce |
| Yes, but I’m not holding my breath. To all those dumb clucks who voted Labour to keep the Greens out – how’s that working out for you now? What did we get? – a Socialist dictatorship, run by a Communist, aided by a bunch of scribble-faces who are incapable of running a bath! You asked for it – you got it! So suck it up and stop complaining – you earned it! | Scott |
| It goes completely against democracy… This is just another way this government coverts control. | Raphael |
| WE have just about lost democracy in NZ!! What are the general public doing? The nation seems to be asleep! | Brian |
| There is still a basic flaw in Maori representation overall in that with ongoing interbreeding.there are fewer who should be allowed to call themselves Maori. More and more are just New Zealanders. Scrap the old bill that inter alia said only feeling you are Maori is OK to be a Maori etc etc.. | Bruce |
| Abuse of power | Albyn |
| This bill is divisive and blatantly racist. “Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely”. Just watch for more abuse of power under this government. Yet again, Jacinda has shown that she cannot be trusted – fullstop. I wonder how those people who voted “strategically” to put Labour in by keeping the Greens and NZ First out of Parliament are now thinking – betrayed? | Laurence |
| More racist propaganda by Maori the minister should be sacked | Gareth |
| Agree…jack-booted totalitarianism. | Don |
| On the Q & A programme with Jack Tame on the 29th November when talking about our relationship with China, Mahuta said & I quote “we uphold what we stand for – an open democracy”. What part of removing ratepayers petition rights to a binding referendum on local body voting laws is “an open democracy”? | Philip |
| The Labour Party is now the Maori Party | Jean |
| This is a total abuse of power, and shows the absolute dishonesty of this government, who will ignore the wishes of the voters who put them there, for their own means. I hope those voters are beginning to see Ardern and her government for what they really are. read ‘A imam Farm” by George Orwell. | Carol |
| democracy down the drain | owen |
| This would be yet another step in the slippery downhill slope we are on, creating more and more racial division in our country! We have to stop this! | Hugh |
| This is a dictatorship. Where is the opposition? Do we have to become radicalized and take to the streets? It may come to that. | Jenny |
| To change the law on referendum without due process of parliament is tantamount to a dictatorship. This must be vociferously opposed and one way to do this is to continue with the signature gathering and presentation to councils and parliament. This will send a clear message that the people’s wishes must be upheld. | Rod |
| NO to any race based priveleges in NZ | Brian |
| it is a ratepayers concern = not parliament = | Beth |
| Not required | Daniel |
| Blatant dictatorial demands by Government. How can this happen? This is NZ and the team of 5 million is looking like being divided! | Joe |
| Absolutely YES! | Dale |
| NOTHING STOPPING MAORI FROM STANDING FOR ELECTION THEM SELVES. | W. H |
| The degrading of democracy. | Penina |
| It is reverse racism. | Neil |
| Welcome to Aotearoa aka Zimbabwe. Jacinda Ardern is a deceitful and down right dishonest. As for Mahuta,, a disgraceful lying politician, about what we expect from this useless bunch of socialists. The problem is, what can we do about this attack on democracy in New Zealand. Once this becomes law it will be extremely difficult to change. Evidence the Maori seats in Parliament which are simply not required under the MMP electoral system. Thank Jim Bolger for that madness. | Chris |
| The abuse of local democracy by Mahuta is nothing short of biased racism. Mahuta got where she is by being educated through the Western Civilisation education system and she now seeks to force maori culture onto 85% of NZ citizens. A travesty. | Maureen |
| what ever happened to “for all the people” | Eddie |
| Labour clearly has an unspoken agenda and it should concern all of us. | Matthew |
| Hell yes, and abolish the Maori seats in parliament as well. The existence of race based seats on democratically elected bodies is unnecessarily divisive. We are one nation, let us have one electoral roll and one set of laws for all New Zealanders. | Kerry |
| We are all New Zealanders regardless of ancestry and have many more nationalities than Maori (most of whom have more European blood in them than Maori blood) and we should not be arbitrarily divided by race. | Kathleen |
| What happened to the laws against racism have they been removed as well? | Casey |
| It’s simply racist policy. ALL people must be elected on merit | Andrew |
| This is appalling A scathing abuse of power by Labour or calling them Liebor sounds more appropriate. Their agenda is disgusting | Carolyn |
| This bill moves us once again towards a racist communistic society which must be stooped at all costs. We are one society where only able capable people should be elected. Race has nothing to do with it. | Tom |
| The people o New Zealand should all be considered as ONE and NO differentiation between etheric groups. | Carl |
| Aparthied in action. Woe is us ordinary Kiwis | Stewart |
| This bill is racism pure and simple. If passed it will serve only to divide our once great nation. | Igor |
| Maori wards are non connotational and racist. | oliver |
| Without a doubt. There is no place for race based laws to be enforced in NZ. | Don |
| My Goodness haven’t they gone mad. What next. | Richard |
| The tribal leader in my town is happy with the unelected control he has over council. He does not want Maori wards because he does not want Maori to vote. | Alan |
| NZ does not need apartheid type policies in NZ. Maori are not under represented in local body government | David |
| Outrageous!!!!! | Helen |
| The government does not have a mandate to make this change and would require a binding referendum to enact. However if Jacinda forces this through it will just prove that democracy is dead and we are living in a Socialist State! | John |
| Yes! This is an appalling show of our lack of democracy . It appears Act and National are letting it slide and I would like to know why . I am at a loss to know what we can as individuals . Any comment is met with hate and the cry of racism . Needs stopping this force feeding of Maori daily | Karen |
| This present Labour Government is becoming quite Trumpian in the way they do things. In other words, authoritarian. I am sick of the continuous lying, and promises then completely turned around. If this is not stopped, we will have no democracy here in New Zealand, we will be under the boot of communism for ever. | Heather |
| absolutely, The government should taken down for “Lies” | Rita |
| I am not of Maori blood and therefore unable to register on the general Maori roll unlike anyone of Maori decent who have a choice as to which way they choose to cast their vote. With this extreme racist move by the Labour government to urgently force a change in the laws of the country just to satisfy their separatist agenda is another step toward the PM;s desire to have a minority race beholding to her beliefs of socialism. Lip service is simple when one tells the people what they want to hear. | Barry |
| Let’s not go down the Maori Sovereignty aka Maori Supremacy road. | Darag |
| The country is being deceived by this govt. Any opposition is branded as racist thereby killing off media discussion of this issue. At a minimum proper process of discussion on a law change should be undertaken. | Willy |
| Maori wards are racist and should not be allowed. Petitions in the past have resoundedly said no. This needs to be respected by the government. | Andrew |
| Blatant racisim | Ken |
| we marched against apartheid in the 1980s we do not want it in nz | murray |
| I feel that there is no need for special preference to be given to any one race. If so, this is racist. Anyone of any race can put themselves forward for a general election, and the public in general can then vote for whom they think is fit for that purpose. | reg |
| This bill is a direct and disgusting attack on our democracy- the whole country should be up in arms. | Roger |
| Definitely | Tony |
| You can fool some people all of the time but not all people all of the time.. | Don |
| Without referendums there is no democracy. | Elizabeth |
| In the words of PM Adern, “we are one.” Same rule for all, equal, egalitarianism etc., | Tony |
| It’s another example of the relentless dishonesty of the Labour government | John |
| the thin edge of the wedge. With a big heavy hammer above is bad news for Kiwis. | RICHard |
| This is entirely predictable. Labour are already canvassing for Maori support and seats at the next election. Assuming that there is a next election! Perhaps they will change the law and replace democracy with a dictatorship. When will this separatist policy end? | Martin |
| They are trying to ram this racist bill through in the same way the did the shameful firearms ban and confiscation. | David |
| Another small step in the hidden objective of not just partnership (whatever that is – never explained) but power and ultimate take-over. | Jack |
| When will the complacent sheeple of this country learn? N.Zers need to pull their heads out of their backsides & wake up. This country is very quickly turning into a socialist S–T hole. We have to stop this Marxist type of brain washing from where it comes from,the universities,schools & weak politicans The whole world is heading down this road just look what’s happening in the U.S. now under this new so called far left democratic (Socialist Regime). under puppet Biden. He has destroyed America with 17 strokes of a pen on his first day in office. Much like Socialist Cindy did. | Allen |
| No Apartheid in NZ. | Rob |
| The old adage, careful what you wish for is now centre right and front for all those voters who voted Labour into Parliament. This is an atrocious abuse of public rights and will not be tolerated by those who who could now have their democratic voting rights top-headed by Ms Mahutas abuse of power. | Robyn |
| Apartheid, here we come! | Eb |
| Ardern has no democratic right to do this to New Zealand | Graeme |
| Its the team of 5 million as long as you do as you are told | Les |
| This Bill undermines our democracy | David |
| When Maori wont vote for Maori, what conclusion should everyone else come to about Maori representation? | Goff. |
| NOW! | Colin |
| Blatant disregard for our democratic process by this Labour government | Lawrie |
| A disgraceful action by this undemocratic government | Nev |
| NZ is becoming a Dictatorship (Ardern) | Pete |
| But it won’t be. We now have government by diktat. New Zealand’s future is looking increasingly dim: banana republic, here we come. | Graham |
| We are slowly sliding into a Dictatorship | Pete |
| Since Jacinda did not even know what the ToW said, perhaps she, (and her Ministers), have no idea of why this right of a referenda was established and why it is so important. You can bet that Mahuta would not inform her of the real facts. | Brenda |
| Waikato strikes for power. Muldoon had an excuse: he had a wage/price spiral created by the former Labour govt to fix–and did so. | Kevin |
| Absolutely | Mary |
| This is racist and should never have been countenanced in the first place. The minister needs to go. She is a racist and a bigot. | Charles |
| Labour’s proposed bill is blatantly racist and undemocratic. | Colin |
| Racist | Niall |
| There is absolutely no need to pass this into law. Everyone has equal rights to be elected to local governments. There is no special treatment for other ethnic groups in this country , why do we always single out Maori? My brother -in-law is Maori. He was elected on his own merits to his local council (Auckland) he did many years of service holding very important positions on this council .At the end of his term he served as a Commissioner . All done on his own merit. He didn’t need government law to get there. | Gloria |
| No race based politics | Kevin |
| protect our democratic rights! | antony |
| In the 21st Century Maori and years of affirmative action Maori have had opportunities to advance themselves .unelected representation is non democratic . | Max |
| Maori inclusion is very desirable in terms of decision making in a true democracy. tribalism,should play no part in sensible modern day thought process. | gale |
| This government is at the threshold of destroying democratic rights in New Zealand, led by Jacinda and Nanaia who both voted for the current law a couple of years ago | Terry |
| Maybe we should all register on the maori electoral rolls, then we might get a say. | Prue |
| This is just plain dictatorship. | Mike |
| because it is rubbish, it seems Maori want 50/50 representation on councils, just a pity that no rates are collected on Maori Land. You would think they would be pleased to stand and be elected like everyone else, obviously not up for it | Erin |
| This bill is the most disgraceful non democratic piece of legislation every dumped onto the people of New Zealand. It can only lead to public disorder and confrontation. | John |
| The treaty made us all one people – nit a partnership. | Gerry |
| another broken ardern promise | Collin |
| One can only hope the opposition protest very loudly along with the public and commit to overthrowing this immediately if elected | Phil |
| Racist dictatorship | Greg |
| Are we to take the same path as the Divided States of America?! | Gray |
| This really is appalling abuse of power by an increasingly racist government. Arrogant and frightening, undemocratic behaviour that must be opposed. | David |
| Absolutely!! Let’s stop this Maori separatism and divisiveness. | Tony |
| It is Un-Democratic. Period | Kevin |
| But it won’t be withdrawn. Just watch. Democracy is rapidly on the way out, throughout the ‘free’ world. Quotes referencing Orwell are becoming an almost daily thing, as his predictions were so on the mark. | Sharen |
| No need for them. False. Fake representation. Evil. Not democratic. Belittling the equal rights of both and Maori and all the others. | Anon |
| Withdrawal might be a polite face saving response for a Complete abregation and abuse of democratic process to introduce a marxist centralist control by an unelected favored group, a Bill and Process that has NO place with a legitimately democratic community. | richard |
| This is an absolute attack on all New Zealander’s democratic rights and Jacinda Ardern should he immediately removed from office for her abuse of power and divisive intentions. | Dean |
| Yes, or its goodbye New Zealand as we know it. | David |
| No place in NZ for apartheid politics | Tom |
| Yes – you are supposed to be governing for all the people, not just part Maori people. | Mark |
| If the Maoris want representation then get off their rear ends and get eelected. Good enough for Asians, Indians and other Polynesians why not Maori? | Peter |
| “Maori” are perceived as a group of people that are easily bribed to vote for anyone offering them more “free stuff”. Labour went after the “Maori” vote and got it so they have to pander to get it again next time. | Charlie |
| we are invading ourselves. | mike |
| It is an appalling abuse of power. For goodness sake, where is the outrage – including from National and the media. Oops I forgot – National has no spine and the media have become cheerleaders for separatism! | Murray |
| Yes, yes, yes – the bill should be thrown away. Doesn’t democracy matter to them anymore? Doesn’t Jacinda see she is being manipulated? | David |
| This makes depressing reading. The writing is on the wall. It is death by a thousand cuts – our democracy is being destroyed one slash at a time. | Jason |
| Where is the outrage? People have no idea what is going on. This information needs to be broadcast everywhere. It is government by deceit. | Amy |
| This is beyond scary. National and ACT must campaign on Labour destroying democracy. They have a week to cause Labour so much concern that they hold off on passing the bill. That is our only hope. | Brian |