Last week Prime Minister Chris Luxon delivered a broadside across the bow of local authorities at the Local Government New Zealand Conference in Wellington. This was a gathering of hundreds of mayors, chairs, chief executives, councillors and senior management from councils across the country, who had paid $1,500 plus travel and accommodation to attend this annual three-day shindig.
The PM effectively told the conference that councils needed to tighten their belts and live within their means. Their focus, he said, should be on the core purpose of local government instead of wasting money on feel-good vanity projects:
“Ratepayers expect local government to do the basics and to do the basics brilliantly. Pick up the rubbish. Fix the pipes. Fill in potholes. And more generally, maintain local assets quickly, carefully, and cost effectively. What they don’t expect to pay for is the laundry-list of distractions and experiments that are plaguing council balance sheets across the country.
“Ratepayers are sick of the white elephants and non-delivery. So, my challenge to all of you is to rein in the fantasies and to get back to delivering the basics brilliantly… the party is over. There is no magic money tree in Wellington, thanks to the previous government’s economic mismanagement and vandalism.”
With ratepayers around the country facing average rate rises of more than four times the rate of inflation, the call for councils to get their house in order and cut extravagant spending has been growing louder. But to date, those calls have been ignored.
The PM went on to outline a number of key changes:
“If there was any doubt about our commitment to getting local government back to basics, I have some announcements to make. First, Cabinet has agreed to streamline the purpose provisions in the Local Government Act to get councils back to basics. For Councils, that means abolishing the four wellbeing provisions in legislation and restoring focus on local services and infrastructure.”
This is a very significant move, as it can be argued that it was giving councils responsibility for the economic, social, cultural and environmental wellbeing of their community that led to local authorities going off the rails.
To understand why, we need to cast our mind back to the local government reforms introduced by Helen Clark’s Labour Government in 2002.
The PM had initiated a review of the Local Government Act 1974 on the pretext that it was no longer fit for purpose, and that change was required to enable local authorities ‘to better serve their communities’:
“The proposals outlined in the document will not amount to a revolution in local government, but they will create the platform for longer-term changes in what local government does, how it goes about these activities, and how citizens can become more involved in making the decisions that affect their everyday lives.”
Labour’s proposed “modern partnership approach to community power-sharing” contrasted sharply with the “narrow, prescriptive approach” of the existing Local Government Act. And in spite of claiming the proposals would not create a “revolution” in local government, they did.
A consultation document released at the time provided more detail of what was being planned.
To facilitate their vision, Labour proposed firstly changing the ‘purpose’ of local government: “Enable local decision-making by and on behalf of citizens in their local communities to promote their social, economic, cultural and environmental wellbeing in the present and for the future.”
Secondly, they planned to remove funding constraints: “So local authorities can clearly deliver on the new purpose of local government, it is proposed that the new legislation will establish clear and broadly based powers of general competence for local authorities.”
And to cap it off, since the existing legislation was ‘colourblind’ and “does not currently include any direct reference to Maori or the Treaty”, the discussion paper invited suggestions “for enhancing and encouraging Maori participation and representation in local government”.
A total of 655 submissions on the reforms were received, including 87 from Maori.
When it came to the contentious issue of whether special arrangements for Maori should be included in the new legislation, by far the majority of submissions were opposed:
“These submitters believe that the relationship between Maori and local government should be the same as between all other citizens and local government. Some of the submissions claim that giving Maori ‘preferential treatment’ is a form of ‘apartheid’ which fails to recognise New Zealand’s multicultural society.”
In spite of the majority view, Labour bowed to the wishes of a handful of Maori submitters and altered the legislation, so it not only included the four wellbeings and the power of general competence, but also, the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi, special rights of consultation for Maori, and “the option of establishing Maori wards”.
These changes to the Local Government Act indeed proved to be “revolutionary” – but in the wrong way.
Like bees to a honey pot, vested interest group seized the opportunity provided by the social, economic, cultural and environmental wellbeings – along with the power of general competence – to gain influence over local government and use ratepayers’ money to advance their agendas.
And for Maori, the legislation provided a vast array of options for securing significant influence over councils, not only through Maori seats, but through tribal advisory committees, tribal appointees onto Councils – some with full voting rights – as well as through a wide variety of “partnership” arrangements between Councils and local tribal groups.
The reality is that before Labour changed the ‘purpose’ of local government in 2002, councils pretty much stuck to their knitting: rubbish, roads, sewerage, water, and regulation were their main focus. This enabled most councils to keep their costs under control and live within their means.
But once Labour allowed local government to become all things to all people, they opened up a Pandoras Box of crazy schemes – like buying farms in Australia, building multi-million council palaces, running loss-making sporting events, or going overboard to deliver outcomes for tribal corporations.
A case in point is the Whangarei District Council, which this year increased rates by 17.2 percent, despite the opposition of 87 percent of public submissions.
Included in their list of “nice to haves” was $100,000 to belong to Local Government New Zealand; almost $600,000 to host a Warriors game; and just over $200,000 spent on appeasing local Maori over a roading upgrade: $87,000 for “Kaitiaki Monitoring – cultural input to the landscaping design and blessings of the site”, along with $120,000 on a culturally appropriate roadside artwork!
Under their ‘cultural wellbeing’ banner, over a ten-year period, the Council has paid over $1.15 million for “engagement” with Maori.
This week’s NZCPR Guest Commentator King’s Counsel Garry Judd, a former Chairman of the ASB and the Ports of Auckland, highlights the disastrous consequences of ‘Maori engagement’, when councils have become completely captured by tribal interests:
“An affected Northland farmer has sent me The draft Freshwater Plan Change: Have your say issued by the Northland Regional Council. This ‘draft blueprint for improving freshwater’ tells its readers on page 6 that:
‘Te Hurihanga Wai (the water cycle) describes how through whakapapa Maori view freshwater as a living being that derives from nga atua. The concept that freshwater should be treated as a living being with rights to be healthy and to flourish, and to be respected as an ancestor, underlies tangata whenua perspectives of water.’
“By these words and others, the regional council is indicating that its draft freshwater plan has been informed by ideas that freshwater is a living being deriving from the gods, that it should be respected as an ancestor, and that the plan weaves together those views and ‘western world views’ so that the well-being of the water cycle is prioritised, respected and protected.
“The results of the consultation were published on or about 27 May 2024. Its executive summary includes:
‘There was strong support for the provisions relating to the spiritual and genealogical aspects of freshwater, recognising the Maori world view where waterbodies are ancestors, home to taonga species and taniwha, with familial connections and water is a living being not a resource. Most expressed a desire to continue discussing how the concept of legal personhood for all freshwater could work.’
“These absurdities are multiplied throughout today’s New Zealand.”
The reality is that councils that impose such cultural mumbo jumbo onto their communities are simply not competent and deserve to be sacked – if not now, then at the next election.
What ratepayer representative in their right mind can possibly think it is OK to treat water as a “living being” and call on the community to respect “taniwha”!
All of this is indicative of the insanity within our local councils that is the direct result of ‘capture’.
It is obvious the Northland Regional Council has been completely captured by Maori interests – not only through issuing those ridiculous water rights, but by proposing a remit to the Local Government conference that would effectively abolish local democracy by entrenching Maori wards to make them virtually impossible to disestablish.
The Regional Council Chairman admitted the remit was the result of the influence of the Council’s “partnership” with Te Taitokerau Maori, the council’s Maori working party, and the Northland Iwi Chairs Forum.
The fact that the Council could not say ‘no’ to the pressure from these outside Maori advisors and stand up for local democracy – and the people who voted them into office – is indicative of an alarming problem in local government.
The fact that death threats were issued against a New Plymouth District Councillor who did not support Maori wards – frightening his children, promising to kill his dog, and shooting at his house until he fell into line – reveals the dangerous influence that Maori radicals have had on that Council to ensure they voted the ‘right’ way.
The Gore District Council has clearly been captured by their Ngai Tahu advisors – otherwise why on earth would they ignore their pledge to represent their community at large, by designating their whole district as an area of significance to Maori?
The Otago Regional Council and Canterbury Regional Council have also been captured by Ngai Tahu – otherwise, why would they even consider a proposal from this $2-billion business development corporation to co-govern the major power-generating Waitaki River?
And who exactly is the Palmerston North City Council representing by not only voting to retain their Maori wards but to explore ways of avoiding holding a binding referendum on the issue – because it most certainly is not their community.
What’s even more sinister is that over 80 percent of councils attending the Local Government conference supported their remit that the Maori ward poll should not be compulsory. That means a majority of councils across the country have been captured by Maori vested interests – which they clearly regard as more important than the local democratic rights of their communities.
With Local Government New Zealand – the organisation that used to represent the interests of local authorities and act on their behalf – also captured, a growing number of councils, including the largest two in the country, are saving money by pulling out.
The reality is that as a result of the legislative changes made by Labour over twenty years ago, local government has become profoundly radicalised. Its finances are now spiralling out of control. Removing the wellbeings is an important first step in putting things right.
But, with Councils showing a belligerent disregard, not only for the Coalition Government but for the rights of ratepayers, it won’t be nearly enough.
To change the extremist mindset that now dominates local government and get the sector back on track, a more direct approach is likely to be needed – such as requiring rate increases to be kept below the rate of inflation, stipulating debt repayment plans, and undoing the grip of tribal interests.
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THIS WEEK’S POLL ASKS:
*Should all direct references to Maori and the Treaty be removed from local government legislation?
*Poll comments are posted below.
*All NZCPR poll results can be seen in the Archive.
THIS WEEK’S POLL COMMENTS
| There are many races in Nz and if all had priority it would be chaotic | Sidwell |
| Are we not one country. End of story | Peter |
| The time consuming treaty rubbish is irrelevant | Doug |
| hell yes | michael |
| Yes like right now, they should never have been there in the first place | Jeffrey |
| No WHEEL….No SCIENCE… No WRITTEN LANGUAGE….No Recorded HISTORY !!! UNTIL………White COLONIALISM, only took them about ONE THOUSAND YEARS!!!! | David |
| one people one country | nicholas |
| Local government legislation should relate equally to all New Zealanders and not give preferences to specific ethnicities. | Ronnie |
| Everyone is equal and people with part Maori blood can stand along with all other reps standing for council. | Graeme |
| absolutely yes, its now 2024 and it really is time to move forward | john |
| All should be considered as one under a democracy otherwise mayhem will prevail | Karen |
| I am so tired of all this nonsense. They wanted to come u der the Queens sovereignty back in 1840 and have equal citiisenship and the way racism has developed in this country is a disgrace – and they know it!! | Gail |
| Should never have been in the first place. Why is such nonsense being perpetrated and entrenched. Maybe we need to fight the maori wars again | Don |
| Democracy- look after the interests of all. | |
| A VERY definite YES from me. There is absolutely no need for this. We are New Zealanders and that’s all that is necessary. There should be no extra special references to either Maori or the Treaty. By all accounts, the Treaty has been purged of the actual wording and intent of the document to suit one group of people and one group only. It is time to remove all references to it. | Heather |
| Yes. For the sake of all NZ citizens it’s way past the time for all of us to become a nation of mature and enlightened people co-operating together to make our country a happy and viable democratic place where we all have an equal chance to have a life of fulfilment and fun. We cannot achieve this with the current upheaval of infighting by a small group of misguided pretenders who are trying to usurp our current orderly structure of government which has and is serving us with one of the best types of an administration system in todays world. However the extraction of the thorns that to date have only a partial penetration in our democratic system need to be removed with much dexterity and without a lot of fanfare. Just get on with the job until all the thorns are eliminated. To enable this to happen there is the need for all of us to be in the same mind frame to give our support to the common cause to keep our democratic system from being destroyed. I don’t think that the alternative would be a pleasant place to live in. Long live New Zealand. | Garry. |
| Yes, definitely. Also, get involved with Mark Quinn’s CHALLENGING COUNCILS in NZ challengingcouncils@icloud.com | Donald |
| Undemocratic to the max……..racist. | mark |
| our country is being racialy divided by all this maori dominance over us! | David |
| Remove all apartheid references and replace with New Zealand citizens. As far as Luxon’s speech to local council meeting, what a farce. It was National who signed NZ up to the UN’s Agenda 21/ Sustainable Development goals, though “non binding”, there WILL be a hook. It was also National that coerced local councils into agreeing to the UN’s Agenda 21 goals if they were to use the NON government, nor NZ, funding organisation, the LGFA(Local Government Funding Agency). By doing so, local councils have used OUR properties as collateral, and if they default on their financial responsibilities, the LGFA assumes ownership of the debt and can set rates at whatever level they see fit. While we’re all “looking over there”, where Luxon is pointing, we should be looking at the three fingers pointing back at him, and his co conspirators are selling us down the river. | larry |
| What we do now echoes in eternity…..tribal interests are not New Zealands future or freedom. | Chris |
| Sooner the better!! | David |
| One country, one people. Not a racist separatist bias. | Chris |
| Absolutely and removed ALL other facets of Government and law… it’s time to get real and move on from all this treaty nonsense! | Peter |
| We are all NZ ders | Ross |
| Maori should have no special rights compared to other New Zealanders | Andrew |
| We are or rather should not be a divided nation | tony |
| rascist and fantasy | Rod |
| We are all New Zealanders – no one needs to be separated out | Kate |
| It would be racist to allow both to remain in the legislation. | graeme |
| I am sick and tired of the tirades by Maori against Europeans, who made this country what it is today. I am totally opposed to any one race having priority or precedence over all other races. | Kerry |
| Well past its’ used by date.Sick to death, of this Maori racialism. Maori had No wheel…No Science… No written language…No recorded History…… UNTIL COLONIAL SETTLERS ARRIVED !! do the math.. | David |
| The intent of the treaty on the date of signing has been little if any relevance in 2024. Unfortunately it has been highjacked by politicians, lawyers and opportunists and used as a vehicle to push political and or monetary agendas for benefit at the cost to the nation. | Vince |
| It’s racism | Greg |
| We are one people. | Mitch |
| We have been blackmailed by CRT, total and utter bullshit. | Sven |
| YES we are all equal and have the same rights, people should be voted onto committee’s etc by talent NOT colour or race. If not we will end up back in the stone age. | rod |
| Absolutely. One law for all. | Bruce |
| Please please remove and treat all New Zealander as equal. | Richard |
| It has nothing to do with local councils this is between the government and the people of NZ. | Wendy |
| as the original legislation was colour blind, so it should be now. | Giles |
| Certainly | Eric |
| We are one —or suppose to be | Chris |
| The treaty is being manipulated to suit each and every situationimaginable. Its purpose was to formally allow the British to set up an administration in return for British protection of the local Maoris at the time, both from ill-disciplined settlers, and from other Maoris. That is it. | Anthony |
| Most people are not aware of what is taking place. The media and Government need to highlight the situation | Ivan |
| that just won’t happen for many councils already controlled by Maori. Like our Gisborne DC who voted for Maori wards at a meeting in a Marae????? | mike |
| Most definitely, it’s absurd. | John |
| Absolutely. Also, remove the maori seats from Parliament and all references to the treaty, including indirect or implied, need to be expunged. | Gavin |
| Where is democracy in all of this when Council’s ignore the wishes of the majority of their ratepayers. It has to stop. | John |
| Lets talk about pre maori history, oh dear i’m racist NOT | Wayne |
| Removed from all legislation at local & national level | John |
| Division by Race, or any other individual human feature or following, is an extremely dangerous practice. It has not once served humanity well | Brent |
| I thought we lived in a multicultural society not a tribal one | Greg |
| HALT ALL RACIST LAWS | Paul |
| They are totally out of control. Ngatahu is a classic example. End all treaty payments.. New Zealand is broken and there isn’t any money to fix it because Maori radicals have milked the cash cow dry. Wake up kiwis.!! | Dianne |
| So called maori are also immigrants to NZ | Peter |
| For our country to move forward , these to happen | Chris |
| ASAP Iwi entitlement and looting must stop immediately. Come on coalition government you promised to end racial supremacy by legislating equal rights. Iwi are running NZ and traitors like Hipkins are saying Maori did not cede sovereignty- anybody saying this needs to be prosecuted. | Brenda |
| Yes – well overdue! | Graham |
| No more division | David |
| No place in a modern New Zealand for special treatment of Maori. Their “elite” and their corrupt lawyers are the only ones benefitting as a result of these references. | Rex |
| If Maori want a say they should pay. Not drag everyone along because they want it. | Peter K |
| Let us get back to the democracy that New Zealanders of all races understood 50 years ago. If the “Maori Issue” is not sorted out soon, New Zealand will see all the good educated people heading off to Australia and further. Then who pays the bills?? | Peter |
| Observing actions by these radical activists over the last 50 years, more so recently, one can’t help but agreeing totally with Gary Judd KC. All of this race based special privilege granted to about 17% of NZ population (& even that is questionable due to % of maori blood/genes while ignoring the majority of their Europen ancestorary) this nonsense has to be rationalised logically & all other Kiwis have to be taken into account seriously & stop the stupidity….but you can see how stealthly these racdical activists have worked often behind the scenes to grab whatever they can especially in money benefit terms. | Bruce |
| These references are not required to achieve Maori representation. | Colin |
| Maori should not have any special attention and Government legislation should apply to ALL people. The treaty also needs to be removed completely. | Des |
| Yes. And the Waitangi Tribunal abolished to remove the distraction. It is well past it Use By date. | Malcolm |
| Most definitely, and urgency I would say. | Heather |
| Yes, the requirement for a cultural (Maori only) review of everything has become a costly barrier to development. Consultation with the community is required and Maori should have the same opportunity to participate as everyone else in a democracy, not a preference. | John |
| It’s time race-based voting was gone; the relationship between Maori and local government should be the same as between all other citizens and local government. | Jenny |
| Absolutely!! | Bev |
| I agree with all you have raised in your article | Diana |
| these racist initiatives need to be stopped right now | Stanley |
| if this is not done,nz is buggered !! democracy will be history ! hard to believe national can let us down so badly. luxon,stiffen up. | norman |
| Any reference to giving Maori special treatment and the TOW should be removed from all legislation immediately. | Allan |
| Absolutely. | Rod |
| There should be no mention of a race or a religion/ideology in local government legislation. I am also against mentioning Europeans and the Bible in local government legislation. | Kent |
| Underlying the imposition of irrational spiriual concepts on the operations of local and national government is pure greed! | Necia |
| Yes, absolutely! But don’t stop there. Remove all such references from all NZ legislation. One colour blind law for all and one sovereign parliament. National needs to stop mucking about with half measures and get on with it. | Wendy |
| If not want Chinese included. Chinese first immigrants to NZ. Maori arrived and ate them to extinction, like the Moa. | Julz |
| If a Maori person is doing what is best for the whole community, they will be elected by fair-minded people. Do they not have confidence in their abilities? | Helen |
| One nation, one people, one vote. | Roy |
| Past its expiry date | Andrew |
| There should be no mention of anything, in any rules, laws or guidelines about one ethnicity | Alec |
| As you have mentioned in your excellent newsletter here, the lives of some council members and their families have been put in a position off do as I say or we will cook you and your family and eat you… Money as an incentive works too. Its do or die not where we go one we go all… All for one and one for all | Sky |
| Democracy must prevail – Whangarei Council should be ashamed of their cists involved in pandering to iwi at ratepayers expense. As usual thia is but another example of collective spending if other people’s money, which would not be done if it were individual councillors own funds. The PM was correct in instructing councils to concentrate on the basics and eliminate unnecessary wasting public funds. | Peter |
| Local Councils should be making decisions based on needs of all ratepayers without influence from any specific group. | Les |
| The treaty was between some tribes and the crown. Local councils are a representative body for communities. The go between for the public to ensure our views are heard by central govt. Anything outside of that description needs to be gone. Councils need to get back to core services and stop playing political football. | Anon |
| Absolutely! | Richard |
| What is needed is a totally colour blind society AT ALL LEVELS | Cookie |
| Definitely, they should also be removed from all New Zealand legislation | Terry |
| EVIL ASPIRATIONS ABOUND !! | Joe |
| Subject to Iwi being on the List of consultation parties, susch as DOC etc. the same as other interested parties. | Brian |
| Yes should be removed from ALL legislation NOW. | Carole |
| This must happen otherwise we are continuing to run an Apartheid system in NZ, | Robert |
| Any and all references to or by Maori are racist and must be driven from all forms of government and media | Peter |
| The last 6 years have been a disaster as local government has been captured by iwi institutions at the expense of democracy | Wayne |
| Absolutely…. Further more, unless any group (Iwi))actually have a direct financial investment in any planned project, the same as any other investors, then the idea of any form of co-management should never occur based on race, full stop. | Barry |
| absolutely | Rob |
| Its racist, and undemocratic also resulting in higher rates | Fiona |
| I think it is time the original Treat should be put on display so that we can all see it. I am sure we will not see co-governance mentioned. | Gayle |
| This must happen. Rates are out of control. Our personal increase this year in Christchurch has been > 27%! | Allan |
| One country all Kiwis | Don |
| There is no need for it | Ian |
| It is very sad that we see all this happening not going to be a good out come | Martin |
| Yes absolutely and right now. There should be no special and specific treatment for maori or any other race for that matter, all equal no matter the fact you might have a spit of maori ancestry. | Flip |
| Its really quite simple, we cannot afford this spending on Maori ideologies. | Bryan |
| With haste | Grant |
| We are way past 1840 and indeed a truly multinational country where the interests of all citizens and ratepayers should be of equal value. | John |
| These lead to making Councils equivalent to apathaid states where democracy does not exist and Maori aspirations are prioritised at huge and unnecessary costs to ratepayers. | Alastair |
| This should already have been put into legislation by Govt and Local Bodies advised what the consequences would be if they ignored the Govt directive | Noel |
| Councils should support everyone no matter their ethnicity. That is democracy. One person one vote for all. | Carol |
| As soon as possible | ROB |
| Ratepayers are being taken for a ride. these Councils think it’s great to spend other people’s money willy nilly! Time to get back to basic core responsibilities. | Valerie |
| The more you give them the more they want. And whatever they get they expect New Zealanders to pay for. | Bruce |
| This b.s. has gone way too far and should be stopped. The recent Labour governments have done huge damage to our country which I doubt can be repaired – but let’s try asap | Derek |
| Absolutely. One nation of equality with no special treatment of any group based on ancestry. | Hugh |
| Not just local government, but all central government as well. | Chris |
| Un Democratic Un Necessary | Tony |
| Most definitely. | don |
| It’s not about Them or Us, it’s about community and the well-being of the residents, all cultures and above all respect. We are all New Zealanders. | Colleen |
| Because it the democratic thing to do | Paul |
| Yes. To do otherwise implies preference for one group over another. Councils exist to serve ( if that is the correct usage given the woke attitude of a number of councils today) the whole of their community equally. | chris |
| All this divisive crap needs to be stopped. Maori interests now want everything. if they get it, once the rest of society realises what theve given away, the amount of resentment and accompanying retribution, will be overwhelming and will probably stuff this country for good. As far as I’m concerned, this coalition govt can’t move fast enough to terminate this blatant usurping of everyone elses rights in favour of the few | Trevor |
| It is local govt for ALL local ratepayers, NOT local govt for the benefit of Maori. | Frank |
| Definitely! The sooner, the better.. | Elizabeth |
| Absolutely | Errol |
| Apartheid in NZ needs to be abolished | Warren |
| There are NO Maori’s only descendant’s | Arthur |
| Councils – get back to basics and get rid of all racism by Maori who are the real racists. I am a member of the majority of NZers who pay rates. Tikanga is not part of my life and should not be involved in any part of Government – Local or National | Warren |
| “Any rational approach to protection of freshwater requires not views but strict reliance on evidence-based fact and rational scientific analysis.” | Jen |
| 100% yes, councils need to be focused on providing the essentials a community needs and to do so economically. | Donald |
| I don’t think it is necessary as we are all just people and the Treaty is outdated. | Kim |
| no delay, do it NOW, we are wasting time. | gerard |
| New Zealand is ours not some foreign dictatorship that over rules commom sense etc. | Benjamin |
| Bring back democracy and respect Currently so disrespectful and out of control behaviours that we are witnessing and having ro put up with Activism running rife, sadly | Julie |
| YES. ASAP!!!!! | Rayner |
| All race based references don’t belong in any form of government. | Clive |
| Here in Taupo the tribal take-over is all but complete with the council renting space in a huge new building built by Tuwharetoa. The local council seem totally oblivious to the damage they have caused. Is there a way back? | Roger |
| should have been done by gutless non Maori politicians years ago. | Mike |
| we need to move forward as one nation, one people | Bill |
| Removing the references is the only way to restore democracy to local government. | Mark |
| AND Central Government Legislation as well | Tony |
| Absolutely. New Zealand is a multicultural country and Maori are in the minority. Stop this nonsense and get them to live in the twenty first century. They must stop looking back. No other ethnic group in NZ looks that way, only to the future. | LAURA |
| I must admit that I totally agree with the PM in respect to the core functions of a local council. I also don’t care for all the tribal, racial and religious rules and regulations. Not one single culture should be prioritized in a multi cultural society. If you need a builder or carpenter or any tradesman or professional, it should never matter what the cultural aspects are, only capability and honesty is important. Unfortunately we are riddled with zealots with a parasitic mind suported by the ” Ah Well” sheeple. It will take decades to create a common sense and pragmatic society again and again unfortunately I will not live long enough to see it appear. | Leonard |
| one land one people, | ben |
| And the sooner the better off we will all be, we must stop giving into this lot,we don’t see any other ethnic race trying to take,take,take and trying to take over our country, just a bunch of shit stirrers. | COLIN |
| ——- we r all kiwis no matter what race ——- ! | Barbara |
| Let us become United or divided we will fall. The majority not the minority should have the loudest voice. Be nice to see some real leadership and courage. | Dianne |
| No need for them to have been there in the first instance. What a bloody mess our politicians have made of a country that once had mojo. We are not alone. Watch Andrew Bolt on Sky Australia. The Maori King has died. Will Tuku Morgan make a play to take over or will there be a bit of tribal biff to sort it out? AND why does every NZ film / TV program being released have to contain some ‘dark’ Maori content? Is this a funding requirement? AND please could you sort the ‘NO’ voters to this question and publish them (no need for names) so that we can try and understand their reasoning. I subscribe to the Listener to, if nothing else, use as a reality check to confirm that my right of centre political view is more sound and realistic than the crap that gets dished-up in that publication. | Creed |
| Please could you let us know How many Maori pay rates? | Dianne |
| Yes – before it’s too late – the amount of hard-earned ratepayers money that has been squandered over the years to placate and pacify a vociferous, parasitic, minority, simply on the basis of race is nothing short of criminal! | Scott. |
| About time!!! | Ray |
| We have had enough of septertisim here in NZ. We should be all one people. | William Clive |
| Removed totally !!!! We all know the huge majority public opinion but Chris Luxon hasn’t the guts to do anything about it. This all started with the false treaty interpretation by one Freeman which resulted in this false interpretation being embedded into our laws by the Treaty of Waitangi Act 1975. This law was introduced by Matiu Rata and our politicians of the time were too stupid to see the long term ramifications of the bill for which we are now suffering. Up to this bill in 1975 NEW ZEALAND was a reasonably happy place. I believe it is now doomed and we shall see many more demonstrations and false claims and our politicians will just go along with whatever is put forward even if it is total bullshit. | Alan |
| Yes of course | Peter |
| This in basically apartheid by stealth, in a democratic country, this should not be permitted | Brian |
| Absolutly, it only confuses everybody otherwise. | Richard |
| Most definitely. | Pam |
| We are one people. | Denis |
| They are not in the best interests of the ratepayers | Laurie |
| one law for all | John |
| The Prime Minister said it all. Councils should get back to basics. | Dennis |
| Not only local government, but also central government. The Treaty is a historic document and should have no bearing on the running of our modern democracy. Any reference to race must be totally removed from all legislation. We are one people, one law for all | Colin |
| Of course it’s just a gravy train of nonsense | Steve |
| Essential | Stuart |
| Of course it should be removed! There is no debate. Despite hot air buffoons like Hipkins and Jackson spouting rubbish. It’s plane to see in the treaty, Maori gave up Sovereignty for protection from the British crown. No debate! | pete |
| Local Govt is not a signatory to the Treaty. Happy that the Coalition Govt will stop this Gravy Train. Still more trains out their to stop. Keep going Govt. | Glenn |
| Yes Yes. | Ronald |
| One multicultural nation. Not apartheid duality favouring one group over the other. | Bruce |
| All references to the treaty, to Maori wards, to maori legent and other mumbo jumbo should most definitely be cleansed from all Government documentation and rules, both central and local. If not we are simply slaves to the tribes. We will be banned from our beaches, set upon by savage dogs and neanderthal thugs at every turn. And of course black mailed and shot at by the worst kind of human beings you can imagine. | dianna |
| Maori are like every other New Zealander. If they want a voice on councils, do what everyone else does put their name forward and campaign like all other candidates. If you align with the local community you will have earned the vote to be on the council. not gifted it by a select few. | Jackie |
| let us all be equal. not based on race | coral |
| definitely – asap…. | John |
| The TOW applies equally to all people, as it says, so no call for any reference to any race in local or central govt laws. | Alan |
| The sooner the better. There should never have been direct references to Maori and the treaty in local government legislation. | Paloma |
| Right NOW!! | Keith |
| Not just local. | Ted |
| ABSOLUTRELY! THE SOONER THE BETTER! | Sylvia |
| The Principles Treaty should not exist only the original Articles Treaty of 1840. | Jerry |
| Absolutely, | Ian |
| The sooner the better,it is devisive and unwarranted in this day and age. | john |
| Long overdue. We are all New Zealanders. | Terry |
| racist and against the principle that all citizens of NZ are the same. | judy |
| Our biggest problem dividing our people is the Maori bias of the media and signage of public amenities. | Chris |
| To be a Maori you must have more than 50% DNA showing pacifica origins. That would rule out most of them. | chris |
| Definitely, | Graeme |
| It is creating the most unhealthy relationship between M%u0101ori and everyone else. We have challenges as the last government made us poorer, but what we don’t need is a local government divided by race | Margaret |
| Enough of the division. | Mark |
| Sooner the better | john |
| Yes from all legislation. Not only local government | Frank |
| This a MUST DO. | Bruce |
| Not only from local body llaw, but also central government. The current coalition said they are going to do it, but they are slow at completing this process. | Martyn |
| no question | anthony |
| YES YES YES | Bruce |
| This toxic Maori apartheid nonsense has no place in a modern, vibrant, progressive and free society that NZ needs to be. NZ is for all it’s citizens, not just Maori. | Greg |
| The sooner the better | Heather |
| Local government councils should not recognize any particular recognition or treatment of any racial or ethnic groups. It should have only one class of constituent. It should be color blind | Robert |
| Race should not be part of our legislation. What happened to “We are one.” | Doug |
| ALL Councils are totally out of control | |
| They are obsolete in today’s age – and very divisive. | Gerry |
| No to apartheid in NZ | Tom |
| Its time this dreadful situation is dealt with. No good can come of such blatant attemps by Maori to create a raceist society for their own greed and power grab. The only people who can prevent this need develop a back bone and do what is right for the whole country. | Warren |
| Imperative that all tribal references be removed from all local government legislation – Imperative that National hardens up on equality for ALL. | Noel |
| te takeover of NZ inc is happening before our eyes.a line in the sand needs to be drawn | graham |
| Emphatically yes.Should never have been installed in the first place.Sick to death of bloody maori this and poor old maori that.All equal not separate. | Ross |
| Who in gods name do these elected representatives of our society think they are. Its electoral fraud at its worst and they have all been complicit in a major lie and abuse of power. | Warren david |
| Local Government are an independent government controlled by a democratic process of election to provide a fundamental business to administer and provide for the welfare of its ratepayers. The ratepayers are by and large land and property owners who are levied fees to use and benefit from the capital services provided by the Local Government. That is the Local Government are fundamentally the owners of the capital service infrastructure and their position of authority is determined by a democratic election of ratepayers. To add any other unelected members to the Local Goverment by any means is undemocratic. Further the elected members are themselves ratepayers and by democratic process part owners in the capital infrastructure of the Local Government. Participation in the capital infrastructure ownership by any other means would be constitutionally illegal. Any attempt to thwart the democratic process would be likewise illegal. Local Governments are not subject to the provisions of the Treaty of Waitangi and any references to that outdated Treaty should be annulled from any Local government ordinances | Terrence |
| Time the treaty is removed from all facets of our life. It’s a historical document that has had it’s time. | Dave |
| 1 law, 1 People | chris |
| If Maori believe in the supernatural world, then they should all return to their spiritual home and live in peace and splendor forever. | Steve |
| Yes please, am over ratepayer money being spent to Maorify everything in the town. How many carved totem poles glorifying Maori gods do we need? Totally offensive use of rates. | Pamela |
| certainly | Colin |
| One person, one vote. all votes to have approx. same weight. | Flemming |
| Let’s return new Zealand to a democratic country and stop this blatant waste of rate payers money. | Graeme |
| Unless they can be proven with correct facts. | Leon |
| Stop the Apartheid in NZ | Alison |
| most definitely,why do these councils keep pandering to maori,must be in there pocket the government should step in or is our country being controled by maori run councils now,thats not what we voted for,and maori are not indigenous to New Zealand and the UN are just a pack of rat bags | rodger |
| absolutely-horribly divisive! | John |
| Any supposedly “indigenous” person wishing to make any claims for special treatment or payments should submit to a DNA test to prove their claim to ” Indigenousness” first!!!! Prove that they are in fact related to a FIRST settlers of NZ ( pre-1350BC !!) ) | Honest Dave |
| Out of everything!!!! | Colin |
| Hell yeah. | Mike |
| And the sooner the better…….. | Mike |
| Absolutely and totally | Graeme |
| The Treaty was drawn up in 1840 as an instrument giving common law protection to the Maori people. The three articles of the treaty were written in simple language terms so all could understand the intent of the treaty. | Brian |
| must remove urgently as this is part of this radical movement to take control of New Zealand | leo |
| Just how can NZ .move forward if we continue to bow to wow is me mentality. One country and one people treat ment. | Mayrice |
| A very big YES. | peter |
| long overdue | Collin |
| Yes totally yes!!!! they don’t belong there, they want the world and idiots are giving it to them | Laurie |
| Councils are required to represent all ratepayers irrespective of Race. | Doug |
| The sooner the better! | kevin |
| We should all be treated as one | Maryanna |
| WE are one country and should be One People under one set of rules…. | Carl |
| A no brainer! | Norman |
| They should never been put in place to start with but because of weak kneed politicians who have groveled to the Maori elite we rate and taxpayers have been fleeced mainly by the previous Government and the treaty Tribunal. It will not stop unless Luxon and co take a hard line and dispense with the Treaty Tribunal as Shane Jones is so desperate to do Bring it on. | ken |
| NZ does NOT belong to maori | graeme |
| absolutely | Chris |
| Most defiantly we are all one people | Erwin |
| This gravy-train of radicalism has gone too far! | Carl |
| OR: Every other individual culture is named and their unique values are also incorporated into all laws and rules adjudged by Government and Councils EQUALLY… OR proportionately to each groups population size. like that would mean heavy adaption to Chinese, Dutch, South African, Indian and of course UK values and cultural mandates. Ludicrous that one single culture wants it’s own rules in what should be a SINGULAR INTEGRATED SOCIETY. | Graham |
| Of course. Let’s get on with running this country in a business like fashion without all the infighting and posturing that seems to go hand in hand with indulging minority groups of all description and ethnic persuasions. Common sense needs to prevail not politics and power. | Gary |
| This jagernaugt is now out of control as those deeply involved appear brain washed. | Ian |
| The gravy train must stop and we must become non-racial in our application of rate payer money. | john |
| Cut the cultural crap and get on with the real work. | Neville |
| We are absolutely fed up with power grabs by maori activists, at our expense. We are ALL one people, stop all this apartheid. | Greg |
| otherwise prepare for civil war. | paul |
| And Luxon should make sure it happens | clive |
| The slow and predetermined creep needs to be halted. | Lee |
| Yes, otherwise Local Government is doing the wrong things | Murray |
| Most definitely .. as well as all legislation. | Alan |
| Absolutely, there is no relevance. | Colin |
| Councils need to get back to basics and rid councils of extreme maori fairy tales of monsters and living water that cost us rate payers millions of dollars over the whole country. Also what a great idea to keep rate increases to below inflation. Our govt needs to impliment this immediately. | Kevan |
| We are meant to be a democracy !!Everyone has equal rights. The PART maori radicals want to have control. Its such a lot of bullshit !! | Bruce |
| Local government should have nothing to do with these direct references. As pointed out by the PM collect the rubbish, mow the parks etc and concentrate on keeping our rates low. | Lawrie |
| One country, one people, nothing less. | Russell |
| 100% as it is racist and undemocratic | Russ |
| All references to the Treaty should definitely be removed. The Labour party has ruined this country, which is why so many people are leaving permanently. | david |
| to not do so, is “no future”. | murray |
| Remove Racist References | Fred |
| No such thing as a Maori today. Just New Zealanders of mixed European-Maori descent who have turned their majority white ancestry into a toilet bowl to identify monoculturally as Maori. No more special privilege on the basis of minority genes. | Peter |
| End this constant madness once and for all | fred |
| Yes the sooner the better. This bloody nonsense has to stop in the interest of the country now and in the future | Tom |
| every adult in NZ has the oppurtunity to stand for council and be elected on their MERITS -a specific ethnicity should have no special rights over others | Les W |
| These references need to be removed immediately. | Jane |
| NZ is regressing. The Maori are not long out of the Stone Age and seem to want the rest of us to go back to their former lifestyle. Not a good outcome for the majority of NZ citizens. Sadly we have many wannabe Maori who fall over themselves to assist in the backward slide. | Dennis |
| Emphatically, together with implied or indirect references. | Peter |
| What is happening to democracy?Do any of these pro-Maori ward people ever look at the electoral history of New Zealand? We are a multi-cultural society and we should be proud of this, not pandering to an aggressive minority who are attempting to rewrite history to their own ends. | Sandra |
| I am sick to the back teeth of all this Maori nonsense. They have every opportunity to participate in New Zealand’s democratic process | Allan |
| yes we are one people so no ethnic group should be given preverential treatment over others so remove any references to any specific group from local government and the treaty | john |
| Hell yeah, The Treaty is a fraud, and always will be, it does not tie in with the founding document of our Nation ! needs to be consigned to the rubbish bin. | David |
| Apartheid is here – that is undeniable Very difficult to put the genie back in the bottle – a start would be to remove all Government/Taxpayer funding of Treaty/Maori claims. | Joe |
| 100% and get rid of all one eyed councillors | Gareth |
| Not only local govt but NZ’s govt | Peter |
| HELL YES | Ian |
| The ToW had done what it was intended to do in May 1840 when Hobson formally declared British sovereignty. The ToW should now be a footnote to history! | Bruce |
| And it,s way overtime ALL REMOVAL to marori influence is REMOVED WE ARE ALL EQUAL & IT<S MOSSTLY ORDINARY RESIDENTS WHO PAY COUNCIL FEES.So EVERYONE EMAIL SHANE JONES AT NZFIRST HE SEEMS TO BE THE ONLY ONE WITH WINSTON STICKING UP FOR ALL NZealandrs | Cindy |
| We are wasting too much time on the past. Look to the future. | Richard |
| This recent trend is totally undemocratic – and unaffordable. | Bruce |
| Emphatically, YES! The sooner the better. Stop this blindfolded drift into Apartheid in NZ. | John |
| Should never have been there in the first place. The old Biblical saying “ye shall reap as ye shall sow” comes to mind. When are we going to get some Councilors that have a backbone and say “Damn your tribal apatheid, we are not going there” | Don |
| Kiwi NOT Iwi. | Geoff |
| They constantly put hurdles in place to slow any of our Council appointed people do their jobs | Peter |
| Absolutely.. Just need to look at the arrogance of Sam Broughton (chair of LGNZ) in Selwyn.. his behaviour towards ratepayers is abhorrent in this area | Rob |
| Its criminal the way maori activists are hhijacking the Local councils .Councils need to offer Referendums to Ratepayers and listen to the Government re spending on white Elephants | Ian |
| As i see it radicalized maori are no different to young children, give them an inch and they will take a mile. | Brian |
| Yes and the sooner the better, remember the election promises, time is running out! | Roy |
| Gary Judd’s first three sentences are precisely what I think about the current trend! | David |
| One LAW for all New Zealanders, and no privileges for special groups. | Glenn |
| Too many Councils are wasting rate-payers money and not attending to the basic entitlements of their rate-payers | Sandra |
| NOW is the last chance true New Zealanders will have to save their country from from being run by a non democratic Maori “elite” | BrUcE |
| Our elected councilors are too scared, bribed, blackmailed, or just plain dumb to do an efficient job. Our councils are run by non elected bureaucrats. These people who do not act in our best interests must be relieved of their positions. We need honest ‘no agenda’ people running our councils. People who want to serve their community, not for self interest or money. People like Muriel Newman, (Thankyou dear lady). A total reset of councils must be undertaken. We need a new form of governance, locally and nationally. | Alan |
| Absolutely | Mary |
| One of the reasons New Zealander’s voted National and the Coalition Govt. into power was to stop all this Maori entitlement and treaty claims. The people have spoken and the Govermant is finally listening. | Wayne |
| Absolutely support the removal of this devisive policy | Roy |
| YES. Otherwise, New Zealand will end up similar to conditions prior to 1840, when Maori sought powerful help from the Queen to quell Tribal wars. Staunch radical Maori want sole governance over ALL others. Could be akin to Tribal Wars all over again! | Stuart |
| Without doubt | Shaun |
| absulotely | nevkath |
| YES INDEED. Maori tribalism will only widen and be increasingly irrelevant to EVERYONE… but for tribak elite | Gill |
| It is time to re-unite this once great little nation. This division and growing hatred of the bad colonisers must stop. | Lindsay |
| Restore democracy | Gavin |
| One people one country. We are supposed to be a democratic country not one for Maori and one for others. | Noel |
| Anything and Everything needs to be done to rid NZ of the APARTHEID that clearly exists in this country. | Geoffrey |
| We are a democracy and decisions made by councils should be based on what is best for their people/area & not on race. | Maurice |
| We should all be one. Equal voting | Edward |
| Yes! Let Maori get voted in as everyone else does. | Marianne |
| I don’t think Maoris are looking to take over the country, I believe they already have. What the rest oh us need is a government that has a plan to take it back and I don’t think Luxon is the right one to do it.Anyone who thinks Maoris didn’t cede sovereignty to the Crown is not fit to govern,even for only 3 years.All reference to Maoris, the Treaty, partnership and any other reference to Maoris should be removed from all legislation and as Maoris say,if they don’t like it,go back to where they came from. | Peter |
| apart from using it to obtain privileges far beyond its intention of simply recording a peace agreement, it could be noted that a disproportionate number of Maori have not behaved in obedience to the laws they agreed to obey and instead twisting it to suggest unfair treatment to those who have broken the law. It is time the play acting was put an end to. One law, one people . | Harvey |
| Definitely needs to be done ASAP | Bruce |
| Laws should be colour blind – end of story! | Mary |
| Maori should only have influence on local government if they are elected to serve or academically qualified to give sound advice in their field of expertise. | Phil |
| Duh! | Bryan |
| I am a regional councillor. I can confirm the suggested removal of all direct references to maori and the Treaty from local government legislation will not stop the ever increasing costs to ratepayers of appeasing Iwi. The biggest imposition is from the treaty settlement process where Joint Management agreements with iwi are forced onto local and regional councils. In our region my best estimate is these are currently costing ratepayers between $3m to $10m pa in compliance and delivery . It appears that central government politicians simply do not understand the costs they are imposing on local ratepayers | Chris |
| Of course it should and it’s well passed time it was Local government seem to not realise what they were voted in to do and being very well paid to to it | Peter |
| democracy is paramount | bob matthews |
| Clearly the greater percentage of ratepayers will not be Maori and all ratepayers should have equal rights – if one ethnicity has more rights, this will cause division and bad feeling | Alvin |
| Yes yes yes | Chris |
| abuse of council regulatory powers enables staff corruption causing misery to ratepayers who fund their CExecutive abuse | Bob |
| Now | Wiremu |
| Local government legislation should be color blind | Mick |
| The implications of such get worse every time I see them referenced. | Malcolm |
| We are not a stone age country, no matter how desperately the anglo-maori try to revert … I do not insist on my peoples culture and beliefs be inflicted on anyone, so tell me why I should bow to the stone age anglo-maori pagan beliefs please… | Rainey |
| Should never have been there in the first place. Remove asap! | Lee |
| All races opinion must be accepted undrr one democracy. No favouritism!!! | Dominique Greenslade |
| STOP apartheid. ENOUGH | mike |
| All local/district councils should follow the lead of Auckland and Christchurch and quit from LGNZ. | John |
| We need our own Mr Trump to “Drain the swamp” I don’t believe National has the capacity, not happy with there 180 on Act’s cheaty principles bill. | Dave |
| It definitely should have been done long ago. This country has lost its democracy through continually looking backwards and reinventing history. No one group is any more special than the others. File the Treaty away where it should have long gone and let us proceed as one – which was the original intent of the Treaty anyway. | Helen |
| Immediately!! This outrageous sowing of landmines by the previous lot has come to bear its ill gotten fruit. We had a 10 % rate rise last year alome and this year we have not even received a full rates bill yet and were asked to pat last years instalments until we are notified in mid September . Excuse following some sort of consultation to set new rates. Indicators are we are whacked with another 15 % rise. FOR WHAT??? we do not know. Nothing has changed much around here. To deal with radicals and radical measures , our Government has to become radical. The time for pussy footing is over !!!!!! | Michael |
| The Treaty is only creating dangerous misinterpretations through apartheid aims and must not be a basis for local government | Graham |
| Absolutly … New Zealand is a democracy and should not be led by the stone age idea s of the part maori wannabe racist minority. | Robbie |
| As was suggested by Thomas Sowell many years ago in a conversation with Rodney Hide | Duncan |
| The sooner every considers themselves as New Zealander’s , the better | Percival |
| Yes please this Mri thing is destroying N Z and dividing the country. | Michael |
| Whilst there are areas of cultural importance that should be considered and/protected, the primary role of councils is to administer and manage the affairs afforded them by their respective ratepayers. The Treaty has no relevance if it promotes separatist agendas. | Martin |
| We are one people. Follow the money to discover the truth. | Raymond |
| absolutely ! | mike |
| One country,one people No specail rights | DrBryan |
| Absolutely | Evans |
| Good intentions have warped into a FUBAR. | Bazza |
| Not only LG legislation but ALL legislation. This Increasingly divisive path will only end in tears if the Maorification of this country is not stopped in its tracks now. | Bill |
| And it should be done this year | Meg |
| In a democracy there should be no reference to race. | Rod |
| New Zealand is at a dire crossroads. If we dont stop this Maori appeasement now we sre all doomed to continue to slide into economic obscurity and takeover by the Chinese. | Mike |
| Racial preference supported by bad legislation is ruining any chance of becoming one nation. | Nev |
| The take over of the local WDC council meeting regarding the Maori ward vote shows exactly what the voters need to do next local body elections. Vote this lot out. NRC, too. | Martyn |
| It is time for New Zealand to enter the 21st century and look FORWARD not live by a Treaty written for that time. It is no longer relevant. We now have a multi cultural population and ALL of our citizens need to be included in ALL government decisions. | Elizabeth |
| As I have commented before I just want us all to be the same, all this Maori rights stuff is dividing our country. Time is marching on for me but I have 4 Grand adults who I worry about | Barbara |
| There is no place for race based legislation. | Gavin |
| Back to basics. | Peter |
| Problem is so many people are now disengaged from politics at all levels, that they can’t be bothered pushing back. | Jan |
| Totally agree. | John |
| Are we not now ONE PEOPLE? | Brian |
| Apartheid cannot exist in a democracy, that’s why Labour, their even loonier Greens & racist Maori party where kicked out by we, the people. Looks like the same needs to happen with the activist councils, so yes the Treaty & Maori need to be removed fro the legislation. | John |
| This total fairytale rubbish needs to be abolished immediately | Julie |
| Stone age politics is a lost cause. Lets all move on. | RICHard |
| Enough is enough! When we differentiate between Kiwis based on race, we are authorizing Apartheid. We MUST NOT ALLOW this to destroy our beautiful country. This country is for ALL peoples regardless of race. | M |
| Yes | Frank |
| Totally, and should have been done years ago when National said they would.. If Maori want to be on Council they should stand like everyone else has to.. .. | Robyn |
| The continual pandering by successive govts, both, blue and red, to Maori demands, have created this situation of entitlement and sense of superiority, that exists within radical Maoridom | James Ahmu |
| Things are going completely crazy | Peter |
| Accountability to Call ratepayers for local Govt projects and spending should be their highest priority. | Andrew |
| Local government as Luxon points out is to deal with running a council business not looking at the Hauora concerned with Maori. Stick to the nitty gritty of what the people require, water, roads, rubbish, and council resources. At last Luxon has extracted his head from the sand | Andrew |
| Maori have their hooks into local government and it’s going to be a fight to get them out | Keith |
| YES. remove all references. Enough is enough! | Kate |
| Absolutely. | Simon |
| We must get back to the one NZ we had when I was a kid in the 1950-60s. That is what the Treaty requires and so I don’t have a problem with Councils referring to it. The Maori Wards should be gone by Monday!! Unless of course we have War ds for Chinese, Malaysians, Indians etec etc | John |
| Absolutely! Concentrate on Services only PLEASE. | Murray |
| It is beyond my understanding why we cannot be as one people and stop all this fragmentation | Murray |
| It needs to be made illegal if it is to have any chance of being effective | Laurie |
| Absolutely 100% | Ross |
| It’s amazing how councils have all been brainwashed, even threatened to include Maori views in their decisions. Councils must be forced by legislation to stick to the basics. It is not their job to be idealistic – in fact ideology (including NetZero aims) must be banned | Andy |
| Anyone born here automatically receives the right to citizenship, land rights and understands the Crown is sovereign. Ergo the Treaty is no longer valid. One people. | Paul |
| Should be removed from all legislation, it just local goverment. | David |
| Councils exist only via democratic votes across all ratepayers and residents, irrespective of their ethnic origins. | DAVID |
| Absolutely, the sooner the better. | Ann |
| Government must intervene with all councils who are set to defy their orders regarding back to basics and maori wards, along with maori privilege projects. | Koreen |
| Definitely | Vic |
| Absolutely!! Special rights and privileges to Maori is ruining New Zealand, it is time to stop this apalling racist absurdity. | Margaret |
| The “Treaty” was a treaty with relevance then, but it has no practical relevance now. A treaty is a formally concluded and ratified agreement between states. There was , and is no maori state making the Treaty by definition redundant / null and void. | CHARLES |
| YES!!! | David |
| The undemocratic actions could lead to civil unrest. Govt need to be firmly supportive of Act or NZ will be screwed. There is danger ahead if leadership is weak. | Dave |
| And while we are about it lets regulate to make the big maori corporations pay tax like the rest of us. | Andy |
| Asap. Just get all this crap over with asap and get back to common sense. I’m sick of all this whinging a n d whining from maoridom. | Peter |
| It is a nonsense & a very costly one at that. | Evelyn |
| There should be no separate race based rights or voters rolls or privileges in NZ. All NZ citizens should have the same rights and duties. It is that simple. | Mike |
| Otherwise it will lead to civil war | Derek |
| Maori are showing. Their greedy sides, joe blogs Maori will never benefit..from the billions of dollars given to these ratbags. | Dianne |
| As Bishop Williams said, “Now we are one people.” Lets reflect that and all reference to Maori and the Treaty MUST be removed from the Statute books. Stop the radical and frightening racial undertones escalating in this wonderful country. | Graeme |
| YES YES. remove now. we voted this coalition in to remove race based laws from our laws and legislation at all levels, councils included. Just do it National, Act and NZ first, how hard can it be when Ardern changed laws without notice in secret. Grow a spine. The radicals are laughing at you. | Sam |
| One law for all | Brian |
| We are one people and the country is being impoverished by radical Maori | Kaye |
| shut down tow | chris |
| Not relevant to this area of activity. | mary |
| just causes division and is un democratic. | michael |
| Yes to removal of references to Maori and treaty. We are in 2024 not 1860 we need to look forward not in the rear vision mirror. All this has caused one race to recieve hand out after hand out and taking over our country. Must stop now. And now that idiot hipkins is splashing around maori did not cede sovereignty. This is treason surely. Arrest the idiot. This is why every NZr remembers his statement at next election or we will be back on track for maori takeover. | Allan |
| The trouble is that most councillors are ordinary men and women off the street with limited technical or legal knowledge on the running or operations of the councils which they represent. The CEOs (in the past town, city or county clerks) together with the hordes of overpaid bureaucrats they employ are the real problem. They direct and control the councillors and are, in the main, responsible for council excesses and budget blowouts! | Alan |
| Of course, but nothing will change until ALL apartheid acts and statutes that give explicit recognition to the treaty are repealed by our corporate government. Now what are the chances of that happening eh? | neil |
| Absolutely they should be removed forthwith – no ifs nor buts Maori need to stop behaving with their entitlement of me me me – end of They ceded sovereignty. end of They are not indigenous – end of They are no more special than anyone else in NZ – end of STOP with the pandering to the ignorant | Carolyn |
| No doubt about it. A very enlightening article by dr newman. Thankyou | Beverley |
| Sooner the better for our poor, fractured country. | Rodge |
| Immediately they should be removed and go onto the polls to be voted,in like the rest of New Zealanders | Sidwell |
| Of course it should. This country will become the biggest joke of the Western World if it can’t pull away from all this Maori mumbo jumbo. The Aussies will have a field day laughing at how weak and foolish this country has become. | Paul |
| Absolutely all references to Maori and the Treaty should be removed from the Local Government Act – having them there has been a disaster. This should have been done years ago. | David |
| Maori control of local government is a major problem for ratepayers. Councils are too scared to say no and as a result excessive requirements and costs for consultation have been imposed on the community. It is an appalling state of affairs, and the new Government must step in to fix it. | Maureen |
| I remember the way councils operated under the old legislation, and things were much better then. The law should never have been changed. | Pete |
| Councils are completely out of control. The changes being suggested can’t come soon enough. | Ian |
| I’ve sent this newsletter to the Prime Minister and Local Government Minister because I’m not sure whether they are aware of how dangerous and powerful these Maori advisory committees have become. All special rights for tribal interests must be removed if councils are to ever get back to serving their communities fairly. | Geoffrey |