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Tuesday, February 26, 2013

ICRP: Independent constitution group invites submissions






Independent constitution group invites submissions

Submissions on New Zealand’s constitutional future may be made to the Independent Constitutional Review Panel, chair David Round said today. The independent panel has opened submissions because the government’s official Constitutional Advisory Panel (CAP), which begins receiving public submissions this week, has consulted mainly with Maori, with the general public largely unaware of its existence.
“The CAP’s consultation is primarily directed to Maori with almost half of the $4.1-million in taxpayers’ funding earmarked specifically for that purpose,” Mr Round said.

“We are therefore doing what CAP isn’t – appealing to all New Zealanders to make submissions. At the end of the submission process we will be presenting a truly independent report on what New Zealanders feel about a written constitution that has the Treaty of Waitangi ‘principles’ as its basis,” Mr Round said.

Mr Round said the official panel’s agenda was undemocratic.

“The panel was established at the behest of the Maori party with the announced intention of bringing the treaty into our constitution. Its terms of reference clearly aim to subject democratically-established laws to undefined ‘treaty principles’, and also to make parliaments and other institutions less democratic by introducing racial quotas and representation”, he said.

“Because of the funding bias, Maori radicals and malcontents are following it eagerly, and inevitably submissions to the official panel will quite misrepresent public attitudes,” he said.

“There is no point in wasting time and energy before such a biased tribunal. That is why we are urging our fellow-citizens to come to our independent panel, which actually wants to understand and listen to them”, Mr Round said.

“Nations get the governments, and the constitutions, they deserve,” Mr Round said. “Liberty can be lost, just as it can be won. Its price continues to be eternal vigilance,” he said.

Submissions can be made on the www.ConstitutionalReview.org website by following the “Make an on-line submission” link.

The independent panel’s other members are professors Martin Devlin, Elizabeth Rata and James Allan, Dr Muriel Newman and Mike Butler.  

For further information contact:

David Round
(03)3294-605
027-3294-605

2 comments:

John Boy said...

The thing that surprises me, is the fact that almost all N.Z.ers KNOW what's happening in the country, but the grand ogre of APATHY has almost all of us in its grip. When N.Z.ers have the intestinal fortitude to stand up for themselves, is the day things MAY start to change. Who's going to throw the first stone ?.

Vicki Wild said...

Why hasn't a submission been made to the Race Relations Office concerning the fact that the govt. constitutional review is biased and that to embed the treaty into a constitution is racist, and as most of New Zealand does not know the implications of the treaty being embedded in the proposed NZ constitution, the early submission date is unacceptable? The cut off date for submissions is far too soon considering there has been no widespread public debate re the pro's and con's. Could not the review panel start a referendum post haste and send it to all submitters of emails to send to the Race Relations office demanding more time to fully and publicly review the proposal. I would do it myself if I had the knowledge of how to prepare and get a referendum under way! The race relations office must surely respond to a referendum by large numbers insisting on a much later submission date and a thorough widespread public review to be undertaken before any such far reaching and irrevocable decision affecting all NZers now and for all time is made. Please, Please, will somebody with the appropriate skills get a referendum under way for the Race Relations office immediately!

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