At the centre of nearly every Labour policy, from the school curriculum to the management of three waters infrastructure is an obsession. The Labour Party is obsessed with the Partnership State, putting the Treaty at the heart of everything.
Interestingly, the Treaty is not at the heart of the Labour Party. Its 123-page constitution mentions the Treaty only three times, and in passing. There is no co-governance in the Labour Party; its first principle is that ‘All political authority comes from the people by democratic means, including universal suffrage, regular and free elections with a secret ballot.
Why might that be? Because the idea of co-governance is incompatible with democracy. Democracy means one person, one vote. It’s the basis of New Zealand’s one globally significant political achievement, realising the idea that every adult New Zealander should have the vote.
The opposite of that principle is being rolled out in healthcare, with two systems. It is being rolled out in infrastructure, with co-governance of Three Waters. It is being put into resource management law. The three bills replacing the Resource Management Act will be filled with co-governance provisions. The history curriculum is being designed to tell the next generation that everything in New Zealand is about colonisation and most of the students are guilty before they open their textbook.
People came from England to escape class. From India to escape caste. From China to escape the one-party state where party members get special rights. From South Africa to escape apartheid. If you were to sum up New Zealand’s history, it is people dreaming of an equal chance....
Labour forgets that New Zealand is not just Māori and Pakeha. There are now as many Asians as Māori and half as many Pacific Islanders calling New Zealand home. We need to reinvent the Kiwi identity as an outward looking, multi-ethnic nation state committed to liberal democracy above all else.
No society where people have different political rights based on birth has ever succeeded. Actually, all the good political movements of the past 400 years have been about equality. This pervasive drift to division has to stop.
That involves a blunt reality. Nobody is born special in New Zealand. There cannot be two types of people, Tangata Whenua, here by right, and Tangata Tiriti, here by the grace of the Treaty. All people born in this country, and who immigrate here, have a right to one five millionth of the opportunity it has to offer.
The next Government will not be able to simply stop doing new things that divide New Zealand. We will have to actively push back against the divisive idea that there are two kinds of New Zealanders.
We will need to remove the constant references to the Treaty from the law and replace it with a commitment to liberal democracy. One person, one vote, and equality for all in a multi-ethnic nation state.
It means removing co-governance structures from healthcare, from resource management, infrastructure, and education. It means going through the statute books and removing the distinctions in law that hold my Māori ancestors as legally different from my European ones.
It doesn’t mean that there cannot be devolution of services. Charter schools were a shining example of devolution. There is no reason that a school such as Te Kopuku High in Hamilton cannot thrive, but on the same basis that any other group of New Zealanders might choose their own style of education, like Pacific Advance Senior School, just up the road.
It doesn’t mean that we are not deeply concerned about making sure that opportunity truly is equal, but Māori do not have any unique challenges, just bigger versions of what everyone faces. We need to make housing more accessible. We need to reduce recidivism in the justice system with better prison rehabilitation. We need to close the yawning gap in University Entrance between decile one schools and decile ten schools, and all those in between.
The difference is that we are committed to uniting rather than dividing New Zealand.
We should be proud of our history, even as we learn from it. Our laws and traditions, based upon justice, individual freedom and equal opportunity are the best way to ensure everyone gets the same chances. This isn’t an either/or choice with our Māori - and other - heritage. We should celebrate them ALL.
You can read the entire speech here
David Seymour is a New Zealand politician serving as the Member of Parliament for Epsom and Leader of ACT New Zealand since 2014.
Labour forgets that New Zealand is not just Māori and Pakeha. There are now as many Asians as Māori and half as many Pacific Islanders calling New Zealand home. We need to reinvent the Kiwi identity as an outward looking, multi-ethnic nation state committed to liberal democracy above all else.
No society where people have different political rights based on birth has ever succeeded. Actually, all the good political movements of the past 400 years have been about equality. This pervasive drift to division has to stop.
That involves a blunt reality. Nobody is born special in New Zealand. There cannot be two types of people, Tangata Whenua, here by right, and Tangata Tiriti, here by the grace of the Treaty. All people born in this country, and who immigrate here, have a right to one five millionth of the opportunity it has to offer.
The next Government will not be able to simply stop doing new things that divide New Zealand. We will have to actively push back against the divisive idea that there are two kinds of New Zealanders.
We will need to remove the constant references to the Treaty from the law and replace it with a commitment to liberal democracy. One person, one vote, and equality for all in a multi-ethnic nation state.
It means removing co-governance structures from healthcare, from resource management, infrastructure, and education. It means going through the statute books and removing the distinctions in law that hold my Māori ancestors as legally different from my European ones.
It doesn’t mean that there cannot be devolution of services. Charter schools were a shining example of devolution. There is no reason that a school such as Te Kopuku High in Hamilton cannot thrive, but on the same basis that any other group of New Zealanders might choose their own style of education, like Pacific Advance Senior School, just up the road.
It doesn’t mean that we are not deeply concerned about making sure that opportunity truly is equal, but Māori do not have any unique challenges, just bigger versions of what everyone faces. We need to make housing more accessible. We need to reduce recidivism in the justice system with better prison rehabilitation. We need to close the yawning gap in University Entrance between decile one schools and decile ten schools, and all those in between.
The difference is that we are committed to uniting rather than dividing New Zealand.
We should be proud of our history, even as we learn from it. Our laws and traditions, based upon justice, individual freedom and equal opportunity are the best way to ensure everyone gets the same chances. This isn’t an either/or choice with our Māori - and other - heritage. We should celebrate them ALL.
You can read the entire speech here
6 comments:
For anyone looking for a political leader to stand up and publicly renounce the government's racist, separatist agenda this is it.
If this is the most important thing for you come election time then there really is only one party to vote for - ACT.
National don't have a clue what they stand for on the issue of race and Luxon is making all the wrong noises.
Only a very strong vote for ACT will give National the clear message that this is important to a large percentage of the block's supporters and needs to be acted on.
David was certainly looking like PM material a few months back. This was undoubtedly a good speech but.... You simply cannot, as a prospective leader, call some of your supporters " Whacky" or " fringe members of society" or words to that effect. It puts people like myself( and obviously the protesters) off. We could be double vaccinated and not necessarily in
the protests. I have read comments on blog sites and yes, many were ACT supporters.
Trudeau is saying the same things about the protesters and it isn't going down well.
David obviously took the MSM view of the protests. A bit shallow really.
I replied to Acts email saying that David should eat humble pie and apologise to those he offended. That way he would get an even bigger voter base. Luxon and Ardern made similar remarks but I can't see them apologising.
I also couldn't vote for a four year term so let's hope he scraps that.
Now he is starting to make the right noises.
Now lets look at repealing the Waitangi Act and disbanding the Waitangi Tribunal. Getting rid of ALL racist legislation. This would make many government departments superfulous.
Some common sense on school curricula would be very helpful.
How about a large reduction in the number of government employees which could be achieved by a eliminating unnecessary regulations and regulatory departments?
Then let's have a look at Binding Citizens Initiated Referenda.
As labour pretend ministers say continuously "There's much more to be done."
I had an appointment yesterday with my local National MP Matt Doocey. I had some questions about the Maorificaction of NZ and what were National going to do to oppose it but was very disappointed with the answers. A negative treatyist attitude with remarks about treaty obligations and taking the middle ground etc so I think David Seymour is our only hope of salvation. Kiwialan.
Unknown's report on his/her interview with the local National MP should raise alarm bells.
If National returns to power will there be a repeat of the same tepid or no response to activist demands and race based legislation?
We need representatives who are actually on our wave length and who will at least make an effort to reflect our values and concerns.
Right now ACT is the only strong non left political party available. Yes, there may be one or two policies you do not agree with but surely this has always been the case when you cast your vote. You choose the best available or the least worst. The best deal you can get. Right now I suggest that ACT is the best deal for those of us who want genuine reform and genuine democratic government.
It is a pity that if you commit to one party you have to accept the whole package. If David sticks to this line of policy (p0liticians are notorious for changing promised policies once elected) then his common sense approach to Maorification gets my vote, with qualifications. The one feature of ACT policy that I cannot swallow is the antagonism towards Unions. If it were not for Unions we would be at the mercy of employers for whom profit comes first and welfare of their employees way down the list of priorities. However, since no other party is risking losing Maori votes by telling the truth I may have to accept that the need to halt Maorification outweighs all other priorities.
Good luck David!
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