But if you’ve been following the story of Te Urewera National Park, you’ll know that's not strictly true.
Te Urewera National Park – as in Lake Waikaremoana, one of NZ's great walks – has been closed since August and only reopened again 9 days ago.
Why? Because it’s no longer run by DOC only.
For the last eight years, it’s also been run by the local iwi tuhoe under a co-governance model.
The problem is that most of the huts and many of the swing bridges were in dire need of repair but the iwi wouldn’t allow the repairs.
Money wasn’t the problem. DOC was prepared to pay for all it.
But the iwi didn’t think it needed repairing. Apparently, they had “different standards” on the nature of the hazards and told DOC if they didn’t like the situation, they could simply remove the structures.
It’s finally been sorted now, which is why the walk has opened again but we missed the summer.
That right there is a problem with Māori co-governance.
But the iwi didn’t think it needed repairing. Apparently, they had “different standards” on the nature of the hazards and told DOC if they didn’t like the situation, they could simply remove the structures.
It’s finally been sorted now, which is why the walk has opened again but we missed the summer.
That right there is a problem with Māori co-governance.
Because, if that was place was run exclusively by DOC, like it was beforehand, and DOC shut it down for summer because it just couldn't be bothered maintaining the assets we’ve all put our taxpayer money into, we would haul the minister over the coals in front of the media and put pressure on them until they pulled up their socks and did their job.
Because they are accountable to us.
But not the iwi.
You can bad mouth the iwi all you like, but they’re not going to lose their jobs because Kiwis are grumpy, we can’t go on a great walk and our assets are being run down. They are not accountable to us.
Now tell me if that’s a model you like, because I don’t. But that’s what’s coming our way.
This is what Labour is planning for the entire Health System and your water aswell.
The health system will be run by Health NZ – a body accountable to you – and a Māori Health authority.
Water will be run by a water authority accountable to you and iwi representatives.
So next time Willie or any of the proponents of Māori co-governance tell you it works and there’s nothing to be afraid of, just remember how well it’s working at Lake Waikaremoana.
Heather du Plessis-Allan is a journalist and commentator who hosts Newstalk ZB's Drive show.
Because they are accountable to us.
But not the iwi.
You can bad mouth the iwi all you like, but they’re not going to lose their jobs because Kiwis are grumpy, we can’t go on a great walk and our assets are being run down. They are not accountable to us.
Now tell me if that’s a model you like, because I don’t. But that’s what’s coming our way.
This is what Labour is planning for the entire Health System and your water aswell.
The health system will be run by Health NZ – a body accountable to you – and a Māori Health authority.
Water will be run by a water authority accountable to you and iwi representatives.
So next time Willie or any of the proponents of Māori co-governance tell you it works and there’s nothing to be afraid of, just remember how well it’s working at Lake Waikaremoana.
17 comments:
Well said Heather! Its about time this disgraceful disregard by iwi to look after our national parks has been brought to the attention of the public. Its time for this useless government to wake up. Maybe National/Act will turn this around. Co-governance will not work. It will divide our country even further. The money needed to set it up is a shameful squander of taxpayers money. Thank you for being brave enough to speak out the truth.
People don't appear to realise what we're getting into with Maori. Their culture is dysfunctional. None of my outdoor friends bother with Urewera anymore. Vehicles ransacked, people harassed, threats & insults, physical confrontation etc. Maori arrogance is off the charts. Listening to Willy's platitudes is a truly sickening experience.
Heather, you are of course not wrong.
The state cannot pass governance to an unaccountable body because without accoutability there is no recourse.
I fear that co-governance will amount to a form of apartheid with zero benefit to New Zealanders as a country. Acrosss the board this government seems to want this to happen under the fantasy that the TOW is a partnership.
There are so many articles written on this that the MSM seem to ignore and in doing so the NZ public remains ignorant.
It is my belief that this is a deliberate ploy by the government to keep us in the dark while this insidiuos take-over occurs.
What indeed happened to governing for all New Zealanders and the Team of 5 million? They are platitudes.
When you read about 3 Waters, the MHA and Pae Ora and you align it with how we are now bombarded with Te Reo regardless of understanding or need for it, the volumes of money spent, the renaming of every agency, the PJIF and the increasing assignment of mistruth about culture, heritage and science through the school curriculum you cannot ignore on fact.
It all aligns with the He Puapua document that was hidden from us all but apparently is not policy except in reality all the things above align direct to it!
If Willy told me day was night I'd go outside and check for myself.
Willy and the rest of the Maori Caucus know that this is a huge power grab with an endless revenue stream courtesy of the taxpayer.
I bet most Labour voters couldn't tell you what He Puapua was and would struggle to explain Three Waters.
That's because they vote for Jacinda, not Labour, and as long as she keeps "being kind" then they're just fine with that.
Mind you, the Queen of Spin seems to be losing her cool. I saw her interviewed on the AM show about the protest. She was looking agitated and tired and constantly talked through countless questions posed by the interviewer who was looking a tad pissed off.
The questions she did allow to be asked were then ignored and she carried on with her diatribe against the protesters.
Shocking performance!
Exactly right, Heather.
I also read that article and saw the snow job from Jackson - saying "it's all okay, nothing to fear from co-governance".
As you have described - the Urewera example sets a typical model for future "co-governance" situations. Neglect, no accountability, shut the public out, no maintenance.
Hallelujah !! We are going to have our Health System, our Water supply and disposal systems, and in fact, the governing of our nation along the same lines as the Urewera example.
Welcome to New Zimbabwe - the glorious apartheid nation of the South Pacific.
Maori = Mafia
I am sick of these list MP's like Willie Jackson, Jacinda Ardern et al, telling the people what and how we are going to live our lives. Democracy is by the people for the people, how can that be when these people (list MP's) can be put into positions of total dominance and undermine that democracy. It is time that our laws change so that list MP's cannot become PM or even Cabinet Ministers. That way people like Ardern and Luxton, and their Parties, cannot corrupt the system. They were put there by their Party not by the people.
I agree with your thoughts and many of the comments here, however I think it would be better to talk about tribal co-governance, rather than racial co-governance. As Bruce Moon puts it most of us are a mixed bag.
Hullo Heather. You wrote: “The health system will be run by Health NZ – a body accountable to you – and a Maori Health authority.”
What is more likely to happen is that we shall have installed a health system essentially run by a Maori Health Authority accountable only to itself.
Remenber that Andrew Little admitted Maori would be granted some form of veto power. Health NZ, supposedly to be THE governing entity, will end up as a subservient arm of the new and now creeping Maori autocracy.
Very valid and concerning points, indeed. Really though, have you not even considered that the Freedom Protest (despite your seeming to not even question the govt / MSM spin on it) grievances run far deeper than covid mandates opposition?
One would like to know what is driving this move towards Maorification.
Who is filling the young with lies and false history for what purpose?
Where is the aggressive attitude instilled in younger Maori coming from?
Having lived happily alongside Maori in-laws, friends, colleagues and acquaintances for all of my ninety years suddenly I am expected to be apologetic and feel shame for being of British origin. Not by any of the Maori I am glad to know however. They seem to be as mystified as I am.
We are all New Zealanders and are being manipulated into two separate groups of Maori and everyone else. We should stop being steered in different directions and really analyse who is pulling the strings and why.
Tribalism never works in running an efficient institution. It is the very antithesis of it. In Africa, the intellectuals repudiate tribalism as a failed system for modern development. When they f@@@@ up in Africa it is usually through tribalism. Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again. By embracing tribalism as a political system, New Zealand becomes an international joke instead of identified as a successful Democracy.
I shouldn't but I can't avoid schadenfreude reading the column and the comments. Armed with that most despised kiwi thing, a History degree, I have been warning about this since 1984. A very good year to start. Until the last few years, that has been greeted with public mirth. I am sorry to dismay you all. But the horse is now out of the stable. And it is a very aggressive horse. Pun intended.
Willy Jackson telling us we have nothing to fear with co-governance is like the cat telling the mice they have nothing to fear in going for the cheese in the mousetrap!
Te Urewera is no longer a National Park, it was land seized from Tuhoe who had not signed the Treaty of Waitangi, not even given the opportunity to. Its return to Tuhoe is right and proper and Tuhoe allow continued access albeit not as quite as freely as DoC land but that is understandable. DoC funds the maintenance of tracks, huts and bridges but Tuhoe wnt to encourage the use and training of local labour rather than bringing in of DoC staff. This too is understandable in light of the limited job opportunities in the area. The delays are a mixture of DoC ppsturing and Tuhoe politics, the closure was to limit Delta spreading into the region and had the full support of DoC and the Crown, in fact DoC closed a great number of its tracks at the same time. The delay to reopening was political motivated by both sides.
It is all happening before the eyes of those who can see and are not blinded by a mystical ideology. This is the blue print as laid down by Donna Awatere in her book Maori Sovereignty. She wrote it in the 1970s. Get control of the bureaucracy and official narrative and exploit the fear and apathy of the majority population.I am glad I grew up in post and pre tribal New Zealand. But I feel sorry for the young people.
Very well said and I am pleased to ear for a long time by a reporter about Urewera. I would appreciate if you extend your research and fact-check to the situation of the hinting in Urewera. It was DOC land before with free access. Now it is Tuhoe, the europeans are welcome not to come..... You have old DOC tracks in the Urewera but now there are forbidden to be used by European just because they were laid on"private land" so if they go on "Private land"for 20m over 14kms the normal Kiwi hunter is banned..... One part of Urewera is still a DOC area... and you can find horses and cows grazing all year long on DOC land.... could NZ just get back to a bit of common sense and allow some freedom ????
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