Henry Armstrong: Ardern’s Undrip Plan – The Co-Government “Softening Up” Process Begins

A pre-Anzac weekend statement by Maori Development Minister Jackson (21 April 2022) refers to an “indigenous rights plan”, which is being worked upon by Maori-but is not to be released for public consultation until at least June.

In a carefully-crafted press release, Jackson selectively releases “feedback from the first phase of targeted engagement with Maori on developing a plan to implement UNDRIP”. Note the lack of engagement with anybody else?

Note also that this statement was released (or dumped) on a Friday preceding a long weekend, a tactic which dilutes the impact of controversial issues when peoples’ attention is focused on other things. The Ardern government employed exactly the same tactic prior to the long Easter holiday weekend: the Pae Ora Select Committee report; bad news on cost of living increases effectively muted; and a focus instead on Ardern’s much-vaunted overseas trip, to Singapore and Japan, accompanied, of course, by the usual numerous bunch of media sycophants. Of particular note in the pre-Easter dump was any reference in the Pae Ora report on the proposed Maori Health Authority right of veto, which seems to have been dropped?

It is clear that Ardern’s government plans to produce a document which sets out a future plan for Maori only, at the expense of parliamentary democracy and the civil and human rights of 84% of the New Zealand population. They are following exactly the same strategy they have in imposing “co-governance’ and compulsory acculturation of the New Zealand population throughout the public service, education system, health, welfare and justice, plus the enforced establishment of Maori wards in local authorities.  No public debate or discussion on any of these issues has been allowed by the Ardern government. And then, they have the arrogance to claim that these compulsory impositions on the majority of the New Zealand population are now “normal”, and “are working well”!

The Ardern government commenced consultations on UNDRIP with Maori only, in July 2021, following controversial reactions to the then-secret He Puapua report (which proposes scrapping the NZ Constitution in favour of parliamentary dual governance) and the Matike Mai Aotearoa report which sought feedback on the UNDRIP and co-governance plans, conducted with hundreds of Maori, by Margaret Mutu and the late Moana Jackson. No public debate or discussion on any of these reports (except with Maori only) has taken place and the Ardern government keeps repeating that these two divisive reports and UNDRIP consultations are not government policy.

Well, this is obviously a blatant lie because at least three specific proposals from He Puapua (Three Waters Reform confiscation, Maori Health Authority and Local Government Reforms (including the arbitrary and undemocratic introduction of separate Maori wards in local authorities) have been already or are being implemented right now.

But hold on, there is an 84% majority of New Zealanders who have not been offered any opportunity to propose our own plan for the future of our country, regarding the key themes or areas covered in the Declaration feedback report: Tino rangatiratanga or self-determination; Co-governance and co-Government; Land, resources and environment; Constitutional reform; Education system; Compulsory acculturation of non-Maori in Te Ao Maori (world view); Health; Justice; Housing; Inequity and Inequality; Economic and Business Development, to name a few.

The key points in Jackson’s statement include:

- “initial consultation comprised 69 workshops with 370 participants over the last 6 months”.

Note: These workshops involved only Maori. How representative of Maori in general were these workshops? We are not told.

- “the workshops were the first phase in developing a plan to support the UNDRIP declaration”.

Note: If this is the case, should not the New Zealand public at large  have also had the opportunity to contribute their own thoughts to phase one? Why was the general public excluded? So that Maori could have “first bite” and devolve a “fait accompli” which can then be put out for “consultation”? Almost certainly, because a favourite tactic of Ardern is to invite feedback, then ignore it, saying ”but we did consult with you”. The “consultation” process on the Revised Schools History curriculum attracted over 5,000 submissions which resulted in NO change - a cynical, immoral and dishonest tactic indeed, but typical of Ardern’s government.

- “phase two of the plan will be to draft an official document, involving Te Puni Kokiri; the National Iwi Chairs’ Forum; and the [biased and politicised] Human Rights Commission”.

Note: No public input at this point either? Nope, not until Maori have decided on their plan, and only then will the New Zealand public be “consulted”.

(At this point we need to pause and consider this carefully-crafted approach. The New Zealand public will eventually be presented with “the Maori plan”.  Just imagine the outrage if non-Maori members of the public actually disagree or rubbish this secret plan! Racism! Disgusting! Maori bashing! White privilege again! Just look at the outrage generated when ACT leader David Seymour dared to suggest a referendum on constitutional reform and “co-governance”!  In short, the New Zealand public will be invited to comment upon a plan already and conclusively developed entirely by political, cultural and social activists, to which the New Zealand public have had absolutely NO input whatsoever! Are we that bloody stupid? Certainly looks like it!)

- “there is already a lot of “mahi” or work going on, across government that is consistent with UNDRIP”.

Note:  In my most recent post in NZCPR, I clarified the Ardern government’s strategy for co-governance which is to claim that “co-governance is already in place and working well”. Sound familiar? Here is Jackson saying the same thing, but claiming now to have “a plan” to justify and validate this approach. What Jackson omits to say is that the “mahi” he refers to has been compulsorily and deliberately implemented by his dishonest government with NO public input or debate. Any pushback on this inverse acculturation edict will certainly be greeted with accusations of racism.

My Official Maori-English Dictionary, Williams, 1971, Government Printer, also defines “mahi” as ferment or putrefy. Perhaps Jackson means that the “mahi” he refers to is “maturing” - yes, that must be it!

- “He Puapua  is not  the Declaration Plan, nor is it government policy”.

Note: Why then is his government hell-bent on implementing at least three of He Puapua’s proposals verbatim so far, with NO public discussion? This is clearly untruthful - an absolute, blatant lie, actually.

- “the Declaration Plan is not just about co-governance”.

Note: The emphasis (mine) clearly demonstrates that co-governance is certainly central to the Declaration Plan. What the hell else have they got up their sleeve besides co-governance, which itself is thoroughly undemocratic? Co-Government, actually.

In a separate news item (Ref: Zane Small, Newshub,22 April 2022), Ardern commented from Japan upon the “Declaration Plan”: “I’m confident that as a nation we are not the same as we were 10 years ago. But that doesn’t mean that we won’t have good robust debate. We can do that but we can also do it respectfully, and that’s certainly what we are championing as a Government”.

Can you, even for one moment, believe this dishonest person, given her government’s record of excluding the public from any debate on He Puapua and Matike Mai, to date; implementing a huge undemocratic agenda including widespread co-governance and co-government arrangements; a proposed clamp-down of free speech; centralising health, education, and welfare; and actively promoting compulsory inverse acculturation, especially in our universities? Surely, to vociferously oppose any plan to divide New Zealand along racial lines, which clearly is the goal of the UNDRIP Declaration Plan, will be, by definition, “disrespectful” and “racist” and - the best of all - perpetuating “colonisation”?

The feedback document (if you can locate it) includes, inter alia, suggestions for applying the Maori Health Authority model to Education and Justice. Ominously, it also includes many comments that the existing “Westminster system” (you know, our present model of Parliamentary democracy which has served New Zealand and much of the English-speaking world so very well for 200 years) “needs to be overhauled and that constitutional reform must occur”.

The Declaration Plan feedback document contains many proposals which will effectively establish a race-based,  separatist Apartheid structure in New Zealand. Mainstream media have deliberately downplayed the huge adverse implications for New Zealand going forward and have purposely contributed to the Ardern government’s ongoing strategy of deception, untruths and misinformation.

If we believe Ardern (who has a habit of reneging on her previous statements, such as taxes), the NZ public will be “consulted” sometime this year, with no guarantee that this “consultation” process will in any way affect the Plan, once decided upon, for to do so would mean Ardern and co are themselves racist - and we cannot of course have that, can we?

And you thought Putin is evil?

Henry Armstrong is retired, follows politics, and writes.