John Porter: The Absolute Power of Veto

“We have always owned the water!” So said the Maori king back in September 2012. He went further by stating, “the ultimate goal for iwi is to retain management and control of water…” Well, he wasn’t too far wrong those 10 years ago!

Today, he would probably say, “We own it and if you want it, you’ll have to pay!”

Oh, and by the way, the Maori king is Mahuta’s cousin.

The Three Waters Reform Bill is being pushed through parliament despite huge opposition. So the longer this Government refuses to budge on the co-governance aspect of Three Waters, the more it looks like this reform isn’t really about cleaning up our water, is it?

It’s actually about embedding a race-based way of running things in New Zealand.

It’s about destroying democracy.

It’s about entrenching Maori co-governance as a system.

Co-governance proposes to change NZ’s democracy, one of the world’s oldest (1 person 1 vote), to an equity-based system of governance.

This Labour Government wants to see enduring tribal governance authority in systems such as health, water and land management. Local and national decision-making bodies will comprise not only the usual elected members but members appointed by tribes!

So, what does governance actually mean? What is the difference between government and governance?

* Government comprises representatives that have been elected to govern the country. It is the action or manner of governing a state or organisation.

* Governance is the framework which outlines and defines proper government function.

The government will symbolise elected leaders, while governance will symbolise the government’s structure or procedure.

This co-governance conundrum is, in actual fact, nothing new. In 2017 preferential consultation rights were given to tribes under the RMA, which seems, in all likelihood, to become further enhanced under new RMA replacement acts.

We should all be very concerned. Because there are a plethora of policies where co-governance has been or will be implemented in the acts.

Three Waters, Health, Polytechnics so far; then to be followed by Resource Management, Local Government, Education and Justice, which will all be subject to co-governance clauses.

The dishonest way co-governance has “snuck up on us” is due to the deception employed by this Labour Government. Co-governance has been introduced incrementally thus allowing the deceitful proponents to steadily build a pattern, then when probed on any contentious issue, they are able to claim PRECEDENCE!

Gary Judd QC is very critical of the co-governance agenda, stating, “Ideological government indulges sectional political constituency.” And that, “cabinet papers show the clear intention to establish a system dominated by the rights and interests of Maori.”

” […] the clear intention to establish a system dominated by the rights and interests of Maori.”

Goodbye Democracy!

Mr Judd goes on to suggest that the Cabinet should explain why Maori are being singled out as the only ones within the country who have rights and interests.

But what is never mentioned in any discussion on co-governance is the veto power endowed on the appointed minority group.

This is the more sinister aspect to the Three Waters, Health Authority and other cogovernance legislature. This is the Power of Veto that Ardern’s Government have bestowed on Maori in recent legislation and that they will bestow in future legislation.

It is an aspect that Ardern, and most certainly Mahuta, and indeed the whole deceitful Government are never going to mention. It is an aspect that the government-aligned MSM is never going to report on.

So, what is the power of veto? It’s the absolute power to block, stop and finally control. Full control in the hands of the minority!

A classic example is the Three Waters Bill where 75% approval, in a 12-person board, is required for any decision to be confirmed. Yet tribal interest will make up 50% of the board!

That means, no decisions can be made without the approval of iwi. In effect iwi, through the veto right will be in control of all New Zealand water services decision-making.

The newly formed Maori Health Authority has similar veto powers.

With veto power over national health plans, Maori essentially control our health system!

Cabinet papers state, “The Maori Health Authority should have a co-lead role in relation to national planning and in designing the key operating mechanisms that the system will use”.

But here’s the kicker! They further state “…with clear approval rights including an ability to exercise a veto in sign-off.”

Geez, Ardern’s Government are a piece of work aren’t they?

This isn’t co-governance, this is control!

Veto ability gives Maori absolute control!

So what might be the impact of the power of veto on upcoming legislation and more importantly, our democracy and our lives?

At the very least we could see projects where voting is split 50/50, or not deemed beneficial enough to local tribes, being delayed and even stagnating until finally abandoned.

Conversely, projects or schemes that are tribal initiated and designed to benefit tribal interests could be proposed to the detriment of projects for the good of the wider community.

You have to ask, if the 1840 Treaty of Waitangi accorded equal rights, then why do the Government pursue this model?

You will never hear MSM ask, “What influence does the Maori caucus have over this issue?”

So, Jacinda Ardern, if you and your Maori caucus are not prepared to maintain the existence of equal rights, why will you not obtain formal accord, by means of a national referendum, to change from our current democracy to the very different Ethnocracy, controlled by the elite of a minority demographic?

Any halfway honest government would seek a public mandate to orchestrate such a sweeping change to a country’s democracy.

But Ardern will never do that! Why? Because she knows full well New Zealand would overwhelmingly give her a resounding NO!

John Porter is a citizen, deeply concerned about the loss of democracy and the insidious promotion of separatism by our current government. This article was first published HERE