John Porter: Equity is a Stalking Horse

In 1975, the expression Global Warming first appeared in the title of an influential scientific paper. “Are We on the Brink of a Pronounced Global Warming?” The IPCC regularly used the terminology Global Warming to describe changes in the average temperatures on Earth. But they found that term became too alienating, divisive and had become very politicised and was easily countered with fact based scientific evidence.

Hence, we witnessed the change in terminology to Climate Change. A much more dispassionate, equable and all-embracing, acceptable term. 

Just as the IPCC changed their language to obfuscate and conceal the true intention of their words, maori too changed their sovereignty catchphrase. 

Equality is not in maori sovereignty proponents lexicon these days. 

Equity is now their refrain! 

Yes, where ever you look, equity or the lack of it is the rallying cry!

Back in 2020, maori doctor, Elana Curtis wrote – “The process of colonisation systematically appropriated Māori land, which resulted in both fiscal and spiritual loss for Māori, and created an environment of Pākehā socioeconomic privilege and Māori disadvantage. So, we’ve had a dual economy where Pākehā prospered and where Māori have been subjugated, culturally and politically, all across New Zealand.” In summary, colonisation created an environment that’s designed to ensure Pākehā power and control at the expense of Māori indigenous rights and good health.”

Northland PHO, Mahitahi Hauora declared – “In Aotearoa New Zealand, people have differences in health that are not only avoidable but unfair and unjust. Equity recognises different people with different levels of advantage require different approaches and resources to get equitable health outcomes.”

The NZ Nurses Organisation asserts – “The evidence for Māori Inequity is Overwhelming and Devastating!”

Launching their 2020 election campaign, the Māori Party laid down the challenge to New Zealand to stop treating its indigenous people as "second class citizens". Demanding maori equity to help reverse "decades of discrimination and disadvantage.”

Dr Rāwiri Jansen of The Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners stated - “In 20 years we will be celebrating 200 years of the Treaty of Waitangi. We can describe what equity looks like for them in 2040 – in terms of income, in terms of employment and in terms of education. We know what equitable outcomes will be in health, in justice and corrections”. 

ST John ambulance service is on board with equity – “Leading the way in Māori health equity requires a clear plan. Our Aka strategy outlines a path to improve Māori health outcomes in Aotearoa.”

Even ACC rides the Equity bandwagon “My team is focused on improving access, experience and outcomes for Māori. To do this successfully, we need to lean into the inequities we see for Māori and address them one by one.” But first we need to understand the difference between equity and equality, as they are not the same.”

The Green Party website proclaims they will “…uphold tino rangatiratanga, enhance the mana of the Waitangi Tribunal, return land lost through colonisation, and support the customary roles of tangata whenua. We will address the systemic causes of inequities for Māori, including in education, health, resource management, and justice.”

Hipkins in an interview with Moana Maniapoto – “…that we’ve delivered such inequitable educational outcomes for Māori kids isn’t okay. I think we’re making strides. We’re making progress. We’ve got to keep our foot to the accelerator here…” 

The likes of the Watangi Tribunal, academia, even the judiciary and of course the opposition parties all complain maori are placed in inequitable standings in New Zealand. Māori people, they claim, have been politically, economically, and socially undermined, leading to lower income and life expectancy, poorer education and health outcomes, and stigmatisation within health care, among other consequences.   

They all regularly demand equity for maori. 

Equity is used as the distinguishing word or expression designed to create awareness and assemble furtherance of a cause.

But we must be very aware that equity is something more. In this case, something more sinister?

Equity serves to conceal plans; It is a fictitious reason, concocted in order to conceal the true purpose.

Equity is being used by maori sovereignty proponents to obtain a temporary advantage in order to eventually obtain what they really want. 

Equity is the smokescreen they use as a spurious debate, to drive the wedge a little deeper, and then, demanding the true outcome. 

EQUITY IS A STALKING HORSE!

EQUITY is the Stalking Horse for He Puapua!

He Puapua; In March 2019, then Maori Development and Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta, commissioned a working group to provide advice and recommendations on how maori can bring to fruition the UN Declaration on Rights of Indigenous People. 

The working group called their report He Puapua (A Break).

Broadly speaking, He Puapua called for action on -

• Self-determination by Maori, 

• Increased influence and control of land and resources by iwi, 

• Iwi, hapu and whanau ability to exercise authority over all aspects of culture and language, 

• Equity for Maori in opportunity and outcomes.

In actuality, He Puapua is blueprint to replace our present form of democratic government by way of a constitutional change, so that by 2040 a new constitution and a new government would be in place. That new structure would comprise a Maori Government and a Government for Non-Maori.

That new structure would “share power with Māori.”

“Share power with Māori.” That is simply an erroneous fabrication! 

The Maori Government would hold a power of veto over most of the other government’s functions. 

Ardern, puppet of a very powerful maori caucus and supercilious maori sovereignty enabler, who said “bye bye suckers, I have bigger fish to fry”; He Puapua didn’t die a natural death post her departure. 

Do not presume Nanaia Mahuta is now happy tending her vegetable patch!  Her not getting re-elected has not consigned He Puapua to the scrap heap of history!

Willie Jackson, the master of disingenuous statements; When endeavouring to explain how co-governance was democratic, had the temerity to claim “the nature of our democracy has changed!” “Democracy in 2022 is broader and more expansive than just one person, one vote.” Do you think Willie has abandoned He Puapua?

John Tamihere, grand exponent of outrageous and racist rants such as – “Judith Collins has been slowly fuelling a campaign that Māori are receiving too many rights and too many benefits, at the expense of white New Zealanders” (Facebook 2001). 

In 2000 Tamihere, firstly, denied a Wairarapa Times-Age report quoting him as saying “he was out to defend Auckland Maori from our Polynesian cousins flying in on 747s."

Surprise, surprise Tamihere later conceded he must have made the comment in the "heat of the moment" 

Maori Sovereignty will only bring his fingers closer to the government cash register! 

Prof. Claire Charters, one of the authors of He Puapua, who was firmly ensconced at the Human Rights Commission to lead work on Indigenous Peoples’ rights, deems NZ Crown sovereignty to be a "myth"........ while at the same to working at great speed to establish Maori sovereignty to be enshrined in law as soon  as possible. Stating - “Aotearoa New Zealand needs to confront the injustices of our past and the ongoing impacts today. That starts with confronting the myth of sovereignty.”

Tribal politics has permeated all levels of governance in NZ now. The democratic process has been hijacked  by tribal politics. 

But tribes are not built along democratic lines and only thrive on zero-sum competition. As a result, they are contrary to democratic governance. In essence, tribal practices are occupying a vacuum created by lack of strong democratic institutions. 

Maori elite are successfully championing the maori minority imposing disproportional dominance over the majority!

We are living in revolutionary times. It is a coup, engineered by a small number of tribal elite all thanks to successive governments willingness to make politically convenient decisions that will ultimately sacrifice New Zealand democracy for totalitarian tribal rule.

Radical maori are energised. Their ultimate aim of maori sovereignty draws closer every day as over many years successive governments have attempted to appease maori with preferential treatment, financial assistance and a host of separatist legislation.

Social philosopher Thomas Sowell said, “When people become used to preferential treatment, equal treatment is deemed discrimination.” 

We, as a country, seem to have fallen into that trap! 

John Porter is a citizen, deeply concerned about the loss of democracy and the insidious promotion of separatism by our current government.