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Wednesday, January 1, 2025

Bernard Elf’s New Year Quiz: Part One - questions 1 to 10


New Zealand in 2025 - how much do you know?

1. Name Jacinda Ardern’s former  electorate and the National Minister who contested it in 2023 losing by only 18 votes).

 2. Which lobby group promotes free speech in NZ?  Name its Chairperson.  

3. Who is Roimata Smail?

4. Sam Broughton is president of which NZ organization?  

5. Ngarimu Blair- Blake is Deputy Chair of which Iwi trust?  

6. Name 3 of the major blogs, podcasts  and organizations which discuss Treaty and   general    political issues  in NZ at the current time. 

7. Name the  current Speaker of the NZ Parliament.

8. Which   factors  link  Nathalie Coates,   Annette Sykes,   Karen Feint and Khylee Quince ?

9. Which NZ health organization  set up  by the former Labour government in 2021  was   disestablished  in 2024 ?

10. In December 2024, which regional council appointed unelected Iwi members (with full  salaries and voting  rights) to 2-3 committees? 

Answers can be found below...

Answers

·        10 = excellent 

·        7-8 = satisfactory

·        6 or less = room for major improvement

1.Name Jacinda Ardern’s former  electorate and the National Minister who contested it in 2023 (losing by only 18 votes).

Mt Albert electorate. Now held by Helen White (Labour).

Melissa Lee (Her Broadcasting portfolio was transferred to Paul Goldsmith; she remains  Minister of  Ethnic Communities and Associate Minister for ACC)

2. Which lobby group promotes free speech in NZ?  Name its Chairperson.  

Free Speech Union. Chair: Dr Roderick Mulgan.

3. Who is Roimata Smail?     

Author of a booklet entitled Understanding Te Tiriti o Waitangi  giving the Iwi version of   historical  events. This was distributed to all NZ schools in late 2024   and is criticized as opinion (not fact) and even propaganda.  The position of the Ministry of Education -   and of the Minister -   regarding the booklet is not known.

Ms Smail is  a human rights barrister specialising in discrimination against Māori whom she has represented  in  the Courts and at  the Waitangi Tribunal. She has advised on settlement negotiations with the Crown involving the return of ancestral land and has acted in litigation and negotiations with the Crown under the Foreshore and Seabed Act 2004 and the Marine and Coastal Area (Takutai Moana) Act 2011. 

4. Sam Broughton is president of which NZ organization?   

Local Government NZ  (LGNZ).  He is mayor of the Selwyn district.    

 (LGNZ is a supporter of the Te Tiriti partnership.)

5. Ngarimu Blair-Blake is Deputy Chair of which Iwi trust?  

Ngati Whatua (Auckland).     Also  a Director of the Sir Peter Blake Trust and a Co-Chair of the Mana Whenua Kaitiaki Forum which represents  19 tribes of the wider Auckland Region  -   along  with numerous other roles.    Suggested as a future mayor for Auckland.

6. Name 3 of the major blogs, podcasts  and organizations which discuss Treaty and general  political issues  in NZ at the current time. 

NZ Centre for Political  Research (Muriel Newman) , Hobsons’ Pledge (Don Brash ); Bassett, Brash and Hide ( Michael Bassett,Don Brash, Rodney Hide)  The Platform (Sean Plunket);  The Good Oil (Cameron Brewer);   Bowalley Road (Chris  Trotter);  Democracy Action (Lee and Susan Sharp);  Down to Earth Kiwi (Rob MacCulloch);  Stop Co-Governance (Julian Batchelor) ;The Democracy Project (Bryce Edwards); Kiwiblog (David Farrar) ; Free thought Advocate (Olivia Pierson);  Gary Judd KC substack; Chris Lynch Media;  Point of Order  (Bob Edlin);  100 Days - Claiming Back NZ   (Amy Brooke); John’s Substack (John MacLean);  The Leighton Smith Podcast; The Centrist ; The Anglo Saxon podcast ; VFF Voices for Freedom   …... and many more.

7. Name the current Speaker of the NZ Parliament. 

Gerry Brownlee

8. Which   factors  link  Nathalie Coates, Annette Sykes, Karen Feint and Khylee Quince?   

The legal  profession, activism and gender  . The first three are Maori lawyers;  Ms Quince is Dean of Law at AUT, Auckland.  Ms Coates is co-president of the Maori Law Society.

9. Which NZ health organization  set up  by the former Labour government in 2021  was   disestablished  in 2024 ?

The Maori Health Authority (Te Aki Whai Ora)

10. In December 2024, which regional council  appointed   unelected Iwi members ( with full  salaries and voting  rights)  to 2-3  committees ?   

Tauranga Council

Hope you enjoyed the quiz!

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