David Seymour obliquely referred to the pervasion of a social justice agenda in New Zealand in his first interview of 2025 on The Country, with words to the effect, Government officials (and universities) have gone rogue implementing identity ideology (with private enterprise following suit!)
(Washington Examiner reported on the Goldwater Institute's investigation: 'DEI 's obscene price tag' of $1.8 billion dollars with U.S. University students forced to waste 40 million hours fulfilling mandatory DEI initiatives over the past 4 years. Government departments are just as bad, FBI in particular affecting performance outcomes not to forget the LA fire department... but I digress!)
Stats NZ has cleared Whanua Ora of a data breach. One government department investigating another, how cosy.
They also mentioned, disturbingly: 'The statistician must give effect to the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. The statistician must engage with Māori on Māori interests in data and maintain capability and capacity to engage with Māori about the collection of data'.
They don't actually. Where is this referenced in the Treaty?
There is NO reference in their press release to The Data and Statistics Act 2022, an actual law not some DEI dogma dreamed up by activist public servants, and deeply embedded during
Ardern's government, loyally reported and never questioned, by the media.
We elected Luxon to address this.
Luxon repeatedly says he would prefer to deal wth issues on a case by case basis.
Well I have a case for him to ponder.
Does he agree with the latest findings on the Whanau Ora data breach query that Maori had to be consulted due to obligations under the Treaty? And is giving them $100 food vouchers to bribe them to fill in the census acceptable in a democracy, where everyone else did it for free? ($1 million was put aside for the vouchers out of $5 million for 'consultation' and bribery).
I have another question for the PM who strongly opposes the Treaty bill, with his recent comment 'kill the bill' putting him on the back foot with thousands of National voters who support clarification of this issue.
(In retrospect) Would Census staff have had your full approval to overlook the Data and statistics Act 2022 which requires everyone to fill out a census form on census day; with individuals or agencies who don't do this or provide incorrect information being fined $2,000 and $12,000 respectively?
There is no mention of 'Treaty obligations' or 'consultation on Maori interests in data collection',
which has a very discriminatory ring about it.
The Former Key National government and Labour before them did not use bribery to get results for the census. Maori filled it in without a $100 food voucher dangled under their nose. Census workers wore out shoe leather finding Maori living in isolated areas, helping with their forms if necessary, to fulfil their responsibility.
National's last census in 2013 had a higher participation rate than the 2018's (James Shaw's debacle) and the latest 2023 one, where government officials gave permission to workers to bribe Maori with food vouchers to participate.
So when did consulting with Maori on every damn thing become set in stone? Under the tyrannical governance of Jacinda Ardern (and Chris Hipkins).
Will PM Luxon given his case by case preference for dealing with tetchy racial issues, question aspects of this inquiry or take his usual cowardly way out saying he can't interfere with the outcome of an official inquiry. (of an activist public service agency seeking to protect its own skin).
Prime Minister Luxon is the Houdini of fast get aways when problems loom. Leaving a lonely minister to front, you can't see him for dust. Actually you can't even see the dust.
And a thought for the new minister for economic growth. If she and Luxon addressed the enormous taxpayer funded rort of 'consultation with Maori' due to mythical 'Treaty obligations' there are millions to be saved.
Having a public mandate to do this through the Treaty Principles bill and/or a referendum seems pragmatic.
The PM seems to have forgotten his campaign cry:
NEED NOT RACE
Wendy Geus is a former speechwriter and generalist communications advisor in local government. She now writes for the pure love of it.
8 comments:
The Treaty Non Principles Bill should not be needed to address the now race based basis of all and sundry.
Luxon, and more especially his political strategists (Key, Findlayson etc), have made an assessment that National may need Maori Party support in future in order to form government.
They’re determined not to do anything to jeopardise that. This includes breaking election promises, upsetting party stalwarts, and ignoring existing coalition partners.
So far the strategy has not had serious consequences. For as long as that continues there will be no change.
Unless the likes of Hobson’s Pledge can persuade a significant block of National supporters to leave the party in protest - moving the needle in pre-election polls, prompting National back-benchers into a Caucus revolt - then things will stay pretty much as they are.
Certainly the issues Wendy rails against are so well ingrained to form an inertia some argue is now too difficult to overcome. Never mind the academics, media and bureaucrats - how many Te Tiriti believers are solidly behind the He Puapua vision for NZ’s future?
Luxon’s strategists know this and don’t see the numbers shifting any time soon.
I wish I was wrong.
National should be careful..... its hubris could have dire consequences (e.g. mass exodus from NZ - who wants to fund the demise of the nation?).
To Juliet: And do not forget those who know indigenization is coming and simply " hope for the best" because they are not ready to make any real effort to defend their democracy. They will learn the hard way.
Everywhere in the world, parliamentarians seek to hang on to their jobs - way more lucrative than the vast majority could ever hope for.
A National - Te Pati Maori coalition, though too grotesque to contemplate, cannot be excluded. Power at any cost.
Hi Juliette, thx for your refreshingly thoughtful, insightful, and clever comment.
I have trust in the hitherto displayed leadership, intelligence and strong moral compass of Luxon.
So my assessment is Luxon and his team have enough on their plate sorting out the financial and societal disaster left them by the hapless and corrupt Adern / Hipkins /Robertson / Little; that taking on the TOW would be too much at this time.
Allowing Seymour to champion and publicize the TOW principals bill, opens the opportunity to revisit the issue when the coalitions current work translates into financial and social reaults.
The coalitions popularity will increase when education standards are restored, interest rates are reduced, and people don't have to wait 3 years for a knee replacement.
Then, the vital constitutional change that expels race based law and policy forever can be persued.
The weakness of Seymours bill is Labour can discard it at the stroke of a pen.
Because Seymour’s bill requires a referendum to support it in order for it to become law, as I understand it Labour would have to put any subsequent changes to a referendum to change it - i.e. much more than a mere stroke of a pen. But perhaps I’m wrong. It may well depend on how any final Treaty Principles law is worded - if we are ever allowed to get that far.
Mark Hanley. Luxon and co have sorted nothing of substance for NZ Read President Trumps inauguration speech and signed first day executive orders and compare withe the Luxon waffle and hubris .
Next Census I will ask for a $110 food voucher (taking inflation into account) before completing it.
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