You may not have heard of InternetNZ or know exactly what they do. I didn't until I read some alarming news about the organisation this week.
I was first alerted to the issue via an email from the New Zealand Free Speech Union which said:
I was first alerted to the issue via an email from the New Zealand Free Speech Union which said:
The InternetNZ Council, which is the body that is responsible for administering the .nz domain name, has recently declared that InternetNZ is systemically racist and is proposing a new constitution that will make the organisation co-governed.
The proposed principles for the new constitution include the following:
InternetNZ must centre Te Tiriti o Waitangi in its work
InternetNZ will be co-governed with two co-chairs – one of whom must be Māori
Any member who does not agree with InternetNZ being a Te Tiriti centric organisation will be ineligible to be on the Board
At least one third of the Board must be Māori
Think about how prevalent the use of .nz domains are in New Zealand. Our own domain is hobsonspledge.nz!
I don't imagine those wanting to centre the Treaty in InternetNZ's work would view Hobson's Pledge as fitting the brief.
So where does that leave us?
Well, it potentially leaves us without a website domain. InternetNZ could decide that we don't meet their terms of service and pull the rug out from under us.
What can we do? The Free Speech Union has asked its supporters to join InternetNZ as members meaning that they can take part in voting on constitutional matters. We are suggesting the same to our supporters.
For just $21 you can join as a member of InternetNZ and join us in resisting this regressive racialisation of the internet in New Zealand.
The idea is that we will have enough votes to ensure race-based constitutional changes do not get made to the organisation.
From the internet to medicines, nothing in New Zealand is safe from Treaty mania.
A recent example is the New Zealand Pharmacy Council—and my goodness it is a cracking example. Chris Lynch drew attention to the story and the wildly unnecessary requirements for pharmacists in this country:
"All pharmacists to be “confident to perform waiata tautoko,” a Māori support song, and to advocate for “giving effect to te Tiriti at all levels,” “prioritising Māori voices and trusting Māori intelligence.”
Pharmacists must also be familiar with Māori health models such as Te Pae Mahutonga, which, according to the Health Ministry, refers to the Southern Cross constellation.
Additionally, pharmacists are expected to explain the impacts of pre- and post-Te Tiriti o Waitangi events on the health of New Zealanders.
The Pharmacy Council said on its website the introduction of these standards involved “a whāriki tāpui”—a formal woven mat—symbolising a deliberate integration of Western and Te Ao Māori ideologies. The Council described this as an effort to create a “stronger and more cohesive fabric” by merging two distinct worldviews.
Call me crazy, but when I go to pick up my prescriptions I would rather the pharmacist have some medical knowledge rather than the ability to belt out a te reo tune or recite the phases of the Māori lunar calendar.
New Zealanders should not have to submit to indoctrination in order to be allowed to do their jobs. We have already been the laughing stock of the global scientific community with icons such as Richard Dawkins telling the scientific world of the lunacy of the prioritisation of Mātauranga Māori in our institutions.
Who is going to take us seriously if we keep insisting on placing traditional Māori knowledge over scientific knowledge? Who is going to want to study in our universities? Who is going to want to invest in businesses knowing the nonsensical hoops they'll have to jump through to prove cultural competence?
We are kicking own goals. We are tying one hand behind our own backs!
We have to bring an end to industry bodies having the power to impose political and cultural beliefs on professionals, who submit because they have to in order to obtain a licence.
Get involved.
Call me crazy, but when I go to pick up my prescriptions I would rather the pharmacist have some medical knowledge rather than the ability to belt out a te reo tune or recite the phases of the Māori lunar calendar.
New Zealanders should not have to submit to indoctrination in order to be allowed to do their jobs. We have already been the laughing stock of the global scientific community with icons such as Richard Dawkins telling the scientific world of the lunacy of the prioritisation of Mātauranga Māori in our institutions.
Who is going to take us seriously if we keep insisting on placing traditional Māori knowledge over scientific knowledge? Who is going to want to study in our universities? Who is going to want to invest in businesses knowing the nonsensical hoops they'll have to jump through to prove cultural competence?
We are kicking own goals. We are tying one hand behind our own backs!
We have to bring an end to industry bodies having the power to impose political and cultural beliefs on professionals, who submit because they have to in order to obtain a licence.
Get involved.
Dr Don Brash, Former Governor of the Reserve Bank and Leader of the New Zealand National Party from 2003 to 2006 and ACT in 2011. Don blogs at Bassett, Brash and Hide - where this article was sourced
5 comments:
Well said, Don.
The Pharmacy Council has an 18 page "charter" which describes in great repetitive detail its aims and function.
At least 14 of the 18 pages deal at great length with Maori related issues.
Here is a small sample of what there charter says : -
"Consistent with our intent to govern in a manner that is congruous with tikanga as well as the established rules of good governance and the legislation, the Pharmacy Council has established, and subsequently adopted, our own set of Māori values. Additionally, Council seeks an authentic partnership with Māori as prescribed in Te Tiriti o Waitangi and to that end strives to animate the principles of Te Waka Ama through the advent of Te Tiriti Advisory Group, the “ama” part of Te Waka Ama.
The function of this advisory group is to advise, recommend, critique, assure and support Council in its obligations under Te Tiriti o Waitangi and address the health inequities and disparities for all in Aotearoa. In Te Tiriti Advisory Group, Council is seeking a lead partner with whom to share discussions and to provide it with wise counsel in areas that are the expertise of Māori"
The full Charter can be seen here:- https://pharmacycouncil.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Pharmacy-Council-Charter-Document-2023-Website.pdf.
It is a ridiculous, tedious document, in tiny font, hard to read or print. It is just a saturation of Maori words and waffle.
But this is the charter of the Pharmacy Council.
Pharmacists main focus is to dispense prescribed medicines accurately and safely and to communicate to patients any necessary information relating to medicines.
What does ouf legal system say about advertising a position based on race ?
Next a face tattoo will be obligatory.
What does any of this have to do with running what essentially is only a database ?
All he'll would break loose if I advertised stating that only a white person with certain views was eligible to apply.
Why doesn't that apply in this case ?
Do the people running Internet NZ want to be a laughing joke amongst the international Internet community ?
Recall the international reaction to Mahuta appearing on the international stage for the singular reason of her deliberate face carvings ?
I am curious to know Breaking Views' readers reactioms to the Foreword to the Charter. I had hoped to read of the Pharmacy Council's commitment to meeting the needs of sick people, irrespective of ethnicity. Where do we read of Pacific health and the health of Asians and Europeans? Who appointed this Council and on what basis? With what terms of reference were they provided?
David Lillis
Here it is:
Tēnā koutou katoa
The Council members of the Pharmacy Council of New Zealand – Te Pou Whakamana Kaimatū o Aotearoa are appointed by the Minister of Health to govern the organisation. As such, we seek to ensure that we govern in a manner consistent with tikanga, as well as the established rules of good governance and the legislation.
In order to support this approach we have developed this charter for the whole of the Pharmacy Council. It outlines the principles we uphold as governors and the tenets we observe as an organisation. This charter forms the basis for maintaining a consistent approach to addressing the matters facing the organisation so we are able to routinely achieve our overall goals.
Key to this foundation is a clear understanding of why we observe such principles and rules and how we acquire the authority to conduct the activities we do and seek the mission we have defined.
As a Responsible Authority, independent from the Crown, we have chosen to base this charter on the founding documents of Aotearoa, namely “He Whakapūtanga o te Rangatiratanga o Nū Tireni” – “The Declaration of Independence of the United Tribes of New Zealand” and Te Tiriti o Waitangi. These founding documents act as a guiding framework to advancing partnership, achieving equitable outcomes, and enabling a collective well-being of Aotearoa.
The Declaration of Independence was signed before the Majestic
British Resident of King George IV on Oketopa 28 1935, and then later acknowledged by the British government. It was a statement by Māori to both the outside world and themselves that Aotearoa was an independent state. As such all sovereign power and authority within the territory resided entirely and exclusively in the hereditary chiefs and iwi leaders.
Additionally, when we reference “Te Tiriti o Waitangi” we are specifically acknowledging the “Te Reo Māori translation” of the Treaty of Waitangi as the genuine agreement. This is because we choose to apply the Contra Proferentem doctrine of international law, that recognises when two versions of a contractual document exist, and there is ambiguity in a stated agreement, then the preferred meaning should be the one that works against the party who drafted the agreement, and in the case of the Treaty of Waitangi both versions were drafted by the English.
We therefore accept the “Te Reo Māori text of Te Tiriti o Waitangi “as taking precedence over the English version on any point where there is disagreement of interpretation. (Te Tiriti o Waitangi Policy Statement. See Attachment 1.)
These two keystone documents, when read in conjunction with the current legislation, establish the platform on which sits our decisions as the body responsible for the governance of the Pharmacy Council of New Zealand – Te Pou Whakamana Kaimatū o Aotearoa. They feed into our mission, our vision, our values and ultimately our perception of our organisation.
Mauri ora.
The Council Members of Te Pou Whakamana Kaimatū o Aotearoa – The Pharmacy Council of New Zealand
"The Declaration of Independence was signed before the Majestic
British Resident of King George IV on Oketopa 28 1935,"
Ahh... NO ! King George actually DIED in 1830.
If the council cannot get a simple historical date right, how can they be trusted to set tell pharmacists how to dispense medicines accurately ?
This is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard Maori medical advice in 2025 to pharmacists to be able to speak Maori and sing a stupid Maori song for them to be able to practice
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