So desperate are Christopher Luxon and the National Party to ignore their supporters, they are returning the Treaty Principles Bill from the Justice Committee over a month early.
The committee led by National MP, James Meager, has today tabled its report on the Bill – a report not due until May!
This decision makes further mockery of all those hundreds of thousands of New Zealanders who submitted on the Bill, not to mention the democratic process.
Be under no illusion, it’s the National Party MPs on the committee – on the instructions from their leadership – that will have used their majority vote to rush this process. Other political parties are up in arms – we even have Labour MP Duncan Webb saying it’s not right that Hobson’s Pledge supporters are having their submissions and views ignored!
Labour is right. It is completely wrong that tens of thousands of submissions are being ignored. The committee hasn't run out of time. They still have around 40 more days to process and engage the public’s view. But instead, they are rushing it through and ignoring proper parliamentary process.
Their strategy is as clear as it is disingenuous. By reporting the Bill back today, it means Parliament will have a second reading next week – just before Easter. Then, after next week, the MPs go on a three week break. Christopher Luxon and National will be hoping that it can be all done and dusted, and that by the time they are back in Parliament we will all have forgotten about that unpleasant Bill.
Alas! Unfortunately for the Prime Minister we will not be allowing that to happen. We are not going to forget how National in particular has sold out its values and supporters.
Whether at second reading next week, the upcoming local body elections and the referenda around Maori wards, or the next general election, their dismissal of the will of their voters will come back to haunt them. We will not forget and Hobson’s Pledge will keep advocating for equal rights and citizenship, and remind people which MPs and parties have delivered on these fundamental principles.
We already know that Luxon is at odds with many in his caucus. We know from our private conversations with various National MPs that many support the Treaty Principles Bill or at the very least, are not happy that Luxon said that National would not vote for the Bill at second reading. As you can imagine, it’s an insult to the Parliament, the select committee process, and every New Zealander, to say you will reject a Bill regardless of what people say, write, or think about it.
National is ignoring hundreds of thousands of New Zealand voters. Don’t forget, the polling still shows strong support for the Bill despite Luxon’s and the mainstream media’s efforts to undermine it.
Be under no illusion, it’s the National Party MPs on the committee – on the instructions from their leadership – that will have used their majority vote to rush this process. Other political parties are up in arms – we even have Labour MP Duncan Webb saying it’s not right that Hobson’s Pledge supporters are having their submissions and views ignored!
Labour is right. It is completely wrong that tens of thousands of submissions are being ignored. The committee hasn't run out of time. They still have around 40 more days to process and engage the public’s view. But instead, they are rushing it through and ignoring proper parliamentary process.
Their strategy is as clear as it is disingenuous. By reporting the Bill back today, it means Parliament will have a second reading next week – just before Easter. Then, after next week, the MPs go on a three week break. Christopher Luxon and National will be hoping that it can be all done and dusted, and that by the time they are back in Parliament we will all have forgotten about that unpleasant Bill.
Alas! Unfortunately for the Prime Minister we will not be allowing that to happen. We are not going to forget how National in particular has sold out its values and supporters.
Whether at second reading next week, the upcoming local body elections and the referenda around Maori wards, or the next general election, their dismissal of the will of their voters will come back to haunt them. We will not forget and Hobson’s Pledge will keep advocating for equal rights and citizenship, and remind people which MPs and parties have delivered on these fundamental principles.
We already know that Luxon is at odds with many in his caucus. We know from our private conversations with various National MPs that many support the Treaty Principles Bill or at the very least, are not happy that Luxon said that National would not vote for the Bill at second reading. As you can imagine, it’s an insult to the Parliament, the select committee process, and every New Zealander, to say you will reject a Bill regardless of what people say, write, or think about it.
National is ignoring hundreds of thousands of New Zealand voters. Don’t forget, the polling still shows strong support for the Bill despite Luxon’s and the mainstream media’s efforts to undermine it.
You might want to take a moment today to email your local member of parliament, particularly if they are a National MP, and ask why the process is being rushed, as well as asking that they represent you and vote for the Treaty Principles Bill next week.
You can find the email address of your MP here.
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
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
13 comments:
Hopefully the submissions will be retained and made available in a format that facilitates computer analysis and some body will be motivated to do so. A separation into original substantial written submissions, standard texts, single liners, fake addresses, common addresses, etc would be of interest. Sadly no way of knowing if person can and choose to identify as trace maori or not. The latter analysis applied to the not acceptable submissions would be interestong.
citizen initiated referendum
Of course the TOWP referendum needs ro happen but.....
They don't call it politics for nothing.
The difference between Luxon and Brash is Luxon carefully considers the politics and builds it into his plan. That is why Luxon succeeded in becoming PM.... whereas Brash did not.
If Brash considers the huge list of actions required to fix the mess left by the self funding Clark /Ardern axis of evil, considers the allocation of funds and resource required, considers the reaction of the population, considers (or indeed even mentions) the coalition agreements rejection of raced based policies, considers the polls showing race is not a major concern for voters, and considers Luxon has a 9 year change program to manage so doesn't need to do everything in the 1st year.....
Then Brash's article may have more balance and accuracy and he would come up with REALISTIC suggestions.
That said, I admire Brash for speaking common sense and his trumpeting of equal rights is helping Luxon (and all NZers) as it keeps.the issue alive until Luxon considers the politics is right for the National Party to support a referendum (possibly with Luxons successor at the helm).
Yes, while not binding on the Govt this could flush out some truths, tack one onto the local govt elections, sooner the better!
Comd on MH, give one example of Luxon dealing with the race issue,?
Or isn't democracy important to him ?
Sounds like some of his supporters are like Trump supporters - beyond reasoning with.
Tacking a Treaty Principles Bill referendum onto the Local Body Election has more positives than negatives . Cost and timing is excellent . Reasonable security measures apply.
Your dreaming MH. Luxon has no intention of dealing with this issue, either now or "later".
As Don alludes to, he's actively ensuring it is thrown out before time, and will never make it to a referendum.
The ACT party is on its own with this. National, the MSM and all the public institutions are putting all their efforts to destroy any hope of New Zealand ever becoming a truly democratic sovereign state.
Mark Hanley:
“Luxon has a 9 year change program to manage”
But not if National is a junior partner in the next coalition govt.
Which is increasingly likely, given Luxon’s determination to ignore the Treaty/maorification issues.
I add to Robert's comment that a person who writes articles for this site had heavily armed police at their door after making a submission on a Bill back when Ardern was PM. We might find a future Government weaponises those submissions against us so maybe not a good idea to retain them.
Mr H. Major change of tune: referendum obvious and admiring Brash! Mon Dieu! Why? Luxon is toast unless he acknowledges the 83% - and very fast . Who is advising him? The Muppets?
MH, you sound like a University academic? Take off your rose tinted glasses along with your blinkers
That Luxon categorically stated the TPB would not proceed beyond the first reading showed his arrogance and left leaning views. How arrogant to stake the country’s racial problems on a 9 yr cycle, that might see him fall at the next election.
The comments countering my logical and balanced argument include.
- ignorance of the coalition agreements "The Coalition Government will work to improve outcomes for all ew Zealanders, and will not
advance policies that seek to ascribe different rights and responsibilities to New Zealanders on the
basis of their race or ancestry"
- the fanciful claim ACT and NZ First support will exceed Nationals
- and various guises of unfounded and false personal abuse.
Imagine that... Little Old MH outsmarting a whole team of anonymous Labour communication "experts" using nothing but a dose of managerial common sense.
Now I think about it.... Maybe I am a Luxon carbon copy?
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