Unfortunately, some recent developments suggest a continuing of Labour’s anti-democratic agenda, as epitomised by the He Puapua manifesto. And the previous National Government is not innocent either. While dyed-in-the-wool blue supporters may not want to admit it, many separatist, anti-democratic policies were put in place by former Prime Minister John Key and his Attorney-General Chris Finlayson— “a very clever lawyer”. Among the most glaring examples of apartheid policies from their nine-year tenure were:
- Entering into coalition with the separatist Māori Party, despite not needing to.
- Imposing the Independent Māori Statutory Board (IMSB) on Aucklanders as part of the 2009 Super City structure—an unaccountable tribal entity that is a significant financial burden on ratepayers and a huge influence on Council operations.
- Removing Crown ownership of the entire coastline and territorial seabed, making it available for Māori tribal and hapu claims—at immense taxpayer expense.
- Allowing the Māori Party co-leader to secretly sign New Zealand up to the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) —a move that even Labour Prime Minister Helen Clark had rejected as inappropriate for New Zealand.
- Embedding the concept of co-governance into Treaty settlements, resulting in damaging or costly race-based governance structures such as the 2014 Tūpuna Maunga Authority (TMA), the 2014 Te Urewera Act, and the 2010 Waikato River Settlement Act.
- Securing Finlayson’s future career as a tribal litigator taking advantage of the loose legislation he enacted while in Parliament.
It was deeply concerning that Prime Minister Luxon said he didn’t like anything about the Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi Bill 2025—a bill designed to secure parliamentary sovereignty, citizen equality, and property rights. Even more alarming, he ruled out allowing New Zealanders to vote on these critical constitutional matters.
Adding to the disquiet is National’s continued separatist trajectory—seemingly driven by Minister Potaka, whose key portfolios include Māori Development, Whānau Ora, Conservation, and Māori Crown Relations: Te Arawhiti. National’s and Minister Potaka’s recent record includes:
- Failing to stop activist judges from misapplying the 2011 Marine and Coastal Area Act.
- Failing to halt Ngāi Tahu’s legal claim for control over South Island freshwater.
- Supporting the Department of Conservation’s plans for ‘Modernising Conservation Land Management’, which prioritise race-based entitlements, ideologies and business opportunities—embedding discrimination and division by way of new legislation.
- Endorsing Te Kawerau ā Maki’s draft Deed of Acknowledgement, which would give the tribe co-governance rights—potentially even a majority—over the extensive Waitākere Ranges Heritage Area, encompassing public land, resources, and the coast. A similar deal with Ngāti Whātua for the rest of Auckland is already in the pipeline.
- Failing to stop the systemic imposition of Māoritanga, tikanga (variable and often contested Māori customs and values), and the dramatically expanded Māori language—across education (including for foreign students), the public service, and civic life.
- Supporting the creation of a new parliamentary committee, led by Labour’s Adrian Rurawhe, to formally integrate tikanga Māori into parliamentary procedure.
He has stated that National would be even more committed to “working alongside Māori”—but in ways that avoid “a centralised bureaucracy.” Regarding Māori–Crown relations, he supports state devolution, more “partnerships,” and believes Māori are entitled to “self-determination.” (Stuff, 12/4/23)
During his time at Victoria University, Potaka also authored a radical, apartheid-style paper declaring:
“More important... is the... greater control and power over resources for Māori… That action means a Treaty-driven legislative agendum focused on requiring local government authorities to comply with the Treaty in all their activities... Central government and local government need to consider sharing power with Māori, instead of hoping that Māori entitlements and demands will be satisfied with policies that effectively mainstream Māori into Pākehā society. Anything less than an increase in power for Māori would signal yet another failure in respecting the Treaty.”
— ((1999) 29 VUWLR)
A Constitutional Overthrow
The National Party’s actions speak far louder than its election slogans. New Zealanders must focus on those actions and hold the Party and the Coalition Government to account right now and at the 2026 election—if we want to live in a first world country. Under MMP, we must cast our votes only for parties that can produce real evidence of a commitment to Western democratic values—not the creeping tribal autocracy now suffocating public life and institutions.
And in the meantime, we have the Local Body elections coming up in October this year. Remember, anarchists never sleep, and Minister Potaka has made his anti-democratic intentions for local government very clear.
References
1. Tama Potaka’s Background
Studied law, politics, and Māori studies at Victoria University. He was supported by the Victoria University Foundation, Fletcher Challenge, and others to complete his degrees and pursue an LLM at Columbia Law School. He passed the New York Bar and practiced at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett.
His diverse career includes work in law, public service, education, iwi organisations, investment, and corporate governance. He held executive positions at Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki and Tainui Group Holdings, and advisory roles at Te Puni Kōkiri, the NZ Super Fund, and Bell Gully. He has served on Anglican and Māori governance boards. Formerly of the Māori Party, he joined National to enter Parliament.
2. Sources
Fiona Mackenzie is a businesswoman who has combined self-employment with voluntary work and is a firm believer in the safeguards that true democracy provides.
51 comments:
Presumably the Nats selection committee did not know about the VUW quote.I get nervous abot Winston and Shane, but much more so about the maori within the Nats.
Under Luxon, matters are rapidly coming to a head......
Potaka is definitely a wolf in sheep's clothing! His unbridled delight and comments when the Treaty Principles Bill was voted down, really shows his true colours. A protege of Findlayson??
How apartheid was vilified but now embraced when reversed. Luxon’s National Party can’t be this stupid so therefore must be judged as mischievously supportive of ongoing racial division. New Zealand was once “One People” until this dream was shattered by Key, Ardern and now Luxon.
Traitor, treason come to mind.I will never vote for for National.
Another thought is that Potaka is a white ant.
I believe that Luxon interfered in Potaka getting selected. I am not certain. Someone else may know for sure.
Of course these people like Luxon, Potaka and Finlayson know there is no justification in part-Maori having special rights. It's certainly not in the Treaty. Of course they know about these candidates backgrounds! National Party supporters need to get their heads out of the sand. Luxon never said he would not get rid of Maorification, that's why many of us didn't vote National. The only reason we don't have full blown co-governance is due to the ACT and NZF coalition partners. They are also not fully committed to getting rid of all apartheid but they are the best we have. I suggest all voters contact their MPs before the next election and ask them their views on this. You owe it to yourself and your fellow citizens. Replace them with democratic candidates. Don't just be a main party stooge.
Excellent analysis by Fiona and shows precisely what I suspected as soon as Luxon named his cabinet positions. When a cancer cell like Finlayson infiltrates a body, the results are inevitable. With Potaka continuing and exacerbating the tumours that have metastasised to even the head (Luxon and previously Key who seems to be continuing his influence), we have to wonder, is treatment too late to administer. Well, I fear that this is the case, I do not think there are enough T Cells in the form of our minor coalition partners Gene therapy to de-infest National of its blight. How I'd love to see this article in the Herald and on other MSM outlets but that will not happen.
Re. the Privileges Committee, TPM 's refusal to accept parliamentary protocol and tikanga: what is happening under Luxon, Brownlee and co must be widely circulated. All Coalition MPs must be informed too.
TPM has not created this incident just to be able to haka in Parliament when they wish - their aim is to take more control of the legislative process ( as per He Puapua).
Luxon and co. are leaving this to Potaka and other Maori MPs to resolve. This solution will be a big win for TPM - and irreversible.
Democracy is the "red terror" under the bed.
Great commentary Fiona. EVERYONE commenting on it has great insight into the sheer corruption of NZ's political scene. National party membership must be plummeting. Madness prevails. The logical next step is civil war....
Correction. that should read. Luxon never said he would get rid of Maorification.
Potaka probably belonged to the Maori party before it was infested with the current leadership? Turia & Sharples at least had some credibility and worked for their people.
Very perceptive comments here. It is now obvious to anyone sentient that National and Labour are just two arms on the same tumorous political body. Both are obviously dedicated to handing NZ’s wealth (what remains of it) to the part-maori ‘elite’ who run the tribal societies. Our political system that allowed this rot to establish itself is now well past its use-by date. However, it will not be replaced until we hit rock bottom. Short of a miracle such as a massive public awakening we just have to hang on for the downhill ride.
I doubt New Zealand has the ability internally to reverse this rush to apartheid. The current elected dictatorship Government structure means one small group makes all decisions - to the detriment, in this case, of the vast majority of New Zealanders.
No. 51 has just become available.
New Zealand should take advantage of this.
Democracy would then be enshrined.
Many are informed - with numbers rising. But the 2 key factors facilitating the rapid destruction of NZ democracy are 1. the biased MSM and 2. the amazing apathy of NZers.
You mean : NZ was once a unified nation. Now deeply divided - until the older generation fades out and the indoctrination of the younger generations and all sectors of society is completed ( this is very close now - and will happen by 2040). Then the 2 tier ethno- state will be installed and irreversible.
I have no hope now that any of this can be stopped. I blame the MSM more the anyone for not giving NZ the full story. If this article for example was allowed in their news we would have a chance. This information will never get to the general public and we will lose.
To me, the only Party worth votes is ACT. I do appreciate also the work that NZFirst is doing --- BUT I am unable to trust Peters ever again. If he hadn't put his personal ego ahead of New Zealand's needs we would have had a National/NZFirst government in 2017 instead of Ardern's traitorship. Peters must never be allowed to forget his selfish opportunism that has contributed a great deak towards rgus country's demise.
No.51 available..... ??? do explain..
MSM: the very first thing for the Coalition to rectify in 2023 when elected - nothing was done. *This is a National portfolio with henchman Goldsmith replacing Lee ( a journalist) . Why leave oneself open to constant insult/criticism while the L/G/TPM opposition wallow in victimhood ? Makes Luxon look like the only true believer
in the Opposition's cause........
Was Potaka really a member of The Maori Party? Anyone have a trusted reference?
Should we refer to our government(s) as domestic terrorists or foreign agents?
yessss... and it won't be pretty !
Perhaps they were not as radical, but T&S sure got some gains for Maori UN Indigenous declaration, opened our coasts to tribal claims and no doubt much more - "worked for their people" - translated = separatism, tribalism etc
"Potaka hasn’t always been a Nat. He used to be a member of the Māori Party." > https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/131738047/tama-potaka-on-racist-attacks-cogovernance-and-his-focus-for-national
I disagree with you Fred. The National Party spent much of their 2014 /2017 coalition with NZ First trying to shame or embarrass WInston Peters if you can't remember . And by all accounts in the final few days of the coalition negotiations lead for National at that stage by Steven Joyce and Paula Bennet Mr Peters encountered much the same.
And NZ First's electoral advertising did say vote " NZ First vote for a change". It didn't say Vote NZ First and we'll put National back in. Did it ?
But he had given them a second chance, and they blew it ! National have this recurring habit of stealing defeat from the jaws of victory. And they are doing it again. I know countless former hardline National Party supporters outraged at Luxon's inability to recognise the broader public will and support The Treaty Principles Bill many intend to vote NZ First or Act next time.
Let's hope it doesn't lead to a change of Government in 18 months. If it does we will see the the establishment of the Peoples Ethno Socialist Republic of Aotearoa. For ever !
That will wipe the smarmy grin of Luxon and his bunch of High School Prefects.
And Mr Potaka will simply change sides again without a moment's hesitation.
At least we have tbe right initials....NZ...New Zimbabwe. Get out now....before you're eaten.
To Glan 011: n o 51 .... the 51st American state?
We need all present MPs gone... Halve the number.. Stop international corruption in NZ government
Fifth columnist was the old term. it is hard to believe any maori who has / is associated with tainui, and who still apprently fratrnises with maor ielemnts, can not place maori intersts above all others and o0f that of the country as a whole.
That might sort the Maoris...... he he !!
Wow, 34 comments and growing. There are obviously a lot of people who had hopes that Luxon would fix Jacinda's mess, who have been left disappointed.
I'm still amazed at the intelligent people that don't know about the He Puapua papers - that's how successful the MSM has been in hiding things from Joe & Jane Citizen.
Luxon could and should be using that as anti Labour material - as he is not, one has to assume that he endorses He Puapua ?
He has to go !
Who is going to push him ?
Who can we trust to replace him ?
The action taken by the Special Committee appointed by Potaka to resolve the issue of tikanga in parliamentary procedure could be the turning point for the future of NZ.
glan011 - know what you are saying but it is not Maoris that are our problem, specifically it is the activist Maori, their woke sympathisers and the Marxist undercurrent that is destabilising our otherwise great Country.
Truly - National is simply Labour Light.
The most outstanding example is this:-
"It was deeply concerning that Prime Minister Luxon said he didn’t like anything about the Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi Bill 2025—a bill designed to secure parliamentary sovereignty, citizen equality, and property rights."
So Luxon is stating loud and clear that:-
1/ He does NOT agree that parliament is sovereign.
2/ He does NOT agree that all citizens are equal.
Thanks Luxon for at least telling us where you stand !!
Welcome to New Zimbabwe
fully agree, but alas the good are tarnished too....
Anon 11:14 am May 1st, Absolutely agree. Tikanga is worse than the evil of communism and apartheid combined because it is an unknown spiritual feeling with hoodoo instincts.
Spot on Doug. For me Christopher Luxon's revelation that the defining principles of our democracy, as simply stated in the treaty principles bill, have no revelance to the National party, has been the most destructive and defining moment in the history of this country.
Nothing but bad things happen, when democracy is lost.
If NZ swings to ACT and NZF in 2026 , there could be swift punishment from TPM and radical Maori for daring to do this. National will warn of this danger during the campaign - backed up by TPM ( the election " kingmaker").
If 2026 returns a Nat -led govt with greater Act and NZ First support the TPM will , if it wins all the Maori seats, proclaim a separate Parliament and that the current one has no jurisdiction over them . TPM will advocate disobedience and if it is handled physically there will be violence .MSM here and the likes of the BBCwill report it , correctly, through the native victim lens .
I presume you mean the almost certain lack of action on the issue , so tikanga does becomes part of Parliamentary procedure will suddenly wake up the average voter and they will "revolt".
Possible. Or, as a compromise, Luxon will look for a strong Nat. result - and another coalition partner. TPM? (With whom it has " excellent relations".) Cynical Luxon will bank on " the sheeple" fearing civil unrest.
2026 is the watershed.
Reply to Ross: No. The special committee may propose an initial " cultural approach" to tikanga as a starter. Then, this could would move to legislative power after the 2026 election - if Nat and TPM formed a coalition . This would effectively install He Puapua - which seems to be Luxon's aim.
I agree Fred. And while there are no principles in the Treaty, what has NZF really achieved in taking this position? I'd suggest to date - Zip! Winston knows how to say the right things to gain votes. Achieving real outcomes - something else - and we all know how Ardern, and her activist colleagues, have changed our country thanks to him.
Precisely, Doug, his comments and actions suggest he is all good with co-governance, which will mean power of veto and lead directly to He Puapua. Welcome to the new NZ, indeed!
When Christopher Luxon campaigned to lead this country, many voters expected not just a change in tone, but a change in direction. The previous government, left behind a legacy of ideological rhetoric and real-world disorder: skyrocketing cost of living, a constitutional reshuffling under the guise of co-governance, and media institutions more interested in cultural sermonising than journalistic neutrality.
With Luxon, one wanted a clear-eyed dismantling of the ideological scaffolding erected by Labour and its Green partner. Instead, they got inertia.
The cultural framework Ardern imposed remains largely untouched — particularly on co-governance, where silence and vagueness pass for strategy.
Luxon’s was not elected to be comfortable. He was elected to disrupt a left-wing drift that had turned state institutions into ideological battlegrounds. But his failure to rein in the taxpayer-funded bias at TVNZ and RNZ, or to restore parliamentary decorum degraded by years of emotionalism and moral grandstanding, signals either timidity or complicity.
For voters who rightly fear the return of a government propped up by the political adolescence of the Greens and the ethnonationalism of the Maori Party, the Luxon government presents a cruel paradox: the only thing worse than ideological overreach is the cowardice that allows it to remain entrenched.
Political vacuums do not remain empty. If National will not lead, voters will give others in his coalition the chance. The alternative that is occupying the opposition benches is pretty ugly.
Anonymous 10.16pm is right on the money. Your thoughtfully written criticism of “no show Luxon” endorses the sentiment of Fiona’s MacKenzie’s dire warning that has taken this platform by storm. The USA was in a perilous position before a major disrupter took charge 100 days ago and demonstrated the definition of leadership. The “preservation” of the last Govt’s destructive ideology was certainly not what New Zealand voted for.
Many more voters should already grasp that TMP intends to control the 2026 election to advance the goal of He Puapua/tribal rule . The hikoi to protest the ACT TP Bill and the tikanga-in -parliament issue are steps in this direction. In each instance from now on , TPM will disrupt and threaten - or actually initiate - violence to get its way. Radical Maori must sense that the deep divide
- and growing apprehension amongst NZers regarding our democracy - can be manipulated in their favour and any opposition can be crushed . They will call the shots.
Post a Comment