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Saturday, May 24, 2025

Peter Williams: Is this really our country?


The line on the official Parliament website is stark.

“Te ao Maori competencies and approaches are key considerations in our recruitment practices.”

This is not a stock exchange listed or privately held company, or a small or medium sized enterprise. It is the Parliamentary Service and the Office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives. They are the organisations which administer our Parliament to ensure its smooth operation in the interests of every citizen and resident of this nation.

Yet here, buried deep in an extraordinary document called “He Ao Takitaki: The stars that guide us” is a staff hiring policy which says that unless you have competencies in te ao Maori and an approach to life through te ao Maori you’re unlikely to get a job at Parliament.

It is discriminatory and therefore illegal.

Section 21 of the Human Rights Act prohibits discrimination on the grounds of, among other things, ethnic or national origins, race, religious belief or ethical belief.

That could hardly be clearer. Yet this recruitment policy disregards those four grounds completely.

Despite the Coalition Agreement between National and New Zealand First saying that a Cabinet Office circular will be issued “to all central government organisations that it is the Government’s expectation that public services should be prioritised on the basis of need not race” here is the most central of central government organisations prioritising Maori thinking as the key to getting a job at Parliament.

The Coalition Agreement between National and Act says exactly the same, adding that the Cabinet Office circular to all central government organisations would be issued within the first six months of Government.

If that was done then the Parliamentary Service and the Office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives have ignored it.

Why ?

And what are the politicians going to do about it?

The He Ao Takitaki document makes for quite extraordinary reading to anyone with a secular outlook on life, and a belief system that all people are equal before the law and all have equal rights in our country.

Here’s a few quotes - bearing in mind much of this document is written in te reo.

One of the shared goals we have across the Parliamentary Service and the Office of the Clerk is to be a workplace where our people feel comfortable engaging with te reo Maori and tikanga Maori and have a solid understanding of te Tiriti o Waitangi.

While the Parliamentary Service and the Office of the Clerk are already doing lots of mahi in this space we acknowledge that we need to weave more of te ao Maori into who we are as organisations. This will benefit our people, our work, our relationships, our Parliament and the people of Aotearoa more generally.

He ao Takitaki has three focus areas: our people, our places and our relationships. These will become our guiding stars Matariki, Mahutonga and Te Atu a Maui who will help steer us on our journey. By focusing on our people, our places and our relationships we will set the course for future generations at Parliament to build on and continue this important Kaupapa. We acknowledge and understand there is no endpoint to ao Maori.


The document is filled with over twenty pages of such psycho-babble.

If it’s of any consolation, the United States has similar issues. But politicians there are doing something about it.

The new Assistant Attorney-General for the Civil Rights Division at the Department of Justice Harmeet Dhillon, a political appointment by Donald Trump, is probing the city of Chicago after Mayor Brandon Johnson proudly highlighted the number of appointed black officials in his administration. They include his three deputy mayors, his chief operations officer, budget director and senior advisor.

Ms Dhillon is also dealing with recalcitrant lawyers at the Department of Justice. Between Trump’s inauguration in January and this month an estimated 250 attorneys in the Civil Rights Division resigned.

“There were career lawyers there who were doing the same thing, no matter who is the president. Suddenly, their little fiefdom that had remained untouched, was suddenly having to be responsive to elections” she told the Tucker Carlson podcast.

Trump’s anti-discrimination and anti-DEI agenda had been the catalyst for hundreds of lawyers to quit. “They weren’t going to be able to do (their pet projects) the way they wanted” Dhillon said.

We need a Harmeet Dhillon-like politician or public servant to ensure the designated duration of He Ao Takitaki which is 2022 to 2025 ends this year and is not renewed.

This country must offer equality of employment opportunity everywhere, especially at Parliament.

If te ao Maori competencies and approaches continue to be key considerations in recruitment practices at Parliament, and across the wider Public Service, I fear for the future of this land.

Peter Williams was a writer and broadcaster for half a century. Now watching from the sidelines. Peter blogs regularly on Peter’s Substack - where this article was sourced.

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

We are told to lobby our MP’s when we disagree with topics such as this, but when one does, one quickly learns one will be black listed. When Luxon is adamant Māori issues must be paramount, the country is in deep trouble.

Anonymous said...

Disgraceful. !!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

No point in blogging & waxing lyrical - send it to Winston, Luxon, Seymour, put in a formal complaint with the HRC etc

Anonymous said...

Can someone send this article to Mike Hosking so he can ask our Prime Minister, on Monday morning, WTF is going on here?

Robert Arthur said...

It is staggering that anyone so close to government should be so out f touch with general public attitudes and current political trends. Not the work of one person so the whole outfit must be infected. They must be so immersed in the pro maori insurgency movement that they are totally out of touch with the real world. One can imagine such an attitude deep in Puhoe country but it is incredible in parliament buildings. If this outfit is involved in the sorting and summarising of Submissions to parliament, I now fully understand why mine achieve nothing.
I note the line "there is no end point to ao maori." Hoatu he koromatua tango te waewae.

Anonymous said...

A government under the control of a nations worst or least qualified citizens is called a Kakistocracy.

Anonymous said...

I didn't understand the document as it was not written in English - English language that someone from England would understand.
As a "senior " Maori, I didn't understand all the made up so called te reo words.

However, I get the message that this is one of the most racist documents ever written by this Government or any First World government.

Anonymous said...

Among other issues, I have asked Winson and Shane why these two signatories are still in post. We are utterly sick of all this nonsense. The coalition has been up and running (backwards?) for half the Parliamentary term and PM Luxon/National are clearly missing in action on the race based stupidity. Are we watching a new series of YesMinister/Yes Prime Minister because if we are, it is a bit of a sick joke.

Anonymous said...

Very true ... but they must realize that the 83% will vote. And not for MPs who blacklist citizens demanding democracy. Like Ardern, Luxon will seek "out" after 2 terms. A real leader does not stop citizens expressing their views. Like Ardern, he is a "plant".

Anonymous said...

Peter the He puapua agenda is already in place to return nz to tribal rule by 1840. They are doing it in stages as per the report. They don't openly advise the nz public, as too many tax payers may leave, or ask for the govt to find them residency in another country. Authorities probably don't feel this urgent need to stop it either, as half of nz according to
the polls, want the 3-headed beast of labour/tepati/ greens to be the next govt in 2026.

Anonymous said...

Peter, great observation. Mr Peter's or Seymour should receive this as a complaint. They will sort out this racist department. I'm pretty keen to stop paying taxes until this racist bs is sorted out.....remember folks, we are actually funding our demise....it has to stop.

Peter said...

No doubt, the coalition/Luxon will put this down to a legacy of the former Govt. While that may be so, at least that racist, discriminatory nonsense was directed at adults. But look at what this current Govt proposes to introduce by way of the draft Education and Training Amendment Bill (No.2), which will directly impact and very likely indoctrinate our young and most vulnerable.

Among other things it proposes:

127 Paramount objective of boards in governing schools...

(2) To meet the paramount objective, the board must meet the following supporting objectives: ...

(b) to ensure that the school uses good quality assessment and aromatawai information to monitor and evaluate students’ progress and achievement, including any assessment or aromatawai specified in a foundation curriculum policy statement: ...

(e) to ensure that the school gives effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi, including by—

(i) achieving equitable outcomes for Māori students; and

(ii) working to ensure that its plans, policies, and teaching and learning programmes reflect local tikanga Māori, mātauranga Māori, and te ao Māori; and (iii) taking all reasonable steps to make instruction available in tikanga Māori and te reo Māori: ...

While most of us would have heard a fair bit of Te Reo, who is familiar with "aromatawai" and what's it doing in such a Bill, and why are we legislating such blatant mono-cultural stone age ideology to the exclusion of all others? And, aren't our public institutions supposed to be secular, reflecting the majority of the public's views? And given the proclivities of Māori to break the common laws of this land, wouldn't it be better that the emphasis of study was on that rather than tikanga, which appears to be a moveable feast and, clearly from history, didn't work so well anyway?

And how precisely are Boards/schools to achieve "equitable outcomes for Māori students" when many don't turn up for school, or aren't sufficiently encouraged and motivated by their parent(s)/caregiver(s)? It's an unachievable nonsense statement, which could involve vast expenditure of labour and capital - all to no avail.

And note the incorporation of "local tikanga" - to ensure a continuum of mana whenua consultation (aka gravy train), and also both mātauranga and te ao Māori. And just where are these stated as an obligation in Te Tiriti?

No! The Luxon led Government is not "getting us back on track", but is quietly further promoting and promulgating separatism and division that will lead to the very antithesis of a united and prosperous nation. He Puapua here we come!

PS. I should note that the current Education and Training Act 2020 is even worse. You have until 11.59pm, Thursday, 12 June 2025 if you want to make a submission here: https://www.parliament.nz/en/pb/sc/make-a-submission/document/54SCEDUW_SCF_8826C9D4-8F6E-4018-CDF7-08DD758B2660/education-and-training-amendment-bill-no-2#RelatedAnchor

Anonymous said...

Of course i know there are people of Maori descent pushing He Puapua, but i don't think they would be making so much progress without the woke officials and public servants who are getting off on it for some patronising muddle-headed ideas of their own. Virtue-signalling ninnies!

Anonymous said...

Lets be kind and call them out as "collaborator's".

Anonymous said...

I just cannot believe that our politicians are not aware of this blatant discrimination going on under their noses at their workplace? Or have they put it in the too hard basket?

Anonymous said...

“ This will benefit our people, our work, our relationships, our Parliament and the people of Aotearoa more generally.”

Well that’s okay - as long as it’s not in New Zealand.

I mean, surely a document of the Parliament of New Zealand would not refer to a place by a name that’s not officially recognised?