The recent suspension of Te Pāti Māori MPs for their disruptive haka during a parliamentary vote over the Treaty Principles Bill is yet another low point in their tiresome saga of performative nonsense.
The NZ Herald’s coverage, predictably, parrots their talking points and frames this as some noble ‘cultural expression’ rather than what it was: a brazen violation of parliamentary rules and a contemptuous display of entitlement. No, Te Pāti Māori’s antics are a calculated middle finger to the institution of the New Zealand Parliament and all the New Zealanders it serves.
No remorse and no accountability, just more posturing. Te Pāti Māori’s MPs, led by the perpetually aggrieved, didn’t even pretend to respect the Speaker’s ruling or the democratic process they’re sworn to uphold. Instead, they doubled down, cloaking their rule-breaking in the tired guise of cultural pride. This wasn’t about a ‘primitive foot stomping exercise’, as some might dismiss it – it was about deliberately derailing debate, undermining order and treating parliament like their personal stage for grievance theatre. If they’re so allergic to the rules, why not just quit? Pack up, walk out and spare us the sanctimonious lectures about sovereignty while they flout the very system they’re paid to participate in.
The Labour Party, in a desperate bid to stay relevant, has now chained itself to this sinking ship. By aligning with Te Pāti Māori and the equally unhinged Greens, they’ve abandoned any pretence of representing the mainstream. Good luck selling that to the voters. Meanwhile, NZ First and the ACT Party are quietly reaping the rewards and capitalising on a growing public exasperation with this circus. A recent poll showed most New Zealanders supported the suspensions – many wanted harsher penalties. The National Party, spineless as ever, risks alienating this majority if they don’t grow a backbone and stop pandering to the perpetually offended.
Let’s be blunt: New Zealand is over it. We’re past peak Māori activism and sick to death of the relentless racial divisiveness pushed by Te Pāti Māori and their enablers. The constant cries of victimhood and the weaponisation of culture to justify bad behavior – it’s exhausting and it’s divisive. The majority of Kiwis, Māori and non-Māori alike, just want a government that works for all, not one held hostage by a small group who think the rules don’t apply to them.
Te Pāti Māori’s contempt for parliament is a microcosm of their broader contempt for a unified New Zealand. If they can’t play by the rules, they don’t deserve a seat at the table. It’s time for them to either shape up or ship out – and for the media to stop romanticising their tantrums as anything other than what they are: a disgrace.
Cam Slater is a New Zealand-based blogger, best known for his role in Dirty Politics and publishing the Whale Oil Beef Hooked blog, which operated from 2005 until it closed in 2019. Cam blogs regularly on the GoodOil - where this article was sourced.
No remorse and no accountability, just more posturing. Te Pāti Māori’s MPs, led by the perpetually aggrieved, didn’t even pretend to respect the Speaker’s ruling or the democratic process they’re sworn to uphold. Instead, they doubled down, cloaking their rule-breaking in the tired guise of cultural pride. This wasn’t about a ‘primitive foot stomping exercise’, as some might dismiss it – it was about deliberately derailing debate, undermining order and treating parliament like their personal stage for grievance theatre. If they’re so allergic to the rules, why not just quit? Pack up, walk out and spare us the sanctimonious lectures about sovereignty while they flout the very system they’re paid to participate in.
The Labour Party, in a desperate bid to stay relevant, has now chained itself to this sinking ship. By aligning with Te Pāti Māori and the equally unhinged Greens, they’ve abandoned any pretence of representing the mainstream. Good luck selling that to the voters. Meanwhile, NZ First and the ACT Party are quietly reaping the rewards and capitalising on a growing public exasperation with this circus. A recent poll showed most New Zealanders supported the suspensions – many wanted harsher penalties. The National Party, spineless as ever, risks alienating this majority if they don’t grow a backbone and stop pandering to the perpetually offended.
Let’s be blunt: New Zealand is over it. We’re past peak Māori activism and sick to death of the relentless racial divisiveness pushed by Te Pāti Māori and their enablers. The constant cries of victimhood and the weaponisation of culture to justify bad behavior – it’s exhausting and it’s divisive. The majority of Kiwis, Māori and non-Māori alike, just want a government that works for all, not one held hostage by a small group who think the rules don’t apply to them.
Te Pāti Māori’s contempt for parliament is a microcosm of their broader contempt for a unified New Zealand. If they can’t play by the rules, they don’t deserve a seat at the table. It’s time for them to either shape up or ship out – and for the media to stop romanticising their tantrums as anything other than what they are: a disgrace.
Cam Slater is a New Zealand-based blogger, best known for his role in Dirty Politics and publishing the Whale Oil Beef Hooked blog, which operated from 2005 until it closed in 2019. Cam blogs regularly on the GoodOil - where this article was sourced.
8 comments:
Well summed up .
Spineless National better shape up and stop going along with all the race based legislation continually inserted to divide this country.
While a false, fake, Freeman English version of the treaty that does not agree with the original Maori text, masquerades as “Te Tiriti”, been written into apartheid Acts and Statutes without the consent of ALL the people of New Zealand, and is being supported by “foreign agents” acting as our state representatives, then nothing will change.
Precisely, we have an Act of Parliament, namely the 1975 Treaty of Waitangi Act, that is in essence based on a fallacy. Those errors were compounded by citing "Principles" that clearly are non-existent in the Preamble or the three Treaty Articles. Root cause analysis would suggest that you cannot fix this by compounding the fallacies. Simple logic would suggest that we address the root cause, go back, change the certified version to the actual Hobson (Littlewood) draft and clean out the Treaty of Waitangi Act to remove reference to principles (which would pretty much empty it). The opportunity to effect this was recently squandered and we are left with the original morass of legislation and a promise by the coalition agreements to: "Conduct a comprehensive review of all legislation ... blah, blah, blah." and this job is given to Potaka and Goldsmith - do us a favour! Anyone want to count the flying pigs?
This is all well and good but where are the leaders to drive the change away from this extreme and who have the vision and capability of implementing a united healthy productive NZ society?
Yes, where are the decent leaders who can see today's problems they are creating, and the future problems for future generations are stop this indoctrination and collapse of democracy ?
Deliberately bloody irresponsible politicians in every party.
Do these Breaking Views articles get printed and put in the in tray of every MP like the newspapers ?
Cam, the vast majority agree. The pendulum is swinging. These guys are in serious trouble.
On what basis can any one say the pendulum is swinging - fancy thinking maybe? There are no leaders.
Reality - the maori stuff is now the new norm, embedded progressively in the generations, beloved by the woke and part of the mainstream.
The haka shenanigans are simply reminding the masses and are part of the overt strategy to break parliament.
Presumably the "adult in the room", namely Speaker Brownlee, continues to allow the unruly children run riot in a "tail wagging the dog" scenario. The "long leash" he has afforded those who are determined to revolt against "the system" from within, will not end well. For any of us. I never thought I would say this but "bring back Trevor Mallard." He would have nipped this racist activism in the bud from Day One, and reminded the perpetrators of the Oath of Office by which they are legally bound. But that pony left town some time ago. If we set low standards, we will never fail to achieve them. And yet we sing God defend New Zealand?
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