Apparently, human rights in New Zealand are no longer the solution they’re the enemy. At least, that’s the gospel according to Associate Professor Andrew Erueti, who’s discovered a shocking new injustice: the principle of equality is getting in the way of Māori sovereignty claims.
Yes, you heard right. The same rights that protect everyone Māori, Pākehā, Asian, Pasifika, whoever are now being rebranded as colonial tools of oppression. “One law for all”? Outrageous! How dare we suggest that the law should treat people the same regardless of race.
Erueti’s big grievance is that courts and governments keep falling back on boring old human rights language like “equality” and “non-discrimination” to push back on grand plans for Māori only authority structures. In other words, the problem isn’t injustice the problem is that the system isn’t bending enough.
Of course, this all comes dressed up in Treaty talk: tino rangatiratanga, tikanga, self determination. But underneath, it’s the same well worn script: universal rights are too universal, so we need a special carve-out. And naturally, the legal academy is right there to provide the intellectual scaffolding. There’s a whole cottage industry in Treaty reinterpretation and surprise, surprise, it always ends with a fresh argument for more power, more control, and more public money.
So let’s sum it up:
Human rights = good … unless they apply equally.
Equality = bad … if it blocks a separate Māori system.
The real injustice = New Zealanders expecting the same rules to apply to everyone.
Welcome to 2025, where the latest outrage is that human rights are too equal.
Steven is an entrepreneur and an ex RNZN diver who likes travelling, renovating houses, Swiss Watches, history, chocolate art and art deco.
4 comments:
George Orwell: "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others".
Folks - this sums it up! Even for the least " intellectual".
The same sentiment is reflected in the lefts insane efforts to make “good racism”
They try to redefine it as something that can only occur from the “oppressor class” in other words only white people can be racist.
… which is a racist idea in itself 🤦♂️
If you declare yourself Maori are you a New Zealand Maori or a Maori New Zealander? There are too many of the latter and too few of the former.
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