The path a future New Zealand takes, will in some part, likely be decided at the ballot box on November 7th and will most probably be central to heated and continued constitutional discussion and argument into the late 2020s!
With a population of 5.3 million New Zealand is wrestling with a fragile economy and a constitutional and an identity crisis. If our country is to ever secure a prosperous future, surely it is now time to turn away from the politically imposed obstructions of co-governance, partnership and the movement towards Maori sovereignty.
Why? Simply because an ethnocracy is fundamentally incapable of building, let alone sustaining, a dynamic, forward-looking nation.
Yet in so many facets of our lives we are witnessing and sanctioning a greater consolidation of the ties of co-governance.
The year 2040 is set to be a hugely monumental year, specifically, February 6th, 2040, the bicentenary of the signing of the treaty of Waitangi.
February 6, 2040, marks the 200th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi. It is widely recognized by various Maori leaders, activists, and academic groups as a target date for the realisation of Maori self-determination/sovereignty and the attendant constitutional transformation.
By 2040, New Zealand is projected to be a significantly more diverse and older nation, driven by immigration and an aging “baby boomer” generation.
Stats NZ predict our population is likely to have reached 6 million. Maori, or people who profess to be Maori, are projected to reach 1.2 million, making up 20% of the total population. Asian immigrants, and this is influential, are expected to surpass the Maori population by the late 2020s! By 2040, the Asian community could represent nearly 25-30% of the population.
Significantly, the European demographic is the only ethnic group projected to see its share of the population decrease, declining from 70% in 2018 to approximately 64% by 2040.
Today, co-governance and partnership are what many believe to be the “handbrakes of democracy and prosperity.” They are not the foundations or anchors of a stable, bicultural nation as many try to claim!
Unleashing and realising New Zealand’s potential as a dynamic, forward looking nation requires the Maori sovereignty movement to be unceremoniously thrown back in the dark cupboard it emerged from. It is time to move past the dictates of Maori sovereignty activists and refocus on the foundations of our nation; Equal citizenship, and one unified identity.
To give us any chance of ensuring a stable future, the next government must prioritise equal citizenship and economic growth over factions that covet and promote division and separatism! Side-stepping the Maori sovereignty crisis will ultimately condemn New Zealand to third-world economic decline.
Any future government must reject separatism, decisively prioritising economic strength and a unified national vision to secure the country’s future.
The rising tide of Maori sovereignty seeks a new written, partnership-based constitution. The framework the sovereignty advocates pursue would embed Māori control through a final veto over all legislation. In such a system, New Zealand would be transformed from a representative democracy into an Ethnocracy; A state where a minority, based on contrived indigenous ancestry, holds disproportionate political power.
Under the Ethnocracy model, the “partnership” interpretation of the Treaty of Waitangi is used to bypass the principle of “one person, one vote” thereby creating a governance structure where tribal interests can override the will of the general electorate!
New Zealand is on a path toward deep racial fragmentation and economic deterioration. By the time the full impact hits, the government coffers will likely have been completely drained!
Halting the step toward Maori sovereignty requires a government that rejects governing by division. To secure a unified democratic future, public policy must be stripped of identity politics, restoring and emphasising the fundamental principle that every citizen holds equal standing under one law.
Yet in so many facets of our lives we are witnessing and sanctioning a greater consolidation of the ties of co-governance.
The year 2040 is set to be a hugely monumental year, specifically, February 6th, 2040, the bicentenary of the signing of the treaty of Waitangi.
February 6, 2040, marks the 200th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi. It is widely recognized by various Maori leaders, activists, and academic groups as a target date for the realisation of Maori self-determination/sovereignty and the attendant constitutional transformation.
By 2040, New Zealand is projected to be a significantly more diverse and older nation, driven by immigration and an aging “baby boomer” generation.
Stats NZ predict our population is likely to have reached 6 million. Maori, or people who profess to be Maori, are projected to reach 1.2 million, making up 20% of the total population. Asian immigrants, and this is influential, are expected to surpass the Maori population by the late 2020s! By 2040, the Asian community could represent nearly 25-30% of the population.
Significantly, the European demographic is the only ethnic group projected to see its share of the population decrease, declining from 70% in 2018 to approximately 64% by 2040.
Today, co-governance and partnership are what many believe to be the “handbrakes of democracy and prosperity.” They are not the foundations or anchors of a stable, bicultural nation as many try to claim!
Unleashing and realising New Zealand’s potential as a dynamic, forward looking nation requires the Maori sovereignty movement to be unceremoniously thrown back in the dark cupboard it emerged from. It is time to move past the dictates of Maori sovereignty activists and refocus on the foundations of our nation; Equal citizenship, and one unified identity.
To give us any chance of ensuring a stable future, the next government must prioritise equal citizenship and economic growth over factions that covet and promote division and separatism! Side-stepping the Maori sovereignty crisis will ultimately condemn New Zealand to third-world economic decline.
Any future government must reject separatism, decisively prioritising economic strength and a unified national vision to secure the country’s future.
The rising tide of Maori sovereignty seeks a new written, partnership-based constitution. The framework the sovereignty advocates pursue would embed Māori control through a final veto over all legislation. In such a system, New Zealand would be transformed from a representative democracy into an Ethnocracy; A state where a minority, based on contrived indigenous ancestry, holds disproportionate political power.
Under the Ethnocracy model, the “partnership” interpretation of the Treaty of Waitangi is used to bypass the principle of “one person, one vote” thereby creating a governance structure where tribal interests can override the will of the general electorate!
New Zealand is on a path toward deep racial fragmentation and economic deterioration. By the time the full impact hits, the government coffers will likely have been completely drained!
Halting the step toward Maori sovereignty requires a government that rejects governing by division. To secure a unified democratic future, public policy must be stripped of identity politics, restoring and emphasising the fundamental principle that every citizen holds equal standing under one law.
They must demonstrate political resolve and exercise strong leadership to navigate the anticipated fierce Maori backlash! “When people become used to preferential treatment, equal treatment is deemed discrimination.” (Thomas Sowell).
After weathering the social backlash, they are then compelled to take the critical and determined steps that enable the decoupling of ethnicity from governance!
Focus must be centred on the return to and full adherence to Article 3 of the Treaty of Waitangi.
Article 3 guarantees all New Zealanders the same rights and privileges as British subjects! This is the foundation of equal citizenship. All government policies must be based on need, not want and definitely not race! We have capable institutions able to ensure that social interventions help the most vulnerable regardless of their family tree.
Our public services must be compelled to abandon the embedded race-based governance and perspective and begin to build unified, transparent, and accountable institutions. The co-governance models in health, water, and local government must be replaced by unified, democratically accountable structures.
As we have all seen, co-governance erodes ratepayer/taxpayer accountability, allowing unelected tribal representatives to override public interest. Ending this requires a direct strike by government on the Local Government Act! Invalidating the Local Government Act that stipulates local bodies “… fulfill statutory obligations for Maori participation in decision-making.” That mandate forces councils to prioritize Maori participation over democratic accountability and it must go!
The government must then declare the country will have competitive, outcomes based social contracts with the populace. Currently, so many social services are “by Maori, for Maori” using Iwi-led providers with guaranteed contracts that seemingly assures financial success to the provider.
Universal standards must be the norm and the two-tier system where Maori providers operate under different regulatory or accountability frameworks than general providers must be eliminated.
A needs based emphasis would move us toward more open and transparent competition. A race blind approach must be instituted for all government tendering. Any organisation be it a church, a charity, or a private firm must be given the ability to bid to provide social services on an even field!
It should be mandatory that any contracts that are awarded or renewed must be based on demonstrated or proven outcomes (e.g., the number of people moved into full-time work) rather than the cultural identity of the provider.
Health New Zealand must decide to end the controversies and inequitableness; The outright dishonesty associated with “Equity Adjusting” scores in surgical waitlists that only underline the erroneous use of ethnicity as a clinical priority factor!
We need the government to enforce policy that mandates waitlists are determined strictly by clinical urgency, time spent waiting, and geographic isolation.
Priority cannot be based on ancestry! Needs blind healthcare is the priority!
With the government announcing a review of ministries and government departments, one that stands out as requiring a serious investigation is Te Puni Kokiri (TPK), the Ministry of Maori Development.
TPK is the Government’s chief advisor on Māori wellbeing and Maori/Crown relations and following a major 2025 public sector restructure, it is now legally mandated to lead policy formulation, monitor public service delivery to Maori, and oversee the Crown’s compliance with Treaty settlement commitments.
Reporting to Minister Tama Potaka, TPK drives Maori economic and social policy across the country. However, its broad mandate often attracts scrutiny regarding taxpayer spending; Following the 2023 North Island storms, the ministry was responsible for injecting $136 million into regional marae recovery and relocation packages!
Administered by the Ministry of Justice, the Waitangi Tribunal faces increasing scrutiny over its actions. Do we still need it? While its closure would trigger immediate, predictable protests, a growing number of people believe the Tribunal has run its course and should be closed.
The self expanding role of the tribunal must be promptly and closely examined as it, these days, sees itself as a “parallel government” and is inappropriately intervening in the policymaking process of a democratically elected government. By launching urgent inquiries into proposed legislation, such as the government’s Treaty Principles Bill they demonstrate their distinct sense of self-importance.
The National-NZ First coalition agreement contained a clause that will initiate a review of the Waitangi Tribunal that is designed to reassert parliamentary sovereignty.
Given that parliamentary sovereignty allows the government to directly amend the Treaty of Waitangi Act and narrow the Tribunal’s scope, the necessity of a formal review is questionable.
Political manoeuvrings and appeasement?
Will the re-election of the current coalition halt the momentum toward Māori sovereignty by 2040?
Absolutely not!
However, a Labour-led coalition would undoubtedly accelerate the movement’s objectives. Preventing this outcome requires a long-term strategy.
The re-election of the current government is merely the first step; the true battleground lies with the three successive governments of 2029, 2032, and 2035. It is during this critical window that voters must act to decelerate the gathering momentum of the “Māori Sovereignty 2040” movement.
An Ethnocracy in a small country deep in the southern Pacific Ocean, where, so called, indigenous ancestry guarantees tribal rule and superior socio-economic status for a minority, will only deliver isolation, economic stagnation, and permanent social division.
To move forward, New Zealand voters must choose the path of unity. This path can only be forged by a government with the courage and conviction to reject racial division, firmly declaring its commitment to a single, unified nation for all its citizens.
The future of New Zealand belongs solely in the hands of its citizens. Not in the hands politicians or radical activists!
Preserving a democracy where every child born in New Zealand, regardless of their ancestry, has the same standing before the law and the same opportunity to succeed in a modern, global economy must be the goal!
As long as there is a financial gain to be derived from the “depravation of colonisation” mantra, there will forever be those who choose to beat that drum.
They must be ignored, not just by the ruling government, but most importantly, by the voters!
Shaking off the shackles of co-governance is not an act of hostility! It is an act of preservation!
Pee Kay writes he is from a generation where common sense, standards, integrity and honesty are fundamental attributes. This article was first published HERE
2 comments:
When your routine hospital form asks if you are"Maori" or "non-Maori" you know we are in deep trouble. Why not "Indian" or "non-Indian" or "Chinese" or "non-Chinese"? The word "non" denotes a lesser status.
Consequently, you write to the Minister of Health, Simeon Brown, thinking he must be totally unaware of this. No response is forthcoming.
If people think the politicians are not behind this then I have a bridge to sell them. They may not be entirely comfortable with it, but they are doing very little to halt the progress.
History is being re-written before our very eyes and as anybody astute knows citizens will eventually rebel or leave the country.
This is a monumental mistake. The biggest in our lifetime. Anybody who watches overseas news realises that well- intentioned actions, which are supposed to be humanitarian in nature,( like taking in thousands of undocumented immigrants) ends up backfiring. Likewise, changing our entire constitution to solve Maori problems of perceive inequality is ridiculous.
Yes, equality is the most important issue we face as a nation along with fixing the economy. If we fix equality I believe it will fast track the economy.
lm disappointed in Act and NZ first not being firmer on this subject. Act looks defeated and like they have given up. Winston??? reviewing clauses in 12? places is hardly going to touch the surface.
What can we do as voters ?? There is no where to place our votes.
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