It doesn’t matter what the issue is because it’s with every issue.
Even the new whiz kid of technology AI is worried.
AI says “New Zealand remains a stable parliamentary democracy with a strong record of free and fair elections, but legal experts, academics, and political groups have raised concerns regarding “democratic backsliding” and executive overreach. While democracy is not lost, critics argue that recent legislative and structural shifts are straining the country’s unwritten constitutional guardrails.”
Former New Zealand Prime Minister Geoffrey Palmer has warned that New Zealand’s democracy is insidiously eroding due to an overly powerful executive branch, fast-tracked laws passed under urgency, weak political donation disclosure rules, and declining civic trust.
He detailed these concerns in his book published 2025 “How to Save Democracy in Aotearoa New Zealand”.
Potholes
In a speech last year Geoffrey Palmer said “Let me begin with a simple observation: democracy is not a destination – it’s a journey. And right now, that journey has hit some pretty serious potholes.”
Sir Geoffrey Palmer
New Zealand’s Executive (Cabinet) is too powerful. With 30 ministers out of 123 MPs – that is close to 25 percent of the total number of MPs – the Executive dominates Parliament with laws now being passed that give the minister virtually total power, while excluding the people.
It should be that the people are in charge.
Swiss model
With that in mind I recommend reading a book by Amy Brooke of Nelson, entitled “100 days.”
Track it down on the internet. It tells the way of the Swiss government Swiss politicians generally regard themselves as servants of the people.
Amy Brooke advocates the Swiss system of a 100 day public veto of controversial new laws – if the public can muster up enough signatures within three months of a law change to force a referendum, the referendum result is binding on the government. Like New Zealanders, the Swiss don’t want to be running to the polls every five minutes on trivial issues, so they save their referendum veto for issues of major concern. The difference between Switzerland and New Zealand is that when it really counts, the Swiss can bring their government to heel.
New Zealanders cannot except for a brief period of the months leading up to an election.
Of course, the greatest opposition will come from current politicians particularly the likes of Shane Jones and Chris Bishops who are happy with the status quo that sees democracy dwindling.
Democracy Bypassed
Select committees, the only time the people can make input, are now being bypassed. The Fast Track Approvals Act rammed through by Messrs. Jones and Bishop omits the select committee process.
Instead a politically appointed “expert” panel, handpicked probably by Jones and Bishop, will say “yes” or “no” as to fast track proposals.
Oh, I almost forgot Bishop has just declined a housing development for the satellite town of Pegasus just north of Christchurch. Don’t be fooled.
It’s less than 80 days at the time of writing to election day.
Remember a few lines above?
“New Zealanders cannot bring a government to heel, except for a brief period of the months leading up to an election.”
Select committees.
I can recall making submissions on trout farming in the early 1970s where I was allowed to speak for an hour and then answer questions from MPs for half an hour. I made submissions to other Select Committees. To the Maori Fisheries Bill 1990 I was granted over an hour. In the same year 1990 to the Conservation Law Reform Bill almost an hour.
But the erosion of democracy has been happening for decades. “Urgency” has been used by governments over the last 50 years or so to bypass select committees. Some were very guilty such as the John Key government.
In 2004 the government’s ERMA review of 1080 was a “kangaroo court” with the vast majority of submitters restricted to only five minutes. It was a token gesture to consultation – lip service only.
The two big poison spreaders DOC and OSPRI had requested the review. That was a pointer to it being a farce. Not surprisingly the ERMA review in 1080 gave the poison the green light even before all public submissions had been heard!
Public Servants
Usually not acknowledged is that MPs are really public servants voted in to serve the public and the public interest. Calling our Prime Minister our leader is a misnomer. National’s John Key and Bill English, Labour’s Jacinda Adern and Chris Hipkins were simply the most senior public servant in NZ.
The National government was voted out in 2017.
But the new coalition government of Labour continued the government trend of diminishing democracy.
Firearm law changes following the Christchurch March 15, 2019 mosque tragedy, were rushed through in just a few days. Over 12,000 submissions were considered in just two days – defying credibility.
Complacency
A year or two back, respected writer and columnist Karl du Fresne looked at complacency, saying: “One thing we do very well in this country, besides rugby, is evasion of responsibility. We get reports and inquiries, hollow apologies and hand-wringing … and then it’s back to business as usual”.
He found there is a glaring “accountability deficit” throughout New Zealand.
The public believe Parliament is the place of democracy – where you could get a fair hearing from elected representatives based on a historical and moral constitution of honour, truth and justice. It is not meant to be a charade.
But it has become a charade – more than a bad joke.
Little wonder then that the public rates politicians, political parties and governments as among the most untrustworthy.
You and your interests – in our cases the outdoors, rivers, streams and their health are in the political game.
Politics in fishing and the outdoors is simply “cause and effect.”
New Zealand urgently and desperately needs a restoring of democracy.
It should be, indeed it must be, the number one issue in the 2026 election.
Tony Orman, once a town and country planner, is now a part-time journalist and author. This article was sourced HERE
Former New Zealand Prime Minister Geoffrey Palmer has warned that New Zealand’s democracy is insidiously eroding due to an overly powerful executive branch, fast-tracked laws passed under urgency, weak political donation disclosure rules, and declining civic trust.
He detailed these concerns in his book published 2025 “How to Save Democracy in Aotearoa New Zealand”.
Potholes
In a speech last year Geoffrey Palmer said “Let me begin with a simple observation: democracy is not a destination – it’s a journey. And right now, that journey has hit some pretty serious potholes.”
Sir Geoffrey Palmer
New Zealand’s Executive (Cabinet) is too powerful. With 30 ministers out of 123 MPs – that is close to 25 percent of the total number of MPs – the Executive dominates Parliament with laws now being passed that give the minister virtually total power, while excluding the people.
It should be that the people are in charge.
Swiss model
With that in mind I recommend reading a book by Amy Brooke of Nelson, entitled “100 days.”
Track it down on the internet. It tells the way of the Swiss government Swiss politicians generally regard themselves as servants of the people.
Amy Brooke advocates the Swiss system of a 100 day public veto of controversial new laws – if the public can muster up enough signatures within three months of a law change to force a referendum, the referendum result is binding on the government. Like New Zealanders, the Swiss don’t want to be running to the polls every five minutes on trivial issues, so they save their referendum veto for issues of major concern. The difference between Switzerland and New Zealand is that when it really counts, the Swiss can bring their government to heel.
New Zealanders cannot except for a brief period of the months leading up to an election.
Of course, the greatest opposition will come from current politicians particularly the likes of Shane Jones and Chris Bishops who are happy with the status quo that sees democracy dwindling.
Democracy Bypassed
Select committees, the only time the people can make input, are now being bypassed. The Fast Track Approvals Act rammed through by Messrs. Jones and Bishop omits the select committee process.
Instead a politically appointed “expert” panel, handpicked probably by Jones and Bishop, will say “yes” or “no” as to fast track proposals.
Oh, I almost forgot Bishop has just declined a housing development for the satellite town of Pegasus just north of Christchurch. Don’t be fooled.
It’s less than 80 days at the time of writing to election day.
Remember a few lines above?
“New Zealanders cannot bring a government to heel, except for a brief period of the months leading up to an election.”
Select committees.
I can recall making submissions on trout farming in the early 1970s where I was allowed to speak for an hour and then answer questions from MPs for half an hour. I made submissions to other Select Committees. To the Maori Fisheries Bill 1990 I was granted over an hour. In the same year 1990 to the Conservation Law Reform Bill almost an hour.
But the erosion of democracy has been happening for decades. “Urgency” has been used by governments over the last 50 years or so to bypass select committees. Some were very guilty such as the John Key government.
In 2004 the government’s ERMA review of 1080 was a “kangaroo court” with the vast majority of submitters restricted to only five minutes. It was a token gesture to consultation – lip service only.
The two big poison spreaders DOC and OSPRI had requested the review. That was a pointer to it being a farce. Not surprisingly the ERMA review in 1080 gave the poison the green light even before all public submissions had been heard!
Public Servants
Usually not acknowledged is that MPs are really public servants voted in to serve the public and the public interest. Calling our Prime Minister our leader is a misnomer. National’s John Key and Bill English, Labour’s Jacinda Adern and Chris Hipkins were simply the most senior public servant in NZ.
The National government was voted out in 2017.
But the new coalition government of Labour continued the government trend of diminishing democracy.
Firearm law changes following the Christchurch March 15, 2019 mosque tragedy, were rushed through in just a few days. Over 12,000 submissions were considered in just two days – defying credibility.
Complacency
A year or two back, respected writer and columnist Karl du Fresne looked at complacency, saying: “One thing we do very well in this country, besides rugby, is evasion of responsibility. We get reports and inquiries, hollow apologies and hand-wringing … and then it’s back to business as usual”.
He found there is a glaring “accountability deficit” throughout New Zealand.
The public believe Parliament is the place of democracy – where you could get a fair hearing from elected representatives based on a historical and moral constitution of honour, truth and justice. It is not meant to be a charade.
But it has become a charade – more than a bad joke.
Little wonder then that the public rates politicians, political parties and governments as among the most untrustworthy.
You and your interests – in our cases the outdoors, rivers, streams and their health are in the political game.
Politics in fishing and the outdoors is simply “cause and effect.”
New Zealand urgently and desperately needs a restoring of democracy.
It should be, indeed it must be, the number one issue in the 2026 election.
Tony Orman, once a town and country planner, is now a part-time journalist and author. This article was sourced HERE
9 comments:
Hard to bother reading when Palmer is trotted out as a defender of democracy. You would be hard pressed to find anyone that has done more damage to democracy in New Zealand.
Have to agree with CXH 7.44AM, exactly my thinking. Palmer and Finlayson make a deadly duo.
CXH, do you have any examples of Geoffrey Palmer damaging democracy?
I reckon Labour's little effort at suppressing the He Pua Pua report takes the prize. (Ardern later claimed her government had nothing to hide).
The “Palmer damaging democracy” question has one obvious answer. Who was responsible for establishing the Waitangi Tribunal expansion of powers during the Lange government of 1985? Palmer. Enough said.
Yes, Palmer indeed has done a lot of damage to NZ.
Yes, NZ would do well to take a leaf from the Swiss model. Unfortunately Amy can't get any traction. This far along in NZs coruption and decay I am not sure there are enough free thinking people left to make democracy work even if we had a democracy, which in truth we don't. Regards
How dare the commenters above attack the messenger and disparage his credentials. He is one of the few great men left. You can tell he’s right because none of my fellow commenters have said anything about the substance of his essay.
BV, you are attracting the uneducated.
Purely personal attacks are deleted but negative comments about a politician's performance or influence are let through. To any pollie who objects, I say, "If you can't handle the heat, get out of the kitchen."
Sorry Anon 11-12, but IMHO you are way off mark. Why would anyone deliberately introduce non defined "principles" into legislation, knowing that the un-elected judiciary (his mates) would have a (well paid) field-day litigating all the inevitable problems? One of the few great men left?? Great for who?
I think Sir G Palmer was naive and trusted people to do the right thing with integrity. He could not have foreseen 50 years ago how the present judges (and some lawyers like Mr C Finlayson)would go all woke and administer the law to fit their own personal beliefs. He could also not have foreseen how the Waitangi Tribunal, formed in good faith could morph into the mess it is today. His problem today is, that seeing how things have turned out, like a lot of politicians and lawyers he won't say he got it wrong and instead just doubles down on his earlier decisions
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