More than 300,000 submissions were made. Whatever your opinion of the bill, the campaign demonstrated something that every New Zealander should recognise: organised political movements can mobilise significant numbers of people - it was defeated by the volume of submissions, not the content and the quality.
Labour, the Greens and Te Pāti Māori have supporters who are highly committed to their political causes. They organise, campaign, protest and make their voices heard.
Meanwhile, many ordinary New Zealanders who are less politically motivated - they are busy earning a living, raising families and paying the bills often don't become involved and this creates a danger that the left will win simply because of their ideological motivation.
There is a real danger in that complacency.
Elections are not won by the number of people who privately agree with you. They are won by the people who actually vote.
WHAT COULD HAPPEN?
I have serious concerns about the political direction advocated by Labour, the Greens, TOP and Te Pāti Māori.
They involve fundamental questions about constitutional authority and the relationship between the Crown and Māori. Their pro-Palestinian activism is not rational, they say they don't support Hamas however they have never said how their proposals for Palestinian recognition would address the risk of Hamas retaining armed or political power. Why is it even an issue?
The Greens, TOP and Te Pāti Māori openly support greater Māori involvement in governance. As we know Labour's previous Government pursued substantial changes involving Māori participation in public institutions and water services and embedding "Treaty obligations" into legislation which still affects us today.
The Greens propose a more generous welfare system, including higher and more individualised benefits, fewer conditions , funded in part through higher taxes on high incomes, substantial wealth and large corporations. Here's the kicker - they also propose embedding Te Tiriti obligations more deeply into government and local-government decision-making, including treating iwi and hapū as partners. Alongside this they also propose expanded legal, health and social protections for LGBTQIA+ and transgender communities, including stronger anti-discrimination provisions, rainbow-inclusive education and improved access to gender-affirming healthcare.
TOP's proposed land tax will result in a single person superannuant with their own property having a land value of $400,000 will have to pay $7000 per annum - 24% of their superannuation.
Equally dangerous is Te Pati Maori, an aggressive radical party who support expanded welfare along with a constitutional objective: shifting significant decision-making authority and resources from Crown institutions toward Māori-controlled institutions, rangatiratanga and a Te Tiriti-based constitutional structure.
These are not minor concerns, they are questions about how our country should be governed .These parties impose serious risks to democratic equality, accountability and the principle that public institutions should answer to all New Zealanders.
LABOUR'S RECORD SHOULD NOT BE FORGOTTEN
Labour left us with the biggest debt in our history, they failed on every one of their election campaign promises, Kiwibuild, poverty, homelessness, gangs, infrastructure, trains, bridges, you name it, they have failed at it.
They divided N.Z. by race, colour, rural versus town, vaccinated and unvaccinated, masked and unmasked, the employed and the unemployed, business and worker.
All they left was a run down hospital system, a corrupted education system, a bribed media and a racially divided country.
There isn't room in a short article to elaborate all of Labour's ideological failings, but we should remember what happened to our public institutions where we saw an increasing emphasis on ethnicity, cultural obligations and identity politics.
We witnessed the disastrous loss of the $100 million HMNZS \*Manawanui\* on a Samoan reef was this a consequence of a DEI appointment or inadequate training? Then serious questions arose about conflicts of interest and family connections surrounding Nanaia Mahuta's Three Waters programme,
You can't ignore the "gift" of 20% of the 5G spectrum to Maori - this wasn't a treaty settlement - it was a gift that could result in millions of dollars being transferred directly from taxpayers to Maori organisations.
Our Defence Force should concentrate on operational competence, our universities on academic excellence, and our schools on teaching history honestly and not promoting a preferred political interpretation.
Then there was Andrew Coster's leadership of the Police, a dismal failure, followed by troubling allegations involving senior police personnel.
And perhaps most concerning is the continuing influence of policies, appointments and bureaucratic structures established under Labour, long after that Government was voted out.
Labour's obscene spending can be viewed HERE
Then there is He Puapua, a plan proposing a pathway towards implementing Maori co-governance by 2040. It is a racist, almost treasonous document that was supposedly never "official" Government policy, despite this its numerous recommendations are still being implemented behind our backs.
Labour had no mandate for many of their policies and when a party operates outside of party policy and introduces legislation that they had no mandate for , then sets up a media fund to ensure that their bad policy and ineptness is never reported on is total corruption.
The $55 million journalism fund turned our mainstream media into a mouthpiece for government propaganda and we still bear the impact of this today. This was going to be extended further by putting Willie Jackson in charge of the merging of Radio NZ and TVNZ into one State-run organisation at a cost of $371 million.
You only need media support at this level when you are dishonest, incompetent and devious.
The Covid years brought extraordinary restrictions on everyday life, and the Government's approach to vaccination, mandates and public communication left lasting divisions.
Remember these statements from the COVID period:
“That is what it is - yup.”
"I would never lie" - from her 2017 interview with Mike Hoskings
Let's not forget the Michael Woods " river of filth" quote when referring to the Parliament anti-mandate occupation.
Then add Robertson's $21 million bail out to the University of Otago, this virtually guaranteed Robertson a position as vice chancellor on $629,000 per year, he and Ardern had screwed the country financially, then he walks into this job despite no previous experience .
Last but not least - the despicable Trevor Mallard:
Many of these people are no longer with Labour but their style of politics continues, they are fundamentally untrustworthy socialists who will do anything to regain power and you could NEVER trust them again.
In summary, the last Labour government was unquestionably the worst Government in NZ's history. They are guilty of every sin associated with what become an evil regime. We saw nepotism, unmandated policies, reckless spending, racism, propaganda, lies, excessive control, destruction of democracy, millions spent on the employment of Public Service PR staff to protect their agenda, media bribing and censoring of social media content to conceal it's agenda, failures and lies, an education system which is more about indoctrination than learning and controls on the freedom of speech.
The reality of a Labour Greens and Te Pati Maori, TOP dominated government would be a nightmare for this country. it would destroy us socially and economically and must be avoided at all costs.
WHAT HAS THE PRESENT COALITION ACHIEVED?
In many ways the coalition has been a disappointment, in fairness they inherited a huge mess, not only financial but socially as well. But their efforts to remedy this have been half hearted, the promised review of Treaty related provisions in our legislation has seen changes to minor acts but the important ones - the Local Government Act and the Public Service Act 2020 (specifically section 14) remain unchanged. It is worth mentioning that this latter Act has special provisions relating to Maori employment - the public service belongs to all New Zealanders. It should appoint people on merit and treat citizens fairly, regardless of ancestry.
Even the plan to reduce the public service by 9000 people hasn't been actioned, a Government concerned about fiscal responsibility would have tackled that at the start of the election cycle.
Even Luxon's claim to fame, the India free trade deal hasn't remained unscathed , they had to screw that up with immigration dependencies and an ambitious $34 billion private investment target that incurs penalties if not met.
Education is one area where we are finally seeing a renewed focus on core subjects with encouraging signs of improvement. Importantly, the Government also moved to remove the requirement for school boards to give effect to Treaty obligations, putting educational achievement back at the centre of their responsibilities. Schools should be judged by how well they educate our children, not by how enthusiastically they embrace political ideology.
We kept hearing about how bad the economy is yet we see money being spent on activities that do not benefit the mainstream Kiwi . We can spend $571 million on defence, $66 million to promote te reo Maori and Maori culture onto a reluctant public, $130 million to the Ukraine, $325 million for climate change(Cop29), $41 million to Asian countries to help their transition to clean energy, 50 million for te matatini, $30.5 million to the Cook Islands, $63.6m for Surf Life Saving & Coastguard and $20 million for Niue energy project - on top of all this, every marae in the Country gets a new coat of paint courtesy of the Jone's and Peter's Maori slush fund - the Provincial Growth Fund and Regional Infrastructure Fund.
Several Treaty settlements were concluded in this term resulting in significant financial redress, land and new governance structures. Therein lies the fundamental problem, people born today, didn't confiscate land nor did they commit historical wrongs, modern law doesn't believe in historical guilt yet children not born yet will keep paying unless this is brought to a conclusion. The only parties considering this are ACT and NZ First.
We saw a Government that funded overseas commitments, cultural programmes, international development and treaty settlements at a time when many households are struggling to meet their basic expenses.
I am not inspired by Christopher Luxon, the coalition has achieved some changes, but it has been too cautious and too slow on matters that our underpin our democracy.
This criticism does not mean I have forgotten the record of the previous Government which unquestionably will go down as the WORST Government in our history..
VOTING MATTERS
New Zealand is at a crossroad - again.
There is a real danger in that complacency.
Elections are not won by the number of people who privately agree with you. They are won by the people who actually vote.
WHAT COULD HAPPEN?
I have serious concerns about the political direction advocated by Labour, the Greens, TOP and Te Pāti Māori.
They involve fundamental questions about constitutional authority and the relationship between the Crown and Māori. Their pro-Palestinian activism is not rational, they say they don't support Hamas however they have never said how their proposals for Palestinian recognition would address the risk of Hamas retaining armed or political power. Why is it even an issue?
The Greens, TOP and Te Pāti Māori openly support greater Māori involvement in governance. As we know Labour's previous Government pursued substantial changes involving Māori participation in public institutions and water services and embedding "Treaty obligations" into legislation which still affects us today.
The Greens propose a more generous welfare system, including higher and more individualised benefits, fewer conditions , funded in part through higher taxes on high incomes, substantial wealth and large corporations. Here's the kicker - they also propose embedding Te Tiriti obligations more deeply into government and local-government decision-making, including treating iwi and hapū as partners. Alongside this they also propose expanded legal, health and social protections for LGBTQIA+ and transgender communities, including stronger anti-discrimination provisions, rainbow-inclusive education and improved access to gender-affirming healthcare.
TOP's proposed land tax will result in a single person superannuant with their own property having a land value of $400,000 will have to pay $7000 per annum - 24% of their superannuation.
Equally dangerous is Te Pati Maori, an aggressive radical party who support expanded welfare along with a constitutional objective: shifting significant decision-making authority and resources from Crown institutions toward Māori-controlled institutions, rangatiratanga and a Te Tiriti-based constitutional structure.
These are not minor concerns, they are questions about how our country should be governed .These parties impose serious risks to democratic equality, accountability and the principle that public institutions should answer to all New Zealanders.
LABOUR'S RECORD SHOULD NOT BE FORGOTTEN
Labour left us with the biggest debt in our history, they failed on every one of their election campaign promises, Kiwibuild, poverty, homelessness, gangs, infrastructure, trains, bridges, you name it, they have failed at it.
They divided N.Z. by race, colour, rural versus town, vaccinated and unvaccinated, masked and unmasked, the employed and the unemployed, business and worker.
All they left was a run down hospital system, a corrupted education system, a bribed media and a racially divided country.
There isn't room in a short article to elaborate all of Labour's ideological failings, but we should remember what happened to our public institutions where we saw an increasing emphasis on ethnicity, cultural obligations and identity politics.
We witnessed the disastrous loss of the $100 million HMNZS \*Manawanui\* on a Samoan reef was this a consequence of a DEI appointment or inadequate training? Then serious questions arose about conflicts of interest and family connections surrounding Nanaia Mahuta's Three Waters programme,
You can't ignore the "gift" of 20% of the 5G spectrum to Maori - this wasn't a treaty settlement - it was a gift that could result in millions of dollars being transferred directly from taxpayers to Maori organisations.
Our Defence Force should concentrate on operational competence, our universities on academic excellence, and our schools on teaching history honestly and not promoting a preferred political interpretation.
Then there was Andrew Coster's leadership of the Police, a dismal failure, followed by troubling allegations involving senior police personnel.
And perhaps most concerning is the continuing influence of policies, appointments and bureaucratic structures established under Labour, long after that Government was voted out.
Labour's obscene spending can be viewed HERE
Then there is He Puapua, a plan proposing a pathway towards implementing Maori co-governance by 2040. It is a racist, almost treasonous document that was supposedly never "official" Government policy, despite this its numerous recommendations are still being implemented behind our backs.
Labour had no mandate for many of their policies and when a party operates outside of party policy and introduces legislation that they had no mandate for , then sets up a media fund to ensure that their bad policy and ineptness is never reported on is total corruption.
The $55 million journalism fund turned our mainstream media into a mouthpiece for government propaganda and we still bear the impact of this today. This was going to be extended further by putting Willie Jackson in charge of the merging of Radio NZ and TVNZ into one State-run organisation at a cost of $371 million.
You only need media support at this level when you are dishonest, incompetent and devious.
The Covid years brought extraordinary restrictions on everyday life, and the Government's approach to vaccination, mandates and public communication left lasting divisions.
Remember these statements from the COVID period:
- “We will continue to be your single source of truth.”
- “unless you hear it from us, it is not the truth.”
- “Don’t talk to your neighbours. Please keep to your bubble.”
- “It will come to people's doors and it will find the unvaccinated.”
- “We have to find the unvaccinated people before Covid-19 does.”
- “if you are not vaccinated there will be things that you miss out on, everyday things that you will miss out on.”
“That is what it is - yup.”
"I would never lie" - from her 2017 interview with Mike Hoskings
Let's not forget the Michael Woods " river of filth" quote when referring to the Parliament anti-mandate occupation.
Then add Robertson's $21 million bail out to the University of Otago, this virtually guaranteed Robertson a position as vice chancellor on $629,000 per year, he and Ardern had screwed the country financially, then he walks into this job despite no previous experience .
Last but not least - the despicable Trevor Mallard:
- 2019: False rape allegation against a parliamentary staff member, ultimately costing taxpayers approximately $330,000.
- 2019–20: Parliamentary playground project costing approximately $572,000.
- February 2022: Sprinklers and loud music directed at protesters
- 2022: Controversial trespass notices, including one against Winston Peters.
Many of these people are no longer with Labour but their style of politics continues, they are fundamentally untrustworthy socialists who will do anything to regain power and you could NEVER trust them again.
In summary, the last Labour government was unquestionably the worst Government in NZ's history. They are guilty of every sin associated with what become an evil regime. We saw nepotism, unmandated policies, reckless spending, racism, propaganda, lies, excessive control, destruction of democracy, millions spent on the employment of Public Service PR staff to protect their agenda, media bribing and censoring of social media content to conceal it's agenda, failures and lies, an education system which is more about indoctrination than learning and controls on the freedom of speech.
The reality of a Labour Greens and Te Pati Maori, TOP dominated government would be a nightmare for this country. it would destroy us socially and economically and must be avoided at all costs.
WHAT HAS THE PRESENT COALITION ACHIEVED?
In many ways the coalition has been a disappointment, in fairness they inherited a huge mess, not only financial but socially as well. But their efforts to remedy this have been half hearted, the promised review of Treaty related provisions in our legislation has seen changes to minor acts but the important ones - the Local Government Act and the Public Service Act 2020 (specifically section 14) remain unchanged. It is worth mentioning that this latter Act has special provisions relating to Maori employment - the public service belongs to all New Zealanders. It should appoint people on merit and treat citizens fairly, regardless of ancestry.
Even the plan to reduce the public service by 9000 people hasn't been actioned, a Government concerned about fiscal responsibility would have tackled that at the start of the election cycle.
Even Luxon's claim to fame, the India free trade deal hasn't remained unscathed , they had to screw that up with immigration dependencies and an ambitious $34 billion private investment target that incurs penalties if not met.
Education is one area where we are finally seeing a renewed focus on core subjects with encouraging signs of improvement. Importantly, the Government also moved to remove the requirement for school boards to give effect to Treaty obligations, putting educational achievement back at the centre of their responsibilities. Schools should be judged by how well they educate our children, not by how enthusiastically they embrace political ideology.
We kept hearing about how bad the economy is yet we see money being spent on activities that do not benefit the mainstream Kiwi . We can spend $571 million on defence, $66 million to promote te reo Maori and Maori culture onto a reluctant public, $130 million to the Ukraine, $325 million for climate change(Cop29), $41 million to Asian countries to help their transition to clean energy, 50 million for te matatini, $30.5 million to the Cook Islands, $63.6m for Surf Life Saving & Coastguard and $20 million for Niue energy project - on top of all this, every marae in the Country gets a new coat of paint courtesy of the Jone's and Peter's Maori slush fund - the Provincial Growth Fund and Regional Infrastructure Fund.
Several Treaty settlements were concluded in this term resulting in significant financial redress, land and new governance structures. Therein lies the fundamental problem, people born today, didn't confiscate land nor did they commit historical wrongs, modern law doesn't believe in historical guilt yet children not born yet will keep paying unless this is brought to a conclusion. The only parties considering this are ACT and NZ First.
We saw a Government that funded overseas commitments, cultural programmes, international development and treaty settlements at a time when many households are struggling to meet their basic expenses.
I am not inspired by Christopher Luxon, the coalition has achieved some changes, but it has been too cautious and too slow on matters that our underpin our democracy.
This criticism does not mean I have forgotten the record of the previous Government which unquestionably will go down as the WORST Government in our history..
VOTING MATTERS
New Zealand is at a crossroad - again.
Do we remain one democratic nation, where citizenship - not ancestry - determines our political rights, and every New Zealander stands equal before the law?
OR
do we go down a path towards a country where people are divided by ancestry, and some claim a special political status, with rights and entitlements, simply because their ancestors arrived first?
One country - one people, equal citizenship, equal political rights, equal treatment under the law are fundamental requirements.
Under MMP, the party vote is particularly important because it largely determines the balance of power in Parliament.
I make no secret of my disappointment with National, but I still regard them as the lesser of two evils. My hope rests with ACT and New Zealand First, both of which have shown a greater willingness to confront the difficult issues that National too often seems reluctant to tackle.
But there is a fundamental problem. If National is unwilling to support the legislation necessary to remedy these issues, ACT and New Zealand First can talk about reform until they are blue in the face - nothing will change.
That is why the balance of power within the coalition matters. Political rhetoric achieves nothing without the parliamentary numbers and the political will to turn it into law.
The moral of the story is simple:
"If you sit back and take no interest in politics, don't complain afterwards about the policies you end up with."
Graeme Spencer is a staunch New Zealander who believes in racial equality and one law for all.
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