Lawrie Knight: Fact checking Waitangi Tribunal claims

Evidence that Northern Maori knew they were ceding sovereignty to the Crown when they signed the Treaty of Waitangi - fact checking the Waitangi Tribunal 2014 findings and the 2023 findings released on the 8^th of December 2023.

The Waitangi Tribunal has stated in it's 2014 inquiry into Te Paparahi o Te Raki, that the Māori who signed the Treaty in the Bay of Islands and Hokianga in 1840, never ceded their sovereignty to the Crown, nor did they cede their authority to make and enforce laws over their people and territories. This view has been confirmed in the 2023 Waitangi Tribunal report dealing with Northern Maori claims.

Barry Brill: Co-Governance Is Not Affirmative Action

Our electronic media have thoroughly confused both themselves and their audiences over David Seymour’s speech calling for a referendum on the principle of ‘one law for all’.

Both Patrick Gower and Tova O’Brien quickly lambasted the very idea of a referendum. Although both tirades were mostly ad hominem vitriol, they both found time to laud the virtues of positive discrimination – or “affirmative action” as it is called in the US.

Gower cited the statistical disparity in the life expectancies of New Zealanders of different ethnicities, somehow ascribing this to a lack of Co-Governance.

Of course, he didn’t cite any authorities or even put forward any sort of argument. It was enough to simply disgorge a welter of his own ethnic prejudices and hope there would be lots of Newshub viewers who share his bigotry.

Dr Lawrie Knight: Fact checking Māori health claims that led to the Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Bill

A decision has been made by government to create a separate Health Service for Māori based on Waitangi Report 2575 (Ref 15) and the Te Ora Report (Ref 1).

Māori doctors and health leaders have called the New Zealand health system "systemically racist" primarily contributing to poor Māori health and reduced Māori longevity.

The four most common claims made are: