Guest Post: One Thing Leads to Another

A guest post on No Minister by Kerry Butler

When those in positions of power enact a policy that is meant to be “limited” to specific groups involving exceptional circumstances, such benevolence invariably ends up extending beyond the original intent.

We‘ve witnessed a classic example of this incremental creep in Welfare.

Maori Activists are very aware of the fact that when they push for “special” treatment of whatever sort for Maoridom, that’s really just about getting their foot in the door, i.e. knowing that it will lead to more.

Dr Muriel Newman On The Passing Of The Marine And Coastal Amendment Bill

On The Platform, Sean Plunket talks to Muriel Newman about the passing of the Marine and Coastal Amendment Bill.


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Matua Kahurangi: If Māori are the experts of the moana, why are their drowning rates so high?

The other day I wrote about Green Party figure Celia Wade-Brown, who claimed Māori wards are necessary because Māori “know the rivers, whenua and sea.” It was the usual Green Party sermon, Māori as the all-knowing guardians of nature and the rest of us as too colonised to understand a high tide.

Then I stumbled across an article about Ngātiwai rangatira Aperahama Edwards, claiming the Government has no authority to make it harder for Māori to win customary marine title to the foreshore and seabed. Another familiar refrain: we are the experts of the moana, so give us ownership and control.

John McLean: The Supreme Court empire strikes back

New Zealand’s Supremo Judges have launched their latest salvo on the Foreshore & Seabed Front of New Zealand’s War for Constitution Supremacy. We’re talking here about the ongoing uncivil War pitting the Judiciary against successive elected Governments, on which I have previously published:

David Farrar: Disinformation from Te Pati Maori

Te Pati Maori in a burp of disinformation declared Eric Crampton as the policy mind between the Foreshore & Seabed law and Marine and Coastal Area law. Of course once again the media largely ignore the fact they just tell blatant lies.

Fiona Mackenzie: Is National The Red Under The Bed?

New Zealanders who long to see our country recover from the Labour Government’s devastation (2017-2023) and once again become a beacon of innovation and achievement have been heartened by National’s current goals: getting the books back in the black, restoring international relations, and refocusing education so that children learn to read, write and do arithmetic.

Unfortunately, some recent developments suggest a continuing of Labour’s anti-democratic agenda, as epitomised by the He Puapua manifesto. And the previous National Government is not innocent either. While dyed-in-the-wool blue supporters may not want to admit it, many separatist, anti-democratic policies were put in place by former Prime Minister John Key and his Attorney-General Chris Finlayson— “a very clever lawyer”. Among the most glaring examples of apartheid policies from their nine-year tenure were:

Roger Partridge: Supreme Court’s rush to judgment is a constitutional wake-up call

Has the Supreme Court once again stepped outside its lane? A recent ruling about who controls our coastlines suggests our highest court is trying to reshape laws made by Parliament, rather than just apply them.

Even more concerning is the Court’s extraordinary haste in delivering its judgment, just as Parliament prepared to debate changes to the law. This judicial activism should concern every New Zealander.

David Farrar: So will they call the Supreme Court racist names now?

The Herald reports:

The Supreme Court has ruled the majority of the Court of Appeal “erred” in a major decision that ultimately eased the test for Māori to gain customary rights for use of the foreshore and seabed.

Dr Muriel Newman: Is The Foreshore And Seabed Ruling A Hollow Victory?

Dr Muriel Newman explains the latest Supreme Court's judgement about the foreshore and seabed on The Platform.

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Professor Robert MacCulloch: Maybe NZ's Minister of Justice is Right......

Maybe NZ's Minister of Justice is Right. When Parliament Can't Make Laws, the people have no choice but to take the Law into their Own Hands.

Not so long ago, the Labour Party's Deputy PM Sir Michael Cullen stated in no uncertain terms in Parliament that sovereignty was ceded in the Treaty of Waitangi. According to his Labour Party, "The power of the NZ Parliament to change the law is central to the exercise of sovereignty and therefore the contemporary exercise of Article One of the Treaty". That was in 2004. He did so in the context of the Foreshore & Seabed Act. Now current Labour Leader Chris Hipkins has formally contradicted him and stated the opposite in Parliament, saying “Māori didn’t cede sovereignty in signing the Treaty”.

Mike's Minute: The Goldsmith scandal is no scandal

It was never five percent, it was always spit balling.

Paul Goldsmith as Treaty Negotiations Minister is in a meeting with the seafood people, who are not happy about their lack of input into the government's foreshore plan to revert a court ruling back to the original intent of the law as passed in 2011.

Goldsmith, it was reported, said customary title will drop to 5 percent. 1News fell over themselves breathlessly reporting this as some sort of scandal on Sunday.

Dr Don Brash: Who is misleading the public?

A letter signed by more than 170 legal “experts” has been circulated around the media in the last few days and quoted extensively. Unfortunately, I have not been able to locate the letter in its entirety but have gathered some quotes.

The letter claims to fact check Hobson’s Pledge’s ad which was published on the front and inside page of the Herald last week. However, this group of alleged “experts” appear to have analysed the law as they wish it to be rather than what it is.

Consequently, I am going to fact check them back.

NZCPR Founder Dr Muriel Newman on Changes to Foreshore & Seabed Ownership

Sean Plunket talks to NZCPR founder Muriel Newman on the Platform about the changes to foreshore and seabed ownership.

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Geoff Parker: An Urgent Moratorium On Race-based Policies And Preferences

Open Letter To:

 
The Rt Hon Christopher Luxon, Prime Minister - Christopher.Luxon@parliament.govt.nz

The Rt Hon Winston Peters, Deputy Prime Minister - Winston.Peters@parliament.govt.nz

The Hon David Seymour, Leader of the Act Party - David.Seymour@parliament.govt.nz

The Hon Shane Jones, Deputy Leader of NZ First Party - Shane.Jones@parliament.govt.nz

AN URGENT MORATORIUM ON RACE-BASED POLICIES AND PREFERENCES

Dear Ministers,