Geoff Parker: Culture Is Not Democracy - Equal Citizenship Is

Professor Dominic O'Sullivan argues that abolishing Mana Whakahono ā Rohe Agreements "undermines democracy". In reality, the opposite is true.

No one is arguing that Māori culture should be excluded from public life. Every New Zealander is free to express their culture, advocate for their interests, and participate in democratic processes.

The issue is whether one ethnic group should enjoy statutory rights that no other citizens possess.

Pee Kay: This is a social and financial fraud of massive proportions…

It was no surprise to see the “usual suspects” swiftly turn to their harmonised friends in the MSM to condemn the coalition governments, 2025 announced, review of the Waitangi Tribunal.

“This review is not about efficiency or clarity, it is about control.”

“For nearly 50 years, the Waitangi Tribunal has played a vital role in advancing justice for Māori.”

Geoff Parker: When Did 'Consultation' Become 'Partnership'?

Lately I’ve noticed something creeping into the way government agencies talk — especially Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency.

An increasing number of projects now seem to involve “partnering with mana whenua. (Maori tribes)”

Not consulting. Not engaging. Just partnering.

That might sound like a small shift in language, but it’s doing a lot of heavy lifting.

Because here’s the simple question that doesn’t seem to get asked:

When did consultation become partnership?

Insights From Social Media: National’s ‘Service Delivery Plan’

Re National’s ‘Service Delivery Plan’ Graeme Spencer writes.

Since the inception of the "Local Water Done Well" reforms, I have always questioned what the end game is.

Forgive my scepticism, but anything involving water reform now tends to raise the hackles. After years of "improving water quality", we’ve seen millions, possibly billions, flow steadily into consultants, strategies, delivery plans, reform programmes, governance models, transition frameworks, and then revised versions of all of the above. None of this expenditure has reached our pipes, plants, or reservoirs.

JC: Waitangi Day – A Day of Pride

Waitangi Day will never bring unity. New Zealand Day just might.

In keeping with good left-wing journalistic practices, I have purposely given you a misleading headline. Well, at least partly misleading, because when I was growing up (I’m about to enter my eighth decade) it was a day of pride. New Zealand in the 1950s, soon after the end of WWII, was pretty settled, with people living in peaceful communities and one could say, to all intents and purposes, unified. I remember when two races came together on the day at Waitangi in the cause of a celebration. Can the same be said today? No. Why?

Geoff Parker: Why Hipkins’ Treaty Romanticism Divides New Zealand

Chris Hipkins’ Waitangi Day sermon in the New Zealand Herald is a carefully constructed exercise in political reassurance: warm words, borrowed Māori concepts, and a curated sense of moral superiority. What it is not, however, is a serious account of how a modern liberal democracy actually holds together — or why New Zealand is becoming more fractured, not less.

Let’s start with the basics. The country is called New Zealand. It is a civic nation with a settled name. Prior to European contact there was no Māori concept of a single nation, and no name for the country as a whole. The name New Zealand dates back to 1643, when it was formally named Nieuw Zeelandt by the Dutch. It was later anglicised to New Zealand by the British, and has remained the country’s recognised name for nearly 380 years. “Aotearoa,” by contrast, is a modern substitute, absent from the Treaty of Waitangi itself.

Peter Williams: Citizenship, Whakapapa and Equality Before the Law

Maybe second generation citizenship is worthwhile - but for everybody

The Waitangi Tribunal has recommended that citizenship by descent be extended to two generations — but only for people of Māori descent. On the surface, it presents as a technical correction to outdated law. In reality, it risks creating two classes of New Zealanders and undermining one of the foundations of modern democracy: equality before the law.

Pee Kay: Remember Kelvin Davis?

Kelvin Davis, the former teacher was first elected as a Labour list MP in 2008 after being recruited by Labour MP, Shane Jones. But Kelvin was not re-elected in 2011. Kelvin hung in there and was, again, returned to Parliament as a Labour list MP in May 2014 and went on to win the electorate of Te Tai Tokerau that September. He retained the seat in the 2017 and 2020 elections, but was defeated in the 2023 election. After briefly returning to Parliament as a list MP that year, Kelvin announced he would retire from politics on Waitangi Day, 6 February 2024.

Rob Paterson: Re-evaluating the Treaty of Waitangi - Unpacking the Myths and Realities

One Sovereignty, One Nation: The True Story and History of New Zealand

In recent discussions surrounding Māori rights and the Treaty of Waitangi, it’s crucial to separate reality from myth.

The narrative surrounding Māori claims, particularly in terms of sovereignty, partnership, and historical grievances, is often shaped by misunderstanding and misrepresentation. The truth, however, lies in examining the Treaty as it was signed in 1840, understanding the legal context of Māori claims, and rejecting the notion of separatism in favour of a unified New Zealand.

Pee Kay: Puppets or Just Uncontrollable?

 A puppeteer uses influence or manipulation to control the behaviour and messaging of the puppet. This control is often hidden, giving the impression the puppet is acting of its own free will. The reality is the puppeteer is pulling the strings and guiding puppet in the direction of the puppeteers goal or agenda.

For nearly 40 years the Waitangi Tribunal, the judiciary, academia, and successive Labour and National governments, typically for political convenience and expediency, have gradually skewed the meaning of the Treaty accepting and promoting flawed and self-interested interpretations.

Peter Williams: A Media Coup

It is one of the most significant moves in the history of the New Zealand media. In time it may be seen as one of the most important manoeuvres in our recent social history.

Ex-pat Canadian businessman Jim Grenon has bought just under ten percent of New Zealand Media and Entertainment (NZME) and now says he has the support of enough other shareholders to force a complete replacement of the company’s board.

Peter Williams: UPDATE: A Book of Waitangi

My copy of Understanding Te Tiriti: a handbook of basic facts about Te Tiriti o Waitangi arrived by post today. This is the booklet, written by lawyer Roimata Smail, which has been distributed to every secondary school in the country.

My initial response was that if this is the level of textbook and reference source that high school students are provided with these days then heaven help our future. It is barely 30 pages, is comprised of simplistic language and unsupported claims and is the kind of pamphlet that might be appropriate for children at the oldest in years 7 and 8, the intermediate school level.

Geoff Parker: The Maori circus comes to Whangarei District Council

As a Whangarei District Council (WDC) ratepayer and a staunch supporter of democracy, one law for all and racial equality I tuned into the Youtube coverage of the WDC public meeting on the 29th August 2024 which was primarily about the retention of separatist Maori Wards. (a)

The Mayor to his credit did a reasonable job of containing a potential volatile situation with a roomful of Maori ward supporters and a few New Zealanders. The Mayor stated that he had previously heard all the arguments before and this time around was hoping to hear something different - perhaps he was hoping to hear the truth?

True to form the meeting was peppered with misinformation and half truths from Maori wardist speakers, they cleverly played the race, victim, emotion and white guilt cards.

John Porter: Cometh the Hour, Cometh the Man

“Cometh the hour, cometh the man.” Generally meaning that leadership, even of one’s self, is absent and desperately needed in a time of greatest necessity, so someone is forced to step up whether they seem capable or not.

Prime Minister Luxon I think your hour has cometh!

Dr Michael Bassett: Maori push for parallel government structures

If you think there is a move afoot by the radical Maori fringe of New Zealand society to create a parallel system of government to the one that we elect at our triennial elections, you aren’t wrong.

Over the last few days we have seen calls from one or two Iwi for prior consultation with Maori before ministers submit suggestions to the fast-track consenting panel of experts who are to make recommendations back to government on how to proceed with projects caught up in the toils of our out-of-date Resource Management Act. Various loud assertions about “partnership” and Treaty rights have been made to justify Maori having separate entitlements to everyone else.

Kevin: On to the End Game

A real estate agent is facing a five-year ban after refusing to complete a compulsory short course on Maori culture and tikanga.

Janet Dickson labelled the course “woke madness” in a Facebook post and said that she was going to fight for her rights “to make sure this doesn’t happen to anyone else”.

Her refusal is based on concerns that an industry body can force its members to complete training “on a subject that is only peripherally connected to their job under threat of losing their right to work.”

JC: Is Maori Mana a Myth?

The Te Aka Maori Dictionary defines Mana and Myth as: MANA – prestige, control, power, influence, status, spiritual power, charisma – mana is a ‘supernatural force’ in a person, place or object. MYTH – the modifier (adjective) “mythical” in this example is defined as “Some mythical tales of the Pakeha should be told for pleasure.”

These meanings potentially explain the modus operandi of elite Maori, both in politics (the Maori Party, Maori MPs in the Greens and the Maori Labour Caucus) and outside (Tuku Morgan), very clearly. They highlight the spiritual power, the supernatural force in a person, place or object as an historical front for their real purpose. That purpose is to use their positions to try to exert and gain prestige, power, influence and status.

Where should the Treaty of Waitangi sit within our law?

Thomas Coughlan is joined by University of Auckland sociologist Elizabeth Rata to discuss her views on the Treaty, where it sits as a legal document.

Click image to listen

Point of Order: Buzz from the Beehive - 29/9/23

“Racism” becomes a buzz word on the campaign trail – but our media watchdogs stay muzzled when the Māori Party offends

Oh, dear. We have nothing to report from the Beehive.

At least, we have nothing to report from the government’s official website.

But the drones have not gone silent. They are out on the election campaign trail, busy buzzing about this and that in the hope of winning media attention, and winning lots of headline when they are buzzing about racism.

Mike Butler: Two Governments under tribal control

For those interested, here is a letter that was sent to the Hawkes Bay Today newspaper - which has not yet been published.

Had Neill Gordon listened during the disrupted Julian Batchelor seminar in Hastings in July, he would have learned about the current government’s co-governance plan, how it is set up to work, and that there is no reference to partnership in the Treaty of Waitangi.