Rodney Hide: Whatever they come up with

https://x.com/henrycooke/status/2103716319233511722?s=42

It took thirty seconds. Under a marquee, the Prime Minister was asked whether he agreed with the International Criminal Court's arrest warrant for Israel's Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.

"Yeah," said Christopher Luxon. "We support the international rules-based system, so that means we support the ICC and the ICJ. And they are the right people to make those determinations. And that's why we support whatever they come up with."

Richard Prebble Slams The Waitangi Tribunal

On The Platform in his chat with Michael Laws, Richard Prebble slams the Waitangi Tribunal and recounts his brief experience as a member. 

 

Click to view

Bob Edlin: Sovereignty and The Treaty.....

.....the Maori Party aims to nobble Parliament while ACT wants to rid NZ of the Waitangi Tribunal

The Māori Party intends undermining the sovereignty of Parliament – if it can muster the support to implement such a policy – by establishing a “Tiriti Commission” empowered to stall or challenge Government policies and bills presented to Parliament.

Furthermore, it would establish a $220 million fund for “Māori-led constitutional transformation” discussions and working groups.

Brendan O'Neill: For the love of God, stop the boats

It is a crime against sovereignty that hundreds of men are permitted to intrude on British soil every week.

Nine hundred and eleven. That’s how many people have illegally intruded into our country since Sunday. Just shy of a thousand foreigners, mostly blokes, sailed on to our shores and met not so much as a cough of opposition from border guards. An unresisted tide of newcomers washing upon a sleeping nation. It is intolerable. It is a grotesque insult to the hard-won liberty of this kingdom that armadas of men from distant, regressive lands are permitted to come, week after week after week. For the love of God, stop these boats.

Bob Edlin: Sovereignty and immunity from the law....

Sovereignty and immunity from the law – if litigant loses his appeal, maybe he could land a job on the Waitangi Tribunal

PoO failed in its efforts to establish the personal wealth of a bloke named Kemp Adrian Paerata. We did establish he hopes to increase it to the tune of $55 million, to be provided (if all goes well for him) by New Zealand taxpayers.

This Paerata bloke is described as a Taupō resident who works in wastewater treatment.

Our interest in him was triggered by news that he has lost a High Court appeal regarding a driving offence.

The Leighton Smith Podcast: Dr Muriel Newman on this year's hugely consequential general election

Leighton Smith and Dr Muriel Newman discuss the ongoing constitutional shift toward iwi influence, co-governance and race-based policies. In this election year, New Zealand is arguably facing its biggest challenge to date.

Click to listen - Audio

Clive Bibby: There is a price for sovereignty - and we don’t have much left to spend

Previous governments of all colours have from time to time waxed lyrical about the importance of maintaining independent foreign policies in the modern world.

No longer are we so tied to the UK for our very survival that there was no need to be thinking about alternative trading partners - she took everything we could produce and paid us handsomely for the privilege.

Graham Carter: Councils are Ceding Sovereignty to Iwi – This is Treason

There is a major power shift happening under our noses, as power moves from elected representatives to unelected and unaccountable iwi and hapū appointees.

We have been warned for some time now that Mana Whakahono ā Rohe agreements (MWRs) are undermining local democracy and would be sped up by captured councils and local iwi before the government passes its Resource Management Act (RMA) reforms.

Bob Edlin: A Maori leader’s comment on government funding for marae...

It’s the recognition that matters – a Maori leader’s comment on government funding for marae

Aperahama Edwards, a bigwig among the Ngatiwai, has a reputation for being strong on flexing Maori muscle and championing Maori sovereignty.

He popped up at the Far North District Council meeting last week, to speak as Chair of the Ngātiwai Trust Board and Co-Chair of Te Kahu o Taonui.

He said he was delivering a clear message:

Barrie Davis: Should I Stay or Should I Go?

If I stay there will be trouble /
If I go it will be double

Prime Minister, “Let’s face it, the country has been sliding downhill for the last 50 years regardless of which party runs Wellington” (Wayne Brown, here). The time has come when a substantial review is required. If you were to do that revision, the people of New Zealand would be more than grateful. You would take the next election easily. Here are the three necessary things to do:

Geoff Parker: Margaret Mutu and the Case Against Equal Citizenship

Why ancestry-based governance undermines democracy

In a recent appearance on Q+A, Margaret Mutu advanced arguments implying that Māori never ceded sovereignty, that New Zealand is fundamentally a Māori country, and that democratic structures should be reshaped to reflect Māori authority.

It is a powerful narrative. It is also one that collapses under constitutional scrutiny.

Geoff Parker: On the Cession of Sovereignty, the Record Is Clear

Why the Treaty Text and History Leave No Doubt

And the historical record is clearer than Paul Moon allows

Professor Paul Moon argues that the Treaty debate has become ideological, and that history offers a steadier guide than politics. That is true. But history can only perform that role when the record is examined in full. On the question of sovereignty, Moon’s analysis is disciplined in tone yet selective in substance. The clarity he claims emerges only through omission of the most explicit documentary evidence we possess.

History is not constructed from what can be plausibly inferred, but from what was written, said, understood, and acted upon at the time. When those elements are considered together, the conclusion is not ambiguous. Māori sovereignty was ceded to the Crown in 1840 — unevenly enforced, imperfectly realised, but ceded nonetheless.

Brendan O'Neill: Marine Le Pen is right about Venezuela

Why did it take a former far-right leader to spell out the danger of Trump’s intervention?


Here’s a sentence I never thought I would write – people should listen to Marine Le Pen. She might not be your cup of tea. She isn’t mine. Yet she has hands-down made the clearest, most principled comment on Washington’s venture in Venezuela. Slicing through both the hypocritical hysteria of the Maduro-sympathising left and the infantile gloating of MAGA influencers who’ve learnt to love war again, Le Pen reminds us what is at stake in this strange geopolitical blaze: the future of sovereignty itself.

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.

David Farrar: A clear line

The Herald reports:

Ngāti Hine leader Pita Tipene is ruling out a settlement under this Government after remarks made by Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith.

Goldsmith said on Tuesday the Government would not agree to Treaty settlements that disputed whether the Crown is now sovereign.

Roger Partridge: The sovereign reality and our path to nationhood

Waitangi day debates about New Zealand’s sovereignty often fixate on a single moment: the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840. This focus is understandable, given the Treaty’s significance to both Māori and the Crown.

But is this the full story of how New Zealand’s sovereignty was established? And if not, is there a way for the country to move beyond the endless arguments about sovereignty and the Treaty?

DTNZ: Chile makes Antarctica sovereignty claim

The Chilean president and defense chief visited a US base during a historic South Pole trip.

Chilean President Gabriel Boric has made history as the first Latin American leader to visit the South Pole, reaffirming Chile’s sovereignty claim over part of Antarctica.

Gary Judd KC: Schedule to Submission on Treaty Principles Bill

Schedule

1. The “principles” were introduced as a concept by the Treaty of Waitangi Act 1975. They were not defined. Commencing during the 1980s, governments started promoting legislation referring to the principles of the treaty and requiring varying degrees of adherence to the principles — e.g., not inconsistent with, take into account, have regard to, give effect to, et cetera.

Guest Post: Abraham Lincoln and the Treaty of Waitangi

A guest post by Peter Lynn published on Kiwiblog.

In 2005 I went on a pilgrimage with a group of Americans to Gettysburg, site of the pivotal battle of the American Civil War. At the climax of our visit, I was the only person willing to attempt Lincoln’s address. It was rendered in a kiwi accent with quite a bit of fudging but to sustained applause- very polite people Americans.

“Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth, upon this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal—–”

Peter Williams: A Book of Waitangi

A short radio news item caught my attention the other day.

“A copy of a new book about the Treaty of Waitangi by lawyer Roimata Smail has been gifted to every secondary school in the country. An anonymous donor has paid for Understanding Te Tiriti: a handbook of basic facts about Te Tiriti o Waitangi to be sent to the schools.”