NZ Centre for Political Research

This week's poll asks:

Does New Zealand need a new constitution?

*Thank you Dr. Elizabeth Rata for a POWERFUL Message. Sandra

*The present constitution applies to ALL New Zealanders, no matter their race. It must NOT favour just the one race seeking to take dominance. Robina

*We certainly do not need a constitution that favours one race over ant other. Or for that matter, allows the bestowal of special consideration and privilages to one or more groups of people over others. The reason is that this type of action would promote civil war in our country. Neil

*Certainly not a racist constitution like the one currently being considered by our sadly misguided government. Les

*NZ has had a written constitution since 1852 and it is being considered to change this to the Bolivian constitution.
Bolivia has deemed private property to belong to the community, resulting in home and car owners renting back what used to be their own property. Rental proceeds are split 50/50 between Gvt and indigenous peoples.
Tribal law now rules there, each individual tribe deciding what their laws might, or might not, be even though some tribes consist of 30 or 40 people. George

*This Key Government has and continues to let New Zealanders down which will have enduring ramifications like the Seabed and Foreshore legislation and will ensure we are racially divided for ever. God help our children and their children. Show some bloody spine Key!!!!!! Peter

*At present NZ has no upper chamber in govenment nor do we have a written constituion. Any govenment can change our constitutional rights by a simple majority vote "under urgency". This is totally unsatisfactory. Changes of this kind should need a 67% majority vote. Alan

*When the majority of NZ'rs voted in National they were looking for fair and equal goverance. The wheeling and dealing and rubbing of noses between Maori and National behind closed doors is obseen. Will we ever know when deal has beed done with Maori and Crown energy shares? Vern

*It is wrong to divide our nation, racially. There should not be separate votes for Pakeha & Maori. Waitangi will always be entrenched in our constitution. To change this, or slant it 1 Way would be wrong. David

This week's poll asks:

Does New Zealand need a new constitution?

*Certainly not one that has the current panel in control. Maurice

*Why waste time on a new constitution whenthe priority of this Government is supposed to be reducing the debt? Mary

*Everyone talks of rights but I have yet to see a definitive list of the actual rights of NZ citizens. Is such a list available and where can it be found? Bernie

*I am horrified at the implications. I doubt that I would trust anyone on that panel. Baxter

*Definitely not if it is based on a poorly worded, poorly understood piece of paper called "The Treaty of Waitangi". The Treaty is almost exclusively interpreted to favour Maori and one can only imagine the ludicrous claims and so-called Maori rights which would be forced upon all New Zealanders under such a Constitution. Doug

*But referendum should be made binding on the government to protect the wishes of the majority of New Zealanders rather than be at the mercy of the few but ever present and loud minotities. John

*As in the UK, we are well served by a set of documents that have evolved over the past 2 centuries and I see no need to abrogate or supplant any of these with a new and binding document. Desmond

*Does New Zealand need a new Constitution?
Should not the question be re-phrased “Does New Zealand need its FIRST Constitution?”
The answer is of course a resounding “Yes”. But how first all, do we frame this Constitution?. Is it set in Stone? by following the American example? Or do we make it flexible for modern conditions, and if so, how flexible do we write it without destroying the original concept?
For a Constitution is as much as to protect the individual from the power of the State as it is to determine how a workable and practical that Constitution can operate.
To quote Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes
“A Constitution is made for people of fundamentally differing views.”
This being the case then, there are to be no British New Zealanders, no Samoan New Zealanders, no Dutch New Zealanders, no Tongan New Zealanders, and no Maori New Zealanders, just simply New Zealanders. Really so simple with no ethnic, economic or any individual and or/other privileges to clutter up the system.
Having got a Constitution comes the really hard part....How do we protect our Constitution without the benefit of a senate/upper house which remains the last line of defence against those who would, for our benefit, alter and make “easier laws”.!
There is the rather hard act to follow, that of marrying our “New” Constitution with our existing Bill of Rights. And a further complication in the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous People which Prime Minister Key signed on our behalf without the bother of consulting the people of New Zealand. (The one exception which was not a surprise, being Maori).
Finally who is going to frame this Constitution?, the legal profession has to be involved, but in these sophisticated days unlike the 1770’s, a few ardent individuals with few pretentions to greatness or high office are unlikely to be included.
One might end with a couplet from the Poet Alexander Pope:-
“For forms of Government let fools contest. Whate’er is best administered is best”.
Should give heart to our bureaucracy. Brian

*Certainly not if it panders to particular social (and unsocial) groups. Peter

*It's time the "maorification" of NZ stopped. It's time someone stepped in and said "enough is enough". Barbara

*Politicians keep your hands of OUR constitution!!! Nick

*I am sick of this Govt always conceding to demands from the Maori party who are just for what Maori can squeeze out of the rest of the country and have little or no concern about the future development of NZ. It is no wonder more people are leaving NZ than new arrivals coming here to live. Arthur

*This is yet another continuation of racist law changes which dicriminate against any New zealand Citizen that is not of Maori Descent - It is about time that our "elected leaders" listened to the people that pay their wages!! Mark

*If all we have at the moment is the Treaty of Waitangi, then we perhaps could do with a new constitution which is crystal clear, and not so open to (mis)interpretation. Sheila

*We need to be one people.No race should have special privileges. Simple as that! Valerie

*2 make us one people not a brown elite. Christopher

*Not at this time. Distrust of politicians of all persuasions has never been higher than it has been in the last 15 - 20 years. We cannot trust them to draw a straight line let alone tie us up with a constitution;specially a constitution with that has been engineered by Maori and/or by their sympathisers. Frank

This week's poll asks:

Does New Zealand need a new constitution?

*It muddles along fairly qwell at present, all things considered. Hugh

*Like another nail in the coffin. Bruce

*Certainly not in the format that is currently being engineered. There may be a case for a written NON-RACIAL constiution and this could be a secondary aim if opposition kills the present attempt to impose a racially based constitution. Victor

*I think the whole matter is very confusing and causes people to become afraid. New Zealand does not need another constitution. We just need people to become more responsible, to accept that we have obligations as citizens of New Zealand. To deal fairly with all men. Phyllis

*We need to focus on economic/productive performance. Pete

*Stop pandering to a greed ridden minority. A people who, from the time they are born, spend their life, taking everything the European Society has established , dole, D.P.B. etc and whining for the past. Linda

*Sick of the race based priveleges creeping in to all sectors of society, alarmingly the political clout these iwi now carry is well established. Tracy

*One law for all. Peter

*One law for all baning racial seperatism. Keith

*Our present constitution (like Britain's) has grown to include the basic requirements of a free state. It is clear that any tampering would be at the ehest of those who require only their own sectional interests.(e.g. Maori). Douglas

*There is nothing wrong with the original one which is tried and tested. Don't mess with it. John

*More power for judges will lead to disaster. Bruce

*But as one people, one Flag, one acceptable language and with no reference to the treaty, all on an equal footing. Bill

*Councillors need to be more accountable. In this day and age there is a need more now than ever for referendums. We have the technology to do it but Councillors are afraid they will be made fools of. Bill

*Do away with all Maori Departments. Just NZ only for all. Maurice

This week's poll asks:

Does New Zealand need a new constitution?

*Many kiwi's fought and lost their lives to protect what we have. I think it appalling the government will even contemplate changing our constitution in this manner. Brent

*Where did this come from. I am old enough to remember that we do not have a 'constitution'. What a mess our government has got us into. The real trouble is the impending 'one world government' that is being constructed via the 'climate change meetings. Check this out!! Do not just not believe me. The one world government is not coming from the UN. The UN are just pupets of the real power! Our government is a pupet to the UN because of the gravy train that this allows for them!!! It is a very sorry situation - but - even God will allow a certain amount of it - so there. Ian

*It needs a new and fair government ... not run by the current self-centred fat-cat politicians who are milking and ruining our fabulous country. Walter

*NO - especially a constitution arrived at by grubby little deals with the Maori party and their adherents. Time after time, National are selling the citizens of NZ out, largely just to keep the Maori party's support. And they are doing it again. Saltwater Lodge enquiry: to the people must not allow this to happen. John

*I was amazed when my son showed me the "new" version of Maori history being taught today, apparently these were peace loving people only driven to warriordom after the arrival of the evil whites, seems they adjusted to killing each other almost as quickly as they have learned to milk the gravy train, can't quite figure out why they are proud of their warrior past when apparently they weren't, and the Moriori? Don’t even go there. John

*Yes, but not the one that Iwi & all other collectivist/Acadamia slime are thinking of. NZ should become a Constitutional Republic (not a Democracy) with a Constitution that is soley about protecting the rights & freedom of the smallest minority - the Individual, while limiting Government to it's only moral function of Law & Order & Defence. If this is set up & written correctly, this would be the only (the Constitution) representation people would need. We wouldn't need the idiots/criminals in Parliment carrying out their usual auction of future stolen goods to get into power. Denis

*It's not broke so don't fix it! Stella

*After listening to the biased debate of constitutional review (if that is what you would call it) I fear NZers will be swept up in the poetic ideologies of a few academics with out questioning/comprehending the full implications on the micro and macro level. We are NOT the same people we were 200 years ago. Our political structure is NOT the same as it was 200 years ago and many of our laws are NOT what they were 200 years ago. We are now living in a country where we are dictated to globally just as much as we are nationally. The results of this is the financial and legislative demands on living and buisness which are excessive and unsustainable and greets many industrious attempts to get ahead by demanding huge financial input and legislations that make the ventures boarderline unworthy of effort and risk. I.e Food Bill, new Building licences that are about to be brought in, RMA, ETS to name a mere few that come to mind. We are carrying too much legislative and finacial weight to afford the on going unrealistic burdens of Treaty obligations which we know damn well will impact on every thing we do or try to do. We need to get our power back and demand a less oppressive and obstructive system than the one we live in now before we are totally diminished to the status of 'slave' to the state and Iwi. The big question is how the HELL we go about achieving it? Trina

*Why change something that is not broken. Sonia

*Leave things as they are. Peter

*No but if we did we do not need an apartheid constitution like the one being foisted upon us. Just look at the review of MMP where someone (no-one care who)has decided that we can have opinions on anything except the major items.(the number of Mp's and the the question of maori seats in parliament)The slow revolution is already happening and before we realise it we will be a racist state. But no-one outside NZ will care because the right-coloured people will be in charge. John

*We do not need a change of constitution, The Treaty of Waitangi should have been burn years ago it was only a document for 1840 the Maori have no more rights to any thing than any one else after all the are imagrants like the rest of our early settlers it is good to see where Doug Graham is now after what he instituted back in the early ninties come on we are all one in this country. Russell

*We just need to protect and enforce the one we already have. Lech

*This country is seperatist in favour of maori and racist in favour of maori im sick to death of hearing poor maori they are better of than anyone. Jesse

*How long will we not REALISE that this is John key at his worst, trying to garner favour (and votes) from Maoridom at the expense of 85% of New Zealanders!!! Lee

*Absolutely NOT .... and especially not one weighted and influenced toward Maori or any other specific race or culture! Michael

This week's poll asks:

Does New Zealand need a new constitution?

*Not a Maori one, but it does need one to protect individuals against local and central government! Tom

*But not this one they are cooking up. We need one that deletes Maori seats. Norm

*We do need electoral reform ban maori seats and change mmp party votes to be on a pro rata basis ie 10% of votes 10% of the list seats. Sorry minor parties but the st ligue gives to much power to racialists. Mike

*Yes but only if it is based upon equality and not race. Robert

*We have given more than enough clout to the maori, and what have we had in return??? Are we not supposed to be of one nation, they want there own everything, who's secregating who here ???? Debra

*Well for some of us...yes. But on reading one of the Sunday papers the other day, there was a picture of National Party Ministers, Hekia Parata, Paula Bennett and Judith Collins. When I saw it I was reminded of what could possibly be an interpretation by Rubens of his version of The Vast Supper. Indeed none of the above seemed to have any problems with their constitutions dimples and all. As for us well we will just have to get on with taking the cake. Wiremu

*BUT, if it did, just delete Treaty of Waitangi, every NZ resident Equal, save $milllions. Peter

*WTF? This execrable RACIST moari STUPIDITY has to stop. We already have a constitution (Constitution Act 1986). We don't need another one. And we most certainly don't need even more RACIST moari APARTHEID. It's a great pity the British didn't do to the RACIST moari what they did to the Mori-Ori: chase them off to the Chatham Islands with their knives and forks at the ready. Mark

*IN ANY CONSTITUTION ALL MUST HAVE EQUAL RIGHTS. Graeme

*We need to become a Republic and make the Treaty of Waitangi irrelevant to the New Government. Then the Maori people can take their grievances up with the British Government. David

*Not necessary. Why change that which is not broken? Errol

This week's poll asks:

Does New Zealand need a new constitution?

*No, we don't need a new constitution. And we certainly don't need to give the Treaty any special status. Mick

*The constitution we have now is working well. It doesn't need to be changed. But what should be changed is the Maori seats should be scrapped, and the Waitangi Tribunal should be disestablished. There are obviously the power base of a radical sovereignty movement. The sooner they are gone, the sooner this country can start to forge a future as one people. Trish

*I used to think it would be good to have a new constitution, but now I know that it would give judges superior power and could enshrine racial division, I have gone off the idea - big time! Peter

*Not a Maori one, but it does need one to protect individuals against local and central government! Tom

*Why is National going along with the the agenda of the sovereignty activists - do they really want the Treaty in a new constitution? Don't they realise what it would do the country? Are they misguided or just plain naive and dumb??? Andrew