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NZCPR CAMPAIGNS
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Mike Butler
Voter apathy appears to be the not-so-secret weapon that the Local Government Commission seems to rely on in local government amalgamations proposed for Hawke’s Bay, Northland, and Wellington. If no one objects a transition to amalgamation is self-starting.
The Auckland Council is campaigning to ban domestic open fireplaces and old wood burners by claiming that such fires result in the premature deaths of 110 persons every year even though evidence for such deaths does not exist.
Dirty politics from the Left during the current New Zealand general election campaign obscures policy at a time when the issue of wealth or poverty and how to get there should be critical.
The current National-led government has been by far the most generous with treaty settlements, having paid out $1.22-billion over six years, and is pushing for as many signed agreements as possible before the September 20 election.
Decisions loom on two politically motivated warrant of fitness schemes for our 480,000 rental properties, both of which could make housing less available and more expensive to the poorest people in New Zealand.
An analysis of submissions to the Constitutional Advisory Panel obtained under the Official Information Act reveal a deep opposition to treaty politics that was obscured in the panel’s report to government in December.
A polite “thank you but no thank you” was the official response to a request for a meeting with Ministers Bill English and Pita Sharples to discuss constitutional issues detailed in the report A House Divided. Did the Iwi Leader’s Group get to discuss such issues directly with the government? No and yes! The next meeting is on Wednesday at Waitangi and constitutional issues may be on the agenda.
The latest Treaty Transparency report shows that with a total of 60 treaty settlements more or less completed and at least 23 under negotiation, a total of $2.23-billion has been agreed upon and largely transferred. According to the OTS progress report, the settlement process is probably less than half way through.
Information surrounding treaty settlement transfers is not easy to access, so few New Zealanders really appreciate the extent of the public resources that have been given away. Mike Butler's new NZCPR Report rectifies the situation with a comprehensive analysis of treaty settlements to date.
A conspicuous absence in the Constitutional Advisory Panel’s “conversation” is debate about the role of the Waitangi Tribunal, a body that exerts disproportionate influence over public life. The Waitangi Tribunal is the “elephant in the room”.
