The Coalition Government says it is moving with speed to deliver campaign promises and reverse the damage done by Labour.
One of their key commitments is to “defend the principle that New Zealanders are equal before the law.” To achieve this, they have pledged they “will not advance policies that seek to ascribe different rights and responsibilities to New Zealanders on the basis of their race or ancestry.”
All parties have also agreed undefined ‘principles’ of the Treaty will be removed from legislation.
With that in mind, let’s examine two recently announced Coalition initiatives – the first a Bill to fast-track major infrastructure projects, and the second a proposed Bill to restore local body petition rights.
The Fast-track Approvals Bill has been designed to provide a faster pathway through the consent process for major infrastructure projects. It is now in front of a Select Committee and open for submissions until 19 April – see HERE.
A critical part of that reform is the appointment of expert panels to assess projects and recommend to Ministers whether or not they should proceed. Section 3 of Schedule 3 of the Bill provides details of their makeup. It stipulates that up to four people can be appointed, and it specifies two of these positions – one must be nominated by “iwi authorities” and another by “local authorities”.
Additionally, Section 7 (1) outlines the skills needed for panel members, with (c) specifying “an understanding of the Treaty of Waitangi and its principles” and (d) “an understanding of tikanga Maori and matauranga Maori.”
While it is appropriate that iwi, along with all other groups that may have an interest in a project, are invited to make submissions on proposals, it is completely inappropriate that race-based organisations will be given privileged status on panels.
Furthermore, with local government now committed to closer partnerships with iwi, the panel membership – as specified in the Bill – is likely to deliver an iwi veto.
For a Government committed to equal rights that has pledged not to advance policies “that ascribe different rights and responsibilities to New Zealanders on the basis of race”, including iwi appointees on panels represents a gross betrayal.
Nor is it acceptable for this legislation to include any reference to Treaty “principles” given the Coalition’s commitment to remove them from legislation.
This a very serious matter – if the public cannot trust the Coalition to deliver on its core commitment to removing racial privilege and rebuilding a society where equality of all citizens before the law prevails, then their promises are not worth the paper they are written on.
Section 3 of Schedule 3 of the Bill, and Section 7, part (1) (c) and (d), and part (2) – must be removed from this Bill during the Select Committee process, to ensure the Coalition’s commitment to equal rights for all New Zealanders prevails.
On the face of it, the second Coalition initiative – a Bill to restore local body petition rights – represents a major step towards repairing democracy and removing the race-based privilege that Labour imposed onto society without a mandate.
Petition rights were a constitutional safeguard inserted into the Local Electoral Act by Helen Clark’s Labour Government in 2002 to prevent councils from attempting to change the electoral system for their own advantage. They were only applicable in situations that involved changing the voting system – firstly, switching between STV voting and First Past the Post, and secondly, establishing Maori Wards, since that required the introduction of the Maori electoral roll.
In both cases, a petition signed by 5 percent of voters could trigger a binding referendum that could overturn a council decision. Where communities have been given the opportunity to decide for themselves whether they want Maori wards, the vast majority have rejected being divided by race.
Jacinda Ardern’s Labour Government abolished petition rights in early 2021 after winning the right to govern alone. They completely disregarded the convention that decisions of a constitutional nature – such as the abolition of petition rights – should be subject to a democratic vote. Instead, by passing retrospective legislation under urgency, they thwarted nine petitions that were already underway in communities around the country, and opened the floodgates for Maori Wards.
At the time, the Herald’s Chief Political Reporter Audrey Young was scathing about Labour’s deceit: “The Government has made a strong case for abolishing local voters’ ability to overturn a council’s decision to establish a Maori ward. So it is unforgivable that Labour did not put it in its 2020 election manifesto. Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta foreshadowed the move within weeks of the election. It was clearly on Labour’s agenda all along. It may be a divisive issue but there is no excuse for Labour having hidden it at the election. No doubt Labour feared it could strengthen the arm of Act or, more importantly, of New Zealand First and did not want to take the risk of saying what it wanted to do in case the issue cost it votes.”
In announcing petition rights will be restored, the Minister of Local Government, Simeon Brown explained: “The Government will introduce a Bill in the coming months that will restore the ability for communities to petition their councils to hold binding polls on Maori ward decisions. This will include holding binding polls on wards that were established without the ability for local referendums to take place.”
He described how affected councils will be required to either disestablish their Maori wards now or hold a binding poll alongside the 2025 elections – to take effect in 2028.
While this announcement appears to fulfil a major election promise made by all three Coalition partners, the experience of the Fast-track Approvals Bill means we will now have to wait to see the legislation’s fine print before expressing outright support.
As expected, the response from Local Government New Zealand was negative, with President Sam Broughton claiming it was “complete overreach”, even though the policy had been well-signalled.
In calling community-driven referenda “a skewed version of democracy that isn’t used to determine any other wards or constituencies, just Maori ones” and stating petition rights should “either apply to all wards or none at all”, the President demonstrated an astonishing ignorance of facts and the importance of the constitutional veto in local government democracy.
He explained LGNZ believes iwi should be key players in Maori ward decisions, claiming “Councils make these decisions based on feedback from their communities and iwi representatives.” That councils consult their communities over Maori wards, is patently untrue. It is iwi who now call the shots.
In fact, one wonders who LGNZ is actually representing these days. While they claim to stand up for local councils, they happily accepted government funding to promote Maori co-governance and Three Waters, against the wishes of many of their members.
The LGNZ website indicates they see their future as partners with iwi: “Building on the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, we are committed to establishing robust partnerships between local government and Iwi Maori. Our goal is to ensure that these partnerships are grounded in genuine understanding, respect, and collaboration. By working closely with Iwi Maori, we aim to foster a shared vision for a future where Maori tikanga, values, and perspectives are integral to decision-making processes at the local level.”
With the organisation clearly ‘captured’ by the iwi elite, it is little wonder that council members are increasingly considering withdrawing their support from LGNZ.
The LGNZ President also boasted, “We now have the highest representation of Maori elected members in local government ever.”
He’s not wrong. As a result of the on-going pressure on councils from Labour and iwi to adopt Maori wards, Maori are now seriously over-represented in local government.
Back in 2020 a LGNZ survey showed the proportion of Maori elected to local authorities was 13.5 percent – virtually identical to the 13.7 percent of Maori in the adult population according to the 2018 census.
This means that before Labour abolished petition rights, there was no under representation of Maori in local government. All of the claims about barriers to Maori representation were deliberate lies. There was no need to introduce Maori wards because Maori were quite capable of getting themselves elected in general wards.
However, as a result of Labour opening the floodgates, the number of councils with Maori wards exploded from 3 to 35, and Maori representation has blown out to 21.6 percent.
That means Maori are now grossly over-represented in local government – just as they are in central government.
While the restoration of petition rights will help to restore democracy and proportionality in local government, the real answer is to remove race-based representation altogether, since there’s no longer any need to provide a helping hand to get Maori elected – they are quite capable of doing so themselves.
As could be expected, the Government’s petition rights announcement received widespread coverage. Yet, in spite of it being a good news story about democracy, virtually all of the mainstream media coverage was negative.
There was no mention that petition rights are an electoral safeguard, and that their return will restore a democratic right that had been unconstitutionally stripped away by Labour. Nor was there any mention that the widespread introduction of Maori Wards had led to a dangerous over-representation of Maori in local government.
Instead, their negative reporting simply reinforced the perception that a serious pro-Maori bias has infected the mainstream media ever since Labour’s $55 million Public Interest Journalism Fund tied funding to the favourable reporting of Maori issues.
Public disillusionment with the media was on display in the latest AUT Trust in News survey, which showed New Zealanders’ trust in the mainstream media has plummeted from 53 percent in 2020, to 33 percent in 2024.
The proportion of those who actively avoid the news has increased to 75 percent from 69 percent last year, in spite of interest in the news remaining high at 72 percent.
The report states around 87 percent believe the news is biased and unbalanced, 82 percent believe it reflects the political leaning of the newsroom, 76 percent regard the news as too opinionated, and only 27 percent believe the news media is independent of undue political influence most of the time.
There are also claims of too much sensationalism, too much Maori language, and too much coverage of Maori issues.
Given the current financial difficulties being faced by the industry, they should take heart in the fact that Kiwis are still hungry for news – just not the misinformation that’s currently being dished out due to the way the media are self-censoring.
This issue of censorship is also a major concern of this week’s NZCPR Guest Commentator, the former Judge and Law Lecturer Anthony Willy, who explains:
“Censorship comes in many forms, some subtle and some not so but the overall effect is the same, some person, or group does not want you to exercise your freedom of choice and speech on a given topic. The reason for this is always the same – it is because in saying what you think contrary to the view of others you impinge on the personal interests of those whose views you are criticising. This in turn affects their privilege, power and in our market economy their ability to accumulate wealth.”
He’s not wrong.
As a result of widespread censorship preventing people from speaking out and raising their concerns publicly, New Zealand has become victim to a sinister attempt by a well-funded Maori elite to enrich themselves by gaining control of democratic power and public resources.
Using the pretence they are a Treaty partner, Labour progressed their agenda at lightning speed to the point where it now infects all areas of society.
The Coalition was elected not only to stop their influence but to remove it altogether. Will they honour their promises to protect equal rights and rebuild democracy – or are they too being ‘captured’ by iwi?
The Fast-track Approvals Bill signals the latter.
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THIS WEEK’S POLL ASKS:
*Do you believe iwi and councils should have dedicated seats on the four-person panels convened to review major infrastructure projects under the Fast-track Approvals Bill?
*Poll comments are posted below.
*All NZCPR poll results can be seen in the Archive.
THIS WEEK’S POLL COMMENTS
| This government isis backtracking on it’s pre-election promised .Chris Luxton is not going to be strong enough | Geoffrey |
| Why should they? | Denis |
| Hell no. | Mark |
| Absolutely against any party of New Zealanders segregated. We are equall Get rid of Maori Seats in Parliament – should have happened at same time as NZ went MMP !!!!! | Julz |
| NO..NO..NO…. Racial preference has to END NOW… before it destroys our Nation. RACIST LAWS MUST END!!! | David |
| No absolutely not ! | John |
| Absolutely not! What a travesty! | Steve |
| No race should get preferential treatment. Qualifications should rule. The 1% radical part maori are New Zealands biggest road blocks and money pits. Sick and tired of paying out for these bludgers and their fairy tales. | Kevan |
| Equal rights to all NZ Citizens. 1 people not 2. | Rod |
| No way and a broken promise. Unfortunately National are way too soft on equal rights | David |
| What’s Fast Track about getting iwi involved? Frankly, I am sick of their opinions and meddling. Will they be happy when the nation collapses? | Monica |
| Not what we voted for. Nothing that is race-based thanks. | Ian |
| Undemocratic. Broken promises by National. | Frank |
| The question is too narrow but no. I am not sure that a four person panel is sufficient, but some kind of local representation is indeed necessary. | Paul |
| Too open to abuse. | Barry |
| Definitely No | Anthony |
| National campaigned on getting rid of the racist privilege before the election , so it should follow through with these promises. If this is bought into law the Fast-Track approvals bill will work much better | Chris |
| Never. | alan |
| In general no. A seat on such should be determined by ones skill set not by ethnicity. | gale |
| Not bloody likely the vote should be demorcratic and up to ratepayers . | Barry |
| This is outragious. Iwi just after power and money. 100% NO. Our coalition has lost the plot. Come on David and Winston get this sorted. National has broken their promises. | Allan |
| We are all new zealanders | Beverley |
| Once again it seems members of Parliament are swayed by Maori agitators to conveniently forget why they voted into Power. | Allan |
| Coalition needs to honour its electioneering promise! | Allan |
| Why is IWI and Councils being put separately, are we not all one nation, no gets a free ride. Seats on whatever committees or Councils or whatever everyone eligible should have to be voted in not given a free seat. | Barbara |
| Definitely not | David |
| No special Iwi seats | Chris |
| it entrenches Maori privilege | Graham |
| Racist and undemocratic. FULL STOP. | Doug |
| Nothing shold ever be race-based | Michael |
| Maori have the same ability as we all do to submit to select committees on matters that they think may affect them. | Ray |
| Absolutely NOT! | Linda |
| Overall ‘No’ but elected council members probably a ‘Yes’ but iwi a ‘No’ and ‘No’ to Chinese, Indian, European or any other minority based on race. | David |
| Three of the four should be Engineers, with a strong knowledge of the type of project in hand. The other should be there to ensure no laws are contravened. Both local councils and iwis have vested interests and a very low level of competence. They have no place on these panels. | TOBY |
| It’s still race based preference, and is still racist, the fast-track bill sounds dodgy, as well….. how will it work?? Will they FAST-TRACK EVERYTHING?? | David |
| Until a full Restructure of the Public Service is done not much will change.The same Ministers that caused 6 years of damage are still there .REPLACE THEM. Has this govt. got the courage? | Colin |
| Racist and undemocratic | David |
| Why should this be so? The treaty was the basis of a British takeover. Once enough chiefs endorsed the treaty then this merely confirmed the takeover and all peoples living in New Zealand became British subjects under the same British law that applied in the UK at the time. Maori are not a unique ethnicity in this world and were certainly not the sort of people who were gentle and kind when it came to their warfare. The British were very brave to try and civilise the natives and it seems is still a never ending job in today’s world. | geoff |
| this is an about turn by the coalition government which advocated that Maori wards should be subject to a referendum. Iwi on fast track expert panels is not what the electorate signed onto. Good god have we got another Ardern and Mahuta in action here ? | terrence |
| no way.Maori, as a group, are costing every body else a heck of a lot of money. | Bruce |
| It will not be fast track if iwi are involved in the decision making. It will actually be a costly handicap that involves payment (koha) before approval will be given and needs stamping out, as it always stretches out the consenting process while negotiations drag on. | Kay |
| Competence based not race based | Vivienne |
| No way ! | Eric |
| 100% absolutely NOT. We have started the train down this terrible path to destruction and it is already out of control. This BS must stop. | TC |
| It is Racist… | Kenn |
| Come on Coalition stick to your word and get rid of all this racial crap. We voted for equal rights so honour your promise ! | Richard |
| Because we are equal so we shouldn’t have separate representation. | Jane |
| No way. I have made my submission to government. I hope the other readers have done it as well | Robert |
| One people one say. | Sven |
| We need to stop this racist approach and return to a colourless society. | phil |
| stop race based anything. We should be all NZers same privileges and rights – this is dividing the country. Maori have more separate wealth and do not pay taxes, how racist is that? This Govt needs to honour their promises. | judy |
| We are one people. We need to restore our democracy. People should be elected on their abilities. | Lynette |
| Equal rights for all, as you agreed to with your employers. The People of NZ! | Steve |
| No to race based representation | Brian |
| This is a chance to start the march back to equal representation. If it’s lost, watch out NZ. I wondered if I left the country too soon but it’s apparent little has changed for the better in the past 2.5 years. | Cherry |
| New Zealand is a country where most citizens come under the same general label – mixed breed. And this is the same breed that all those who call themselves “Maori” come under. Note also that those who call themselves Maori are by far only a small percentage of the number of citizens who have Maori ancestry. They certainly do not represent all part-Maori. So why would a small gang of part-Maori who are not in any way indigenous, receive privileges over the rest of New Zealand’s part-Maori and other mixed races? There is no reason for it and such privilege is against the Coalition’s pledge of “one-man-one-vote”. | Liz |
| It’s plain common sense | Jim |
| The coalition govt was elected to remove the racist approach practised by labour. Clearly that is not their intention. Thy are betraying the electorate. | Russ |
| Politicians over the years, created the Illusion and narrative that we have one of the oldest Liberal Democracy’s. That is no longer true, it is a lie. Yes we vote however the TOW, The Iwi Chairs forum etc are sitting at the table, making decisions that benefit a racial minority on their lies that a partnership exists when it does not. Weak scared politicians have delivered Apartheid into our laws and society, our health system our schools. Has Three waters been repealed, I doubt it, name change only, Iwi and their groups will still have control and say so and thus control over our natural resources intended for ALL New Zealanders. National, never completely repeal anything, smoke and mirrors folks. Inch by inch, step by step. National is nailing the coffin shut. | Sam |
| A big healthy… NO. Give me the name of one Iwi member anywhere that has more knowledge and expertise on infrastructure than any other New Zealander. If some Maori don’t want to be New Zealanders then they can be New Zealanders with some Maori blood. Totally over this race related bullshit. | Barry |
| Democracy should be held to account at all times and for everyone | Michael |
| The coalition needs to honor their election promises. Maybe we have to accept that most politicians do not really care what they promise. Don’t use the excuse we had to concede to make the coalition work. The coalition must deliver what they promised. NZ’ers deserves better. | mike |
| Restore our constitutional Local government rights. | George |
| There must be NO race-based positions of power and authority in NZ. Voters made that very clear last October. One vote-one person, regardless of their bloodline. | Chris |
| No way! | Ann |
| nor should there be any reference to the ‘principles’ of the TOW as these so-called ‘principles’ have never been defined nor articulated, nor debated and agreed by all citizens. | Baden |
| Not necessary and over represented. | Warrick |
| Definitely not- it is race based and not required | Lyn |
| Appointments have to be based on skills not race | Lachlan |
| Shoot the clowns | Gordon |
| No racial group should have declared sears for the Fast Track Approval bill or anything else . The weakening of democracy by racial allocation must stop. Equality of citizenship is the promise and the objective. | Peter |
| Absolutely not if it is a treaty principle requirement then the treaty is in itself a racist document and should be abolished | Warren david |
| No special treatment, a treaty was made and it was simple, now the layers of extra meanings and representation of items not included and what holds us all back and blame culture festers | B H |
| Equal rights to all people = one vote only | jon |
| 1 vote to each individual for all New Zealanders | carolyn |
| We need more financial support to fight against these activists. | Alan |
| Qualified engineers, architects and elected council. ONLY | Michael |
| This Govement PROMISED to make ALL KIWI,s EQUAL.what a lie they are up iwi arse & iwi influence is MORE now than it was. ALL mp,s NEED to be reminded on THEIR PROMISE TO REMOVE IWI INFLUENCE & MAKE ALL KIWI,s EQUAL & they also must be told their votes have gone down because they never kept ANY OF THEIR PROMISES & ARE NOW NOT TRUSTED BY VOTERS silly enough to elect them/believe them.They are NO DIFFERENT THAN LABOUR & WONT BE ELECTED AGAIN AS NOW THEY HAVE LET VOTERS DOWN BADELY.BY THEIR BROKEN PROMISES.. | Cindy |
| This is shocking! What a weird move! | Valerie |
| Stop the radical left racists from growing their racist power base. | Rex |
| Infrastructure projects should not be decided on the basis of race | Louise |
| Reverse racism!! | David |
| New Zealanders have voted. loudly and clearly against race based policies. We expect the Coalition government to be true to its promises. | Trudy |
| The proposed structure is straight out of the last Labour Government’s playbook. It shows, once more, that National simply cannot be trusted to govern. | Colin |
| it is probably good to hear what the Maori community thinks, but not to have a constitutional position on the decision making body. | Ted |
| Got it wrong, voted yes by mistake. Cheers. | Ken |
| I am so sick of all this Maori garbage and I do not trust any of the Media nor the LGNZ led by Sam Broughton. We are being betrayed on a massive scale and something is going to happen soon when people wake up to the fact that we shall have the 15% ruling the rest of us. It is a huge scam. I am still unsure what constitutes “being a Maori” and it is high time some rules are established. | Derek |
| It’s just another blow against democracy. | Kerry |
| Any review on any subject should be carried out by most suitably QUALIFIED people…not on race. | Adrian |
| Surely there are enough people who can be appointed on their merits. If National does not stop this co-governance now, it will never end. We are rapidly turning into a Fiji. | Jan |
| Would give Maori greater weight in major infrastructure projects than their proportion of the population, for absolutely no good reason | Donald |
| This is a democratic country and we have a system of one man one vote. There is no room for separatism as this will be the undoing of the democratic process. | Helena |
| DEFINITELY, DEFINITELY, DEFINITELY NOT, repeat NOT. This is totally reverse racism and it is f..cking our wonderful country NEW ZEALAND. | Brian |
| Absolutely not, they will not be there for the right reasons, ( the good of democracy in New Zealand ) | Gordon |
| Definitely not. | Neville |
| No, minority groups should not hold sway, they need to be elected to positions on merit not race, we want democracy. | Brent |
| What is wrong with National? Glad I didn’t vote for them! | Pamela |
| Absolutely not!! | caren |
| Neither should the regional councils. | Wayne |
| Totally opposed to race based privilege or prejudice. Selecting advisors based on race does not ensure we get the best people. | Graeme |
| Coalition Government; Wake up and get this aspect done by early 2026, because at this rate, you’re a one-term ruler. | Kevin |
| Remove all referrence to race or ancestry from government discussions and decision making. | Charles |
| There is no place in a democracy for privileges positions as outlined in the article. If this goes through it calls into question the whole foundation of this govt. Frankly I am not surprised. I don’t rust them to deliver democracy. I note x mp Anne Tolley’s comment on democr acy. Very disturbing | Robin |
| The people for the panels should be selected purely on their ability to assess the merits of the projects | Anon |
| No, time this country adopt colour blind policies . This is what the coalition was voted in for | NIGEL |
| Absolutely not democracy! | Anne |
| Agree totally with article by Dr Newman on this topic. | Jim |
| The Government has been elected to make the hard decisions. Why reviews? | RICHard |
| It does not align with their promises. It is another step that slows down the processes and it’s totally racist to boot. | Brenda |
| Of course they should not have these seats in a true democracy | Roy |
| The ONLY think they should / must have on those seats are people who know what they are doing. | Christine |
| As with any committee, only those who are prepared to stand independently and are voted onto it, by a majority of members should be considered. | Brian |
| Maori should stand for council representation like everyone else! | John |
| For Christ sake,how much longer do the citizens have to tolerate devious Polititians | doug |
| The appointments should ,of course, be made on ability not this everlasting farce of race based maori selection | Roger |
| Councils yes but Iwi no as that puts them into a privileged position above all others. Iwi can get onto Councils via the standard election proceedure and so this provision will give them two bites at the cherry | Cookie |
| Ethnicity has no place in the appointment of experts to the panels advising the government. This does not mean iwi is excluded – a maori could be appointed – it means that merit and suitability are the criteria for appointment. You know – people with skills and knowledge appropriate to the project being investigated, input that is of value to the government. Iwi and councils can be involved by way of submissions. | Rodger |
| NO, NO,NO! | Glyn |
| Another example of political stealth that further undermines our fragile democracy. | Pete |
| A great big NO. There should be nothing done based on race. We are all NZers and competence should be the main driver. All so-called Maori have other ancestry and it should have nothing to do with who is appointed to what. | Helen |
| This type of another approval is exactly what fast tracking does not need. Time to get it going, enough chat via more and more is ludicrous. Forget Iwi, if an issues is at stake it will be between the relevant owner etc, race does not enter into it…..good discussion by landowners , farmers etc…….we need that, not obligatory dialogues to pander to anyone. Make decisions and get on with the infrastructures. | Phil |
| everybody should have the right to participate without bias | noel |
| freedom of choice there is no place for race based selection in public or council positions in decision making that affects all races, creeds, public. | ALLAN |
| Definitely NOT! | Heather |
| No more interference from Maori in NZ affairs | Carol |
| FAR too much power is already in the hands of IWI and far left councillors. They need ‘dethroning’ | mike |
| An about turn by the National Govt. | Glenn |
| One person one vote | Richard |
| Have already made a submission to the subcommittee. | Brenton |
| I would like to know just where Seymour and Peters stand on this. Can we get Sean Plunket from the Platform to interview them and insist on straight up old style Kiwi theme. It seems to me that for the next election we may have to look at an Act/ NZ First co-alition. The outcome of an interview as above could well plant the first seed. | Brian |
| Candidates have to be elected on merit only, nothing else. | Tom |
| If we know or at least listen to some of the lies of new labour, GRNS and the pati maori, we will continue to hear speech leading to the downward direction as a country. If we hold to the Coalitions position we will still go down as they are weak and probably will not do as the voters wish. | Ray |
| Having iwi involved is an example of National keeping co-governance going & Act, NZ First not keeping their election promises. To involve iwi is another example of racism and apartheid. | Rose |
| People should have relevant qualifications not Brown skin,if Maori want to be on a Board they should be democratically elected | Peter |
| Total removal of any race based policy, in order to restore our democracy. | Peter |
| It’s only rational to have an elected representative of a council on the panel. It is definitely inappropriate that iwi should get a seat because of who they are. | Michael |
| The time for hand ups and hand out is past it use by date | chris |
| Seats should not be secured by race based factors | Harvey |
| This is called Aparthied | Neil |
| definitely not | Mary |
| If gov does not take a firm stand against st w being two people when our best and only way forward is as ONE nation – we will never get rid of the inkling- look at history. To what end are we heading. And it’s only the radicals. | Maurice |
| All New Zealanders should have Equal rights not privilege by race or perceived right | Peter |
| This govt lied to us re Iwi influence and control. Nothing has changed. We are getting past the point of no return if this goes through as it is. | Steph |
| They wield far to much POWER, and become CORRUPT…..All of this, has to END NOW!! stop them all. | David |
| Major infrastructure projects should be decided on the basis of need and cost – not whether or not it suits iwi aspirations. | John |
| One country, one people. NZ does need nor want a Maori Apartheid New Zealand. Councils should not have dedicated seats for special panels, Councils already have democratically held elections for it’s councillors who are voted in to make decisions on behalf of the people they represent. | Greg |
| More racist policy by the National-led government | Peter |
| No. No one ethnic group should have any superior rights to any other ethnic group | Peter |
| One & the same rules for all regardless of race. | Doug |
| Perhaps Councils should be represented when major infrastructure is planned for their area. | Frank |
| Why do Maori get special treatment? Are we accepting Maori are indigenous? It seems to me we have been duped. Maori should get no more or less than any other NZ citizen. | Chris |
| Council yes to represent the area involved in the proposed project. Iwi definately not. This government promised to eliminate race based priviledge and are now promoting it! | Rita |
| The previous lot forced their totalitarian way of doing things on us and at the same time removed any chance to petition against . They knew that Kiwis would reject anything like that and that is why they did what they did. These appointed puppets have to be removed and the normal democratic election process has to be re-established. Then we will see if there is any interest out there for having Iwi interfering with our affairs. I doubt it !!!! | Michael |
| Betrayal. Another step to the right required. Where is the call back? No wonder the Maori stirrers have been quiet lately. Has a secret deal been done? If they think they will get a referendum passed for a 4 year term they are dreaming. If they want 4 year terms they will have to trade it off for a call back clause as a sweetener. Imagine if Ardern and her numpties had a 4 year term and the unimagineable damage they would have done. | Terry |
| There should be no special place for any iwi on any panel in NewZealand. | Des |
| no race based voting, ever! | Giles |
| Iwi have far to much say now on almost everything it make one feel that no one else lives in New Zealand it’s time we got back to one county for us all after all we are a multi cultural country | Peter |
| Are we subject to something akin to the pointy headed manager of Dilbert fame? It defies belief. | Doug |
| We are all equal and should not be divided and given disproportionate power dependent on race, religion or beliefs. | Gary |
| Why on earth should iwi? | John |
| It’s well overdue to bin the TOW it’s divisive and costly | Boris |
| Non elected members cannot be unelected which means they have no interest in doing a good job. Councillors should represent all rate payers, not just Maori. | Veronica |
| All positions on councils and in Parliaments must be democratically elected seats | Andy |
| Definitely NO | Kathleen |
| We must ensure that selection for representation of our NZ citizens and their interests is done without favour to any ethnic or social group. | Stephen |
| Definitely NOT. The country needs panel members that demonstrate that they are colour blind, and also have knowledge of the issues, and maori and treaty are nothing to do with the issues. | Noel |
| It should be based on Merit not race. | Merv |
| This is a hideous mockery of the promises that got this government elected | Perce |
| National 2 faced | Ian |
| BiUT I do agree that Councils should have a say if their area of responsibility is involved. | Geoffrey |
| Including iwi and councils will ensure that the so-called Fast-track Bill/Act will not attain its intended objective and will be a total waste of time. | Alan |
| He we go again, If the coalition does not stick to its words this time we will see what happens the next time they wont our vote. | Gilbert |
| Assholes | Bill |
| race free, gender free governance. Be nice to have some competence. | Margaret |
| In my view that would clash with the basic concept of democracy: one person one vote | Gerhard |
| Race based, not necessary in a truely democratic society . | Stuart |
| NO WAY | ROB |
| I’m over the corruption in this country. We can submit till the cows come home and the corrupt politicians will do what they like, it’s called democracy, isn’t it? The whole system is rotten to the core and the sheeple of NZ, trot out the new NZ mantra; “it is what it is”. We are doomed! | peter |
| WE ARE ONE PEOPLE! | william |
| I am disgusted that minority groups today believe they have the right to enforce their bias onto the majority. | Dianne |
| Maori are New Zealanders, and should be treated, accepted. as such. Therefore equal rights and responsibilities. | Rochelle |
| This is not enhancing New Zealand to become a one nation people. It is time Maori moved on and stopped grabbing at everything. Everyone has the same opportunity to be elected no mater what their culture back ground is. | Owen |
| no way come on coalition. This was one of the reasons I voted for you. | Alan |
| Absolutely not! – this Government had a clear mandate from the majority that voted them in – they need to live up to the promises they made, in particular the restoration of true democracy – not the Kieran McNutty version. This Bill appears to be an underhanded method of strengthening Maori supremacy while appearing to do the opposite. In short, we need more KIWI and less IWI! Go back and do it again – presupposing that we needed this Bill in the first place! | Scott |
| Maori are Kiwis and can be treated as one of the rest us Kiwis, not as some lesser race requiring selective helps. Equality please. | Ian |
| Unequivocally NO | Bill |
| It’s racist and divisive. Iwi have stalled many past projects just to get koha – so hardly “fast Track” | Allan |
| Everyone is equal | Gareth |
| Emphaticaly no. The National party prir to the last election which they won had comitted to equal rights for all New Zealanders. it would not be a good idea if they reneged on their promoses! | Ian |
| This is totally out of balance,even an idiot can see this!!! | norman |
| why not seats for the nz Chinese, nz Indian, and all the other nationalities that make up nz but to have dedicated seats just for hories and bent councilors reminds me of Germany in the 1930’s and Russia now, if the hories and council people want a seat put their hand up to see if they are elected, if they are good on them, but the way luxton is bending over for the brown shirts just like adern and key did we need David and Winston to tell luxton to grow a pair of balls and scrap all this mumbo jumbo horie crap and get this country back on its feet for ALL NZr’s not just a select corrupt few. I never liked luxton and now I wouldnt trust him as far as I could throw him. | Richard |
| Enough is enough already | fred |
| The proposed structure is totally wrong. 100% abhorrent. | Donald |
| Absolutely NOT! | Debra |
| We voted the National lead Coalition Govt into power as their election promise was to abolish all Maori/Iwi favoritism over the rest of New Zealanders. We are all one. | Wayne |
| New Zealanders only on these Boards. | peter |
| Racial privilege has no place in our society | Bryan |
| The makeup of the Panel should be based on the best people available for the job at hand, NOT BY RACE or ORGANISATION. The proposal smacks of an about face of election promises. | chris |
| Are the coalition government stark raving mad ? They must be as all they are doing is destroying our democracy. | Steve |
| We live in a democracy – dont we – so equal voting rights and NOT an inbalance to some undeserving minor group. | Noel |
| abhorrently racist and undemocratic idea | ian |
| This is a nut case proposal. | Johan |
| HELL NO! | dave |
| It’s time democracy reared its head. | Nick |
| Please STOP these racially bound appointments – NOW! | Sylvia |
| Perhaps it is an appropriate time for Messrs Seymour and Peters getting a reminder that they are in Government primarily on the vacks of dissafected National voters if all we can expect is more of the same then they dont deserve to be there.. As for Mr Luxon .. no surprises there whatsoever! | Rob |
| We voted to abolish the Iwi veto! | Trevor |
| Just absolute racist nonsense | Hylton |
| Come on Mr Luxon & Co — don’t be so effete, nice and disappointingly weak. Be brave and honest to your voters. Or have you some cunning plan to execute further down the line. We support and approve of your changes to Labour’s outrageous laws since winning the election — striking early is best. | William. |
| NO! BUT i have already become disillusioned with our new Government. Are all politicians tarred with the same brush? The man/party I cast my vote for and his party are paying a media outlet to pump our their “good” message and our Leader is in the centre of it. NOT a great deal different than the “public Interest media” of the previous mob is it??? GOD DEFEND NEW ZEALAND (if even he can) | Bruce |
| Maori opinion is not needed, we are all New Zealanders | Gary |
| The very idea of Iwi’s special representation goes against the new Govts mandate and our expectations. Don’t let unelected Civil Servants get this nonsense into Bills, fullstop. | Glenn |
| No, our Parliament has rules that provide equal seats for all parties. there should be no need to have ‘special rights’ for a select group,for infrastructure projects. | David |
| Providing maori elements seats on these panels is totally unacceptable, and local body seats are questionable. LGNZ is a dubious organisation at best. If the local council and maori align against any project, it will be stopped. Effectively a veto. What is National’s thinking on this? David Seymour needs to get on the job and scuttle this racist rubbish. Otherwise this situation could be seen as a betrayal of voters who put their faith in the coalition. Dedicated maori seats, along with references to so-called treaty principles and other racist claims need to be expunged. | Gavin |
| I’m honestly sick and fed up of all the privileges being handed out to people based on race/ancestry. Have people really no by thinking that the only way to get ahead is by imagining the are better? Trying to intimidate and shame the rest of the population to get what they want? It’s disgraceful | Cath |
| agree that the current Government must honour its election promises and remove all race , culture based legislation | David |
| But not iwi as that is racism and all New Zealanders are equal under the NZBOR | Greg |
| Iwi should have no say whatsoever as to how any part of the country is run. It’s not in the REAL treaty. With Councils there would be too many involved and too expensive. | Alan |
| the Ardern government was just a modified form of Clarkism with Helen Clark still the puppet master. Wake up New Zealand. | Martin |
| Common sense needs to rule and as the iwi and councils have conspired to remove the democratic rule they must be ignored. Just get on with it! Nothing to discuss. | Rex |
| especially no veto powers | Graeme |
| I would never trust those IWI buggers | Don |
| Very obvious that the biased agenda of the previous government and iwi is being accepted and will continue . | Robin |
| Council members yes, Iwi no. | peter |
| Coalition Government renewing on its election promises. | anthony |
| ensuring that 17% of the population have 50% of the say will lead to civil war | Derek |
| No way that would be a seriously stupid backward step.Everyone must be all be allowed to make submissions on a project to be considered on merit not just vetoed per se | Stephen |
| Again we see national reneging on pre election promises,they are just labour in drag,never had anhad any principals,stopped voting for them after the turncoat Bolger was elected | morrie |
| Just further steps towards entrenched apartheid in New Zealand. | Chris |
| As an immigrant I have watched the insanity that has pervaded NZ for the last few years. It makes the chaos that is African politics look manageable and possibly even safer. | Siobain |
| It cannot be reversed. Luxon is too weak. | Garry. |
| Wellington is still not listening equal rights for all citizens means exactly that! | Chris |
| Let’s stop all this BS of minority activists and weak leadership. Equality in rights and obligations. Stop the one pays and the other one plays system. | Leonard |
| NO!NO! and NO!!! | Alastair |
| All members should be New Zealand citizens | Shaun |
| It’s disgraceful that it is even written within the language of the hill as it is, everyone needs to be treated equally and getting rid of this type of bias in legislation is a good start. | Ross |
| Its racist | graeme |
| No way | Murray |
| We are all sick and tired of the separatism and our democracy being undermined, let’s hope the coalition government keep their promises. | Raewyn |
| Incredibly sad that our country New Zealand, yes New Zealand not Aotearoa has been divided by factions only interested in. What’s in it for our people – beyond sad. | Colleen |
| We should all have equal rights | Peter |
| Here we go again. Representation based on race. I thought New Zealanders had made it perfectly clear at the election, that they wanted change. Looks like the fast tracking bill continues down the same old track, Iwi will continue to procrastinate until they get their KOHA | Frank |
| 100% NO. All references to anything Maori must be deleted | Gareth |
| Definately not | Barbara |
| NO. NO. NO. A democracy allows all to have their say. When 50% of these seats are all ready spoken for it is NO LONGER DEMOCRATIC | Elizabeth |
| Definitely NOT. There is no way that Iwi should have any say at all, it would be another form of racial prejudice in the favour of the Maori. | david |
| A big NO. In NZ everyone must be treated equally, no special privileges or rights to anyone. | Peter |
| We either live in a national democracy or revert to regional tribalism – no contest. Councils cannot be trusted with our rights. | Rob |
| Our country has had a proud history of democracy but now we find ourselves with different rights and representation based on if we have Maori blood. We must stand up and be counted by demanding that all the maori crap be extinguished from legislation then all the separatism through maori electoral sests and organisations can be dumped. | Judy |
| We need true democracy. | Ray |
| let us all be democratic New Zealanders. | Roderick |
| Equal rights for every New Zealander without regard to their ethnicity! | Lois |
| United we. Stand, divided we fall, this does not unite us. | Rose |
| Only experts in their fields should make infrastructural decisions. Too much Maori view is detrimental to the majority. | Laura |
| We are one country, one people and noone should have extra rights or privileges based on their ethnicity. | Carol |
| It is just typical of National in particular. Say one thing in opposition then do the opposite when in Government. These people simply can’t be trusted. | Lee |
| Maori are already over represented in a democratic NZ. Get rid of the Maori seats in Parliament at the same time too. | errol |
| Equal rights means no iwi dedicated seats. None. No, no, no! | Paloma |
| Absolutely NOT!! It’s called equality. | Tony |
| Its a Rort | Tony |
| I thought this Govt stood for one people? | john |
| You earn that Position by being Elected not by Decree. IWI should NOT stand for ‘I want it’ !! | Geoff |
| Totally against what this Government was voted in for last year. There can be no discrimination for race or colour in any new Laws this Government passes. | Robyn |
| Absolutely not.This is not what we understood to be equal rights as pledged by the coalition Government. | Rod |
| We should be one people | Robert |
| Anti democratic (again) | Graham |
| For god sakes remove them, they don’t just want a leg up but to be thrown over the wall!!!! | Laurie |
| No they should not, They should earn their seats through excellence in a given area like everyone else in this world. | Dave |
| To me this is a deceitful shambles being manipulated by a now apparently deceitful government not much better than the previous two term devious and deceitful government so many true New Zealanders are still suffering under. It seems this new Government under Luxon is turning out to be as divisive and conniving as Ardern and Hipkins. BEWARE New Zealand | Stuart |
| THis Government is proving to be weak and unable to carry out their promises to the New Zealanders who voted for them because of what the said they would do. | David |
| When is NZ going to be racially unbiased in its politics, it would be good if this government grew some and started to fulfill their election promises. | Trevor |
| They already are well represented | Patrick |
| not given to the treaty signed agreement where we are all equal citizens of nz | john |
| Why do politicians make election promises then when they get power ignore their promises. Just like the Key government. | Hugh |
| We are all equal citizen’s of NZ, so any committee should represent the Whole Population. | Richard |
| Iwi: no, councils yes | Hugh |
| No more than one each. There should also be a requirement that more than 50% is needed to veto | Trevor |
| More race based rubbish, National need to be aware of this nonsense. | Steve |
| Stop this separatism, we are all one people here in NZ. | William |
| Absolutely not. Racial discrimination of any kind is an abomination. | Richard |
| iwi does not dictate, we need to do away with Maori wards | Barry |
| Iwi influence in all aspects of N.Z. Life is grossly disproportionate to the number of part-Maori in the population. Having 16% of the population they seem to exert 60% of all media coverage and departmental control | Bryan |
| No, definitely not. Our elected government was supposed to stop all these race-based policies. | Lee |
| Never! Is the coalition government so blind that they cannot see this?! I fear our new found hope of turning things around may just be a crock of you know what. | J J |
| All government funded panels must be selected along standing criteria only. | Murray |
| Absolutely Not – they can be democratically elected like everyone else. | mike |
| No no no. This coalition government has a mandate to all New Zeanders. | Peter |
| who is one so blind, that he or she cannot see ??Why is anybody sooo deaf that he/she cannot hear ??? | Henk |
| Not demopcratic. Maori are still pressing for control that bears financial fruit | Jim |
| IWI have to be kept out of all council or govt meetings unless they have been elected democratically Not appointed to the to the position | Colin |
| I thought this Government was going to dismiss treaty partnership, therefore separate sovereignty and to run their own Nation, Maori get 50% of the tax take. What happened to all the promises of true democracy before the election. Has the coalition Government lost it’s nerve, or been taken over by the mythology of Tikanaga. Maori Gods!!! | Dene |
| We are not an apartheid state! | Henry |
| Iwi now suceed in their own right. They no longer need special privilage and it is insulting to them, saying that they do.. | Wendy |
| Enough of this racist agenda. | Peter |
| Iwi council is a con by unelected iwi elite members who are only after two things, money and power. Corrupt as they come. Are there any honest people left in the country. | Neil |
| It’s racist and gives Maori more rights than other ethnicities | Lynton |
| Also, they should all pay Income Tax and Rates, the same as the rest of us. Then they would have a vested interest in how that Money should be spent. | Brian |
| DEFINITELY NOT . The reasons are well covered in the Post. It is a very clear case of race-based preference and lack of equality of citizenship | Hugh |
| The Committee panel must be elected for their experience and ability not their racial ethnicity | tony |
| Colour based politics is racist and destructive to our democratic balance. | Marshal |
| This coalition was voted in to get rid of this race based, divisive nonsense. If this goes ahead we will have been let down by all three coalition parties. | Steve |
| All appointments must be based on impartial non- raced based individuals with the knowledge of agreed expertise to allow the best economic and environmental interests to New Zealand being decided | Stan |
| Get elected or get a job. | Mark |
| no iwi | john |
| NO, DEFINITELY NOT! | Trevor |
| No Iwe should represent or have any decision making rights in local councils,,or on any panel of laws, We voted for equal rights and will hold the Government accountable for their commitment.. | Dorothy |
| Absolutely not. We voted for change. We voted for equal rights for all. Are this wishy washy National team going to let the voters down – again. | Laurie |
| everyone should be democratically elected.We should all be equal in New Zealand as One people | Linda |
| The whole “”fast track bill “” is a farse and has to be removed. Lets have referemdum on that. | Peter |
| Dedicated seats for Iwi will have a negative impact on progressing any project that is submitted for fast-track approval. Port of Tauranga is a classic example! | Roger |
| Definitly not! Wake up National and the rest of the Govt. | Peter |
| This creates separating society. | Ange Bogaart |
| Why should any group of non-elected people have advantage. | Russ |
| Democracy doesn’t work that way -consult with everyone! Time to fight to regain our democracy. | Roger |
| absolutely NOT | Bev |
| I do not trust them to act impartially | Arthur |
| They should have advisory roles only | Gordon |
| Either we accept APARTHEID in NZ or we don’t AND call it what it is – APARTHEID. | Geoffrey |
| Absolutely not, we are supposed to be espousing NO racial privilege. | |
| They, iwi, need to be consulted by all 4 levels of the process. That is enough surely? | Martin |
| The Maori elite are still in control and i wish Luxon would grow a backbone and cancel every mention of iwi and the Treaty when drafting new laws. I have grave doubts about Luxon’s ability to address and resolve the racist divide that has been created by past and now this present Coalition. | ken |
| Enough of this Iwi and woke crap. We need to get NZ back on track & remove these racist roadblocks so that we can return to democratic productive society. | Andrew |
| Not proportional , so biassed. | Peter |
| All people should have equal rights including voting rights. We voted for this in the last general election | Stella |
| Is the word ‘iwi’ even in the TOW? Coalition seems to be seriously lacking spine in any area at all. Labour-lite version of what we had previously. Oh dear! | Tony |
| Just another step towards separatism | kabe |
| Absolutely not the panels must consist of people with business, subject matter and local communities expertise | Ihaia |
| no way! | Gill |
| No, the Government should be held to honour their electoral promises to the majority of New Zealanders who voted them in. They wont be forgiven for failing now. | Geoff |
| It places too much power in the hands of a small part of the population. | Hugh |
| Utterly shocked by the Coalition’s betrayal. . | Trevor |
| Not an option. Coalition is going to go down the gurgler in public opinion if they continue on this track. | Murray |
| Absolutely not! | Bruce |
| meritocracy is all that is needed, regardless of race or colored | Sam |
| Of course not. | Evans |
| It should be offensive to favor any race.. ..what is wrong with the government. …what about the other 40 races e | Owen |
| That would be (is!) totally inequitable | Bruce |
| These appointments should be filled my people with appropriate expertise in the relevant fields pertaining to the project involved. Race should not be a consideration ! | Mike |
| no there is too much entitlement already for maori to veto anything or anyone who does not join them at the trough of greed and democracy destruction. | Stan |
| No. One person, one vote is true democracy. | Dick |
| No need for special seats be there on own work and merit of what they can offer | Phil |
| Under NO circumstances. ONE New Zealand! | Graham |
| This proposal is advocating racial basis. Not acceptable. | gavin |
| Absolutely NOT. NZ is not a bi-cultural society is is multicultural. Please restore the balance and stop this race based abhorrent nonsence! | Jane |
| No privileges based on race anywhere in NZ law or government. | Derek |
| We are kiwi not iwi | Trevor |
| I would prefer either council or iwi memershiip then out of 4 a veto wouldn’t exist. OR increase the panel size to 5 | Derek |
| No way should there be dedicated. – race based seats on any panel On merit only. | Kevin |
| All of e people | Jill |
| The panel should comprise of specific unbiased members for the particular project. Submissions of course from all interested parties should be welcomed and considered. | Mike |
| Members should be selected on the basis of their expertise in the issues being considered. Connection to Iwi and councils is blatantly, in most cases irrelevant | ivan |
| Seats should be allocated on the basis of competence not race or ethnicity. Local Councils have proved time and time again they lack the knowledge and skills required for infrastructure projects in particular | John |
| No there should be absolutely no dedicated seats this marks the beginning of corruption yet again | Jeffrey |
| Totally unacceptable | Linda |
| absolutely not | glyn |
| No it’s racist | Peter |
| It would seem appropriate for a council to have a dedicated seat on the four-person panels. but that person could be Maori…or Samoan, or Asian or Chinese etc, depending on the makeup of the local community, The other 3 should be experienced, non-partisan engineers, whatever their race and not prone to waffle. | Vic |
| I see it as part of the divide and conquer strategy. Iwi being unwitting puppets of a global master class that will throw them in the ditch once their ends are achieved. | Darag |
| We’re ALL NZ’ers & there should not be any special rights or priviliges for any one part of our population. NO APARTHEID IN NZ PLEASE!!!! | Honest Dave |
| Basis of race has no place in this legislation. | mark. |
| This should be an independent panel with a few stand-in members. Any personal or close family interests in a Bill under discussion should be declared and that member replaced by a stand-in member for the Bill to have an un-biased result. Once having served its purpose, this panel should be disbanded and Fast Tracking abolished. | Martin |
| Think I might head overseas this country is becoming so racist | David |
| elected personnel only please. NOT appointed sycophants! obedient schills. That is back to the Manor and serfs. | murray |
| This is not equality for all citizens. | mary |
| What a huge disappointment and a prime example of why you can never trust a politician to follow through on what they’ve promised. It would be good to know who insisted on this clause to give iwi guaranteed representation so we know where the fault lies. With one, two or all three coalition parties. Surely there’s a whistleblower who can advise. | Derek |
| We are one people and all breath the same air so why the preferential treatment????? | Lizzy |
| No important legislation affecting the country should ever be race based | Max |
| If a Maori is a qualified engineer with something to offer, then OK. Otherwise its greed and they had better keep off. | Jenny |
| You’ve already said it in your newsletter – maori are quite capable of looking after themselves now. Further pandering to those doing the moaning will, in the end, be detrimental to all of us. | Trevor |
| Maori are already over represented in both Local body and parliamentary seats | Peter |
| I think the Minister in charge of this bill was/is asleep at the helm of his office. My thoughts are that the old 5th column in the Public Service is alive and well. These Clauses could well have been added when the Bill was first drawn up, with thought that it may at least get through to the Select Committee stage if the Minister or his officials were awake. It seems as though they were right! | Samuel |
| no no no | Wiremu |
| Appointments are always a problem – no way to control bias | Collin |
| What traitors! These committees require people with right knowledge and experience for this work. Anyone who has this qualification is acceptable. Not political bias or race. | Ian |
| The coalition government are shooting themselves in the foot with this decision. We never elected them to do such stupid things. | Dennis |
| This is yet again more reinforcement of race based elitism. We must stop pandering to vocal activists who promote this racist inequality and stand firm on common equal elected representation. | Mike |
| Would suggest just a Council as they are the elected officials, representing their constitutes, regardless of their ethnicity as we are all Kiwi’s. | John |
| It’s a race-based idea. So much for this government’s promise to remove race-based representation. There should be no such provisions or appointments as they give over-representation to a racial group. | Laurence |
| It’s antidemocratic. | Clive |
| Reciprocity always not appeasement (accommodation, tolerance,understanding etc) | Dennis |
| Not now, not ever | Geoffrey |
| Panels should be electer by Merit, NOT race. | Don |
| We are all equal, there is no us and them. We are one nation; we all get one vote. | Ken |
| no way | alan |
| All major infrastructure projects under fast tract approvals should NOT have any race-based distortions incorporated into their decision making processes. | Peter |
| I have no objection to a council rep on the panel, but not a dedicated Maori rep. | Mike |
| Our new Government is no different from the previous admin – very disappointed in the weak leadership – and Winston’s international take is a slap in the face of mainstream NZers. | Jan |
| WE are one people. Racism should be outlawed in NZ. Petition, Petition< Petition. | David |
| The coalition govt was elected to rid us of race based legislation not just substitute it with other raced based controls | Bruce |
| To me this shows how careful we have to be to ensure the Coalition sticks to its election promises. How could the proposed legislation have even been considered in light of their pledge to remove race from all legislation? | Rod |
| This is the most obvious bias by race! forced upon the Councils & citizens of New Zealand, it must be opposed | Peter |
| Maoris should stand to be elected as do other folk not handed it because of race which is outrageous | sidwell |
| Smells of blatant racism. | tony |
| What happened to no special privileges to any specific group. Luxon, Seymour and NZ1st are liars if this goes ahead. | Vaughan |
| I don’t understand the continuing efforts to entrench race-based, special rights for various sections of the community. I thought we lived in a democracy; a one-person, one-vote kind of democracy? However, it seems that special interests have continued to be courted for some reason. This is not the New Zealand I thought i knew. | John |
| No need for race-based representation when Maori are quite capable of getting elected on merit. | M |
| no iwi got to much say now | alan |
| Firstly we are all nzers! Secondly any race based dedicated seats or other areas is morally wrong. If we are all equal then their should be white only areas such as proposed in some Uni’es !! | Raymond |
| It has been a failure over the years so why persevere. | Warren |
| No way! | Janine |
| ” Treason ” is alive well in ‘little old NZ’. We all are being slowly demolished by ‘iwi’ garbage. Long Live the White Colonists . | Chris |
| Definitely not | Murray |
| The panels should be independently manned and not have the balance tipped by dedicating half the seats. Especially since it inclines the balance towards a Maori Iwi veto. | Robyn |
| No way | Richard |
| Never. Why is this even being considered when the coalition govt has committed to equal rights and pledged not to advance policies that ascribe different rights and responsibilities to NZers on the basis of race. Now with this new legislation, is the time to carry out the promises we voted you in for. I have already signed the petition. It must also be remembered that Maori are not indigenous and actually slaughtered the indigenous people already here after arriving by waka. | Brenda |
| No seats should be race based, all should be subjected to same voting or selection criteria. | Clive |
| No, a thousand times NO! They don’t need that and they should not be given it. | Vernon |
| A definite no,if anybody is worth a vote people will vote them in,if not they will not. | Peter |
| Again race based and not merit based. I have seen that happen before and has happened as we can see in parliament.. | Ido |
| Time to put a halt to all of this nonsense. | Charles |
| I was born in this country but my parents were not. I now think all the time I wish they never came to this country. | Paul |
| Show me where the ToW states it is a partnership between the Crown and Maori. Queen Victoria didnt do partnerships in 1840. | Grant |
| Absolutely not. creates a corrupt environment. | Sharon |
| That is not democracy. | Elizabeth |
| Eliminate Race Based representation. | Terry |
| No race-based representation. can be legal in a democracy. | jill |
| I’m sick and tired of being told that Maori deserve special representation in any situation in NZ. They’re not indigenous. They never have been, any more than any of us. We need to get the real facts known about who first visited this land and settled here, that Maori wiped out. One person, one vote. We need to stop ask the woke BS nonsense | Grant |
| No no no!!! Also need to sort out ther foreshore and sea-bed situation, before it is all given away | Marianne |
| There is a case for some councils to maybe have a say but racist Maori people do not! | Murray |
| No to iwi reps and no to council reps too. Most councils have proved themselves untrustworthy (e.g. maori wards, 3 waters) and there is no partnership with iwi. We are all New Zealanders and equal under the law. What is our coalition govt thinking??? This is a huge betrayal. | Wendy |
| Our governments, therefore politicians have been captured by unelected foreign and domestic NGO’s. Our governments do not represent ‘we the people’ and haven’t for decades. | neil |
| Giving iwi seats on these Boards is TOTALLY unacceptable. What on earth are National thinking. And where is David Seymour on all of this – he’s the Minister of regulation, for goodness sake. What’s going on is a disgrace! | David |
| Can National not see that what this Bill is setting up is a recipe for corruption – payoffs will be the name of the game and iwi will be in the driving seat. Iwi should not be allowed anywhere near decision-making. They never do anything for the good of the country. | Marion |
| Seeing this sort of racist measure being promoted by the Coalition makes me wonder why I even bothered to vote. “Betrayal” is not strong enough! | Paul |
| With local government openly stating their commitment to iwi partnerships, what on earth is National doing putting them on a four-person board with iwi. The iwi veto will be on steroids! These dedicated seats MUST be removed along with references to the Treaty principles and tikanga and all of that other mumbo jumbo. | Hugh |
| Thank you Muriel for bringing this issue to our attention, but why hasn’t it been raised by others? I will be putting in a submission today. | Graham |