There’s been a great deal of huffing and puffing over the last few weeks as the tribal elite responds to the threatened erosion of privileges. The Coalition Government’s commitment to equal rights will undermine their lucrative Treaty grievance industry and they are in full defence mode.
They claim the new government is racist and wants to impose oppressive policies that will disadvantage Maori. They are doing their best to stir up discontent.
Of course, by blaming everyone else for Maori disparity, they remain blind to the reality that their own elitist race-based attitudes that encourage collectivism instead of personal responsibility – defining a person by their lineage instead of their character and contribution – may be exacerbating the problem.
And while they posture about the misfortunates of ‘their people’, the tribal elite enrich themselves with the perks and privileges of their status. It’s disgraceful hypercritical behaviour that has been politely tolerated for far too long.
As the former US President Barack Obama warned, tribalism itself is the problem: “Ethnic-based tribal politics has to stop. It is rooted in the bankrupt idea that the goal of politics or business is to funnel as much of the pie as possible to one’s family, tribe, or circle with little regard for the public good. It stifles innovation and fractures the fabric of the society. Instead of opening businesses and engaging in commerce, people come to rely on patronage and payback as a means of advancing. Instead of unifying the country, it divides neighbour from neighbour.”
Equal rights, not race-based rights, was the consistent promise made by Prime Minister Christopher Luxon in his speech at Ratana. It was aspirational, outlining a vision for a better New Zealand, but one would have to have read the speech rather than the media reports of the speech to appreciate that. The media coverage has, as we have now come to expect, been appalling.
Given the media seemingly can’t get over their bias, we are republishing the Prime Minister’s Ratana address as this week’s NZCPR Guest Commentary, so you can read for yourself what he actually said:
“I stand before you today as Prime Minister and as the Leader of the National Party, the Party of Apirana Ngata, the Party that has negotiated the vast majority of Treaty settlements – and the Party that has worked hard over decades to honour the Treaty and restore the honour of the Crown. That is a heritage of which I am extremely proud.
“So, let me be absolutely clear: The Government has no plan, and never has had plans, to amend or revise the Treaty, or the Treaty settlements we have all worked so very hard together to achieve.
“The Government will honour the Treaty. But unlike the Labour government, we will honour it without moving away from equal voting rights, without creating complex co-governance bodies and bureaucracies in Wellington to decide how central services should be delivered in the regions, and we will honour it while upholding the equality of all New Zealanders before the law…”
The full speech can be read HERE.
The Prime Minister reaffirmed the Coalition Government’s commitment to equal rights.
But as admirable as the sentiments of Chris Luxon may be, he will not appease or silence Maori sovereignty activists and the tribal elite, who do not want their gravy train derailed.
Their aim is not only to perpetuate the grievance industry for profit, but to advance a radical agenda to oust those who are not in favour of Maori privilege from positions of influence.
But the truth is that fair minded kiwis, including many of Maori decent, have had enough of tribal activists using culture as a vehicle, not only for personal enrichment, but also to impose their radical agenda onto the country.
Their extremism is plain to see.
Just last week members of a northern iwi tried to stop a fishing competition that had been going for 40 years. They are reported as saying their grievance was that their mana had been disrespected because the competition organisers had not consulted them. Their protest action was designed to send a message to the fishermen taking part in the competition – and also to the Government for its plans to ‘abolish the Treaty’.
Clearly the PM’s commitment to “honour the Treaty” did not resonate with these radicals.
Local iwi also claim they intend having all fishing competitions in the future banned, “to preserve fish stocks”. Such rorts usually involves the imposition of blanket bans for ‘sustainability’ purposes that cover the public, but which exclude Maori through exemptions for ‘customary fishing’.
Unfortunately, this sort of action will be legitimised when tribal groups are given control of New Zealand’s coastline right out to the edge of the 12 nautical mile Territorial Sea – if a recent Marine and Coastal Area Act Court of Appeal judgement is not overturned by Parliament.
This has become a matter of the utmost urgency, since the next large groups of claims for the coast under the flawed Marine and Coastal Area Act are due to be heard in the High Court this month.
In the health sector, alleged racism has been used by the new Maori Health Authority to introduce a multitude of privileges for Maori – transforming healthcare into an Apartheid system where access to medical treatment is now based on race.
An ‘equity adjuster score’ has been introduced that prioritises Maori patients on hospital waiting lists ahead of other patients in far greater clinical need.
The costs of accessing a variety of health measures that others have to pay for, have been removed for Maori.
New Zealand’s drug buying agency, Pharmac, also appears to have been ‘captured’ with funding now redirected into treatments that prioritise Maori.
All of this has been going on despite the fact that the fabricated claims of systemic racism in the health system have no basis – as numerous researchers have shown including New Zealand Initiative Senior Fellow Dr Bryce Wilkinson HERE, Social Policy Researcher Lindsay Mitchell HERE, and Medical Practitioner Dr Lawrie Knight HERE.
Dr Knight points out that since a comprehensive network of Maori health providers set up by Helen Clark’s Labour Government to “close the gaps” 20 years ago has made little difference to health outcomes in their two decades of operation, it is misleading to claim a race-based approach works.
Furthermore, research from the Ministry of Health which shows only 20 percent of a patient’s health outcome is determined by medical care, with around 40 percent by socioeconomic factors such as education and income, 10 percent by physical environment including the quality of housing, and 30 percent by lifestyle choices such as diet, exercise, and the use of drugs, alcohol, or cigarettes, provides perspective.
The message to advocates of better health for Maori is that they should be focussing on the importance of a good education and a decent job, as well as more personal responsibility including regular health checks, attending medical appointments, and taking medication that’s been prescribed, instead of attempting to deny non-Maori patients the essential healthcare they need.
And let’s not forget racial quotas for medical school: Auckland University’s medical school advises that of the 287 places on offer in 2024, 40 percent or 115 places are reserved for Maori and Pacific Island students – up from 70 in 2022 – while “general entry” places have dropped from around 120 to 98. And while A grade levels are necessary for ‘general entry’ candidates, C grades appear sufficient for the Maori and Pacific students.
New Zealanders surely deserve the brightest and best doctors irrespective of ancestry, yet merit appears to have become a secondary consideration to race.
Claims of institutional racism in the state sector has led to racial privilege being embedded within its procedures, manifesting itself in staff hiring practices, remuneration, and the awarding of contracts based on race. Private businesses that depend on the government for registration or funding have also been caught in the net.
An array of de-facto governance roles have also been created to give Maori greater influence than other New Zealanders, including in the management and allocation of fresh water by regional councils, in resource management decision-making by local authorities, and in the management and operation of the Conservation Estate.
New Zealanders have also witnessed the hypocrisy of iwi leaders demanding more and more public funding for ‘their people’, while the billion-dollar business corporations they run pay no tax. Iwi have made no contribution to the running of the country since 2005, when Helen Clark’s Labour Government exempted tribal businesses from a long-standing charity law requirement that prevents organisations from being able to gain tax-free charitable status if their beneficiaries are relatives.
This is another gravy train initiative that now needs to be withdrawn.
Many race-based privileges have been introduced under the guise of Treaty ‘principles’.
Yet the Treaty itself doesn’t have any principles. It only has three articles.
For the record, in his explanation of the original Maori version of the Treaty of Waitangi, Sir Apirana Ngata expressed the three articles in this way:
The First Article: “The Chiefs assembled including Chiefs not present at the assembly hereby cede absolutely to the Queen of England for ever the government of all of their lands.”
The Second: “The Queen of England confirms and guarantees to the Chiefs and Tribes and to all the people of New Zealand the full possession of their lands, their homes and all their possessions…”
The Third Article: “In consideration thereof, Her Majesty the Queen of England extends to the Natives of New Zealand Her Royal Protection, and imparts to them all the rights and privileges of British subjects.”
In other words, under the Treaty of Waitangi, Maori ceded sovereignty, property rights were protected, and all New Zealanders were treated as equal citizens under the law. There was no superior, dominant, ruling class of citizens – New Zealand was a colour-blind society where individuals had equal dignity and equal rights.
The Waitangi Tribunal, which was established almost 50 years ago as a permanent commission of inquiry for Maori into alleged breaches of the Treaty by the Crown, was ‘captured’ long ago by activists to become a taxpayer funded advocate for Maori supremacy. As such it has been influential in embedding race-based privilege – at the cost of equal rights and democracy itself.
It is therefore fitting that the coalition agreement between National and New Zealand First includes a commitment to review the Tribunal’s operation.
The Coalition also intends reviewing all legislation (excluding Treaty settlements) that includes the “Principles of the Treaty”, with a view to replacing vague references with specifics – or repealing the references altogether.
The ACT Party, of course, is also committed to progressing its Treaty Principles Bill, which aims to codify the principles to mean what the original Maori version of the Treaty says – that the government has the right to govern, that property rights are protected, and that all New Zealanders are equal under the law.
Under their coalition agreement, their Bill will be supported to a Select Committee and if it later gains the backing of National and New Zealand First and is passed into law, a nationwide public referendum would then be held so New Zealanders can either accept or reject the new law.
What is crucially important is that none of these measures being undertaken by the Coalition Government changes the Treaty itself.
Those making such claims are deliberately scaremongering and misleading the public. They don’t want New Zealanders to have a debate about where the current Treaty arrangements are taking the country. Nor do they want public scrutiny of the vast array of race-based privileges that have already been established.
But the public have spoken and the new Government has been given a mandate to reset this country, removing race-based oppression, and returning New Zealand to a country where we are all equal in the eyes of the law and where our long-standing democracy can flourish!
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THIS WEEK’S POLL ASKS:
*Do you agree that all race-based rights should be removed from legislation?
*Poll comments are posted below.
*All NZCPR poll results can be seen in the Archive.
THIS WEEK’S POLL COMMENTS
| There is only one race and that is the human race. | Monica |
| It is long overdue for New Zealanders to debate what the Treaty of Waitangi means in the 21st Century. Are we one Nation or do we want to continue down the path of differing laws based on separatist tribes including Ngati Pakeha which is the largest registered iwi in New Zealand. | Martin |
| We are all one with equal rights and opportunity they are all there lets use them | Mick |
| Aren’t ‘we’ one ? | John |
| We are not Zimbabwe as yet but getting very close, I never thought New Zealand could be so controlled by a group of activists and a PM who changes his mind back and forth every time he talks on the people of New Zealand he has to put his big boys pants on. | laurie |
| I absolutely do. I understand that there are some 97 pieces of legislation that favour Masori over everyone else and these HAVE to go if we are to haver equality as the majority of NZers have requested. | John |
| Race-based rights hold the ToW in contempt. | Bruce |
| Absolutely, Bravo New Government doing its job. Stay firm and resolute | Karen |
| The public have spoken in the election results. The sooner the better to repeal the references to the Treaty of Waitangi. | Mike |
| hurry up get it done | alan |
| YES ,YES ,YES ! | John |
| It’s the only way to eliminate racism in our legislation. | Fiona |
| One country with all people having the same rights. One law for all people not based on race. Everyone has the same opportunities but some choose not to work hard and achieve goals. Too many people want handouts without working for them. | Grant |
| Yes without a doubt removed. Ive been saying for the past 2 years that poor health outcomes poor educational outcomes and a low socio economic positioning in society is not the sole domain of Maori. We have been fed bullshit. And Dr Laurie Knights figures on health reflect that. Without a doubt similar figures apply across education and socio economic factors. No ones knocking there is need its just that need is not the domain of just Maori Equality is colour blind Removing all references to race from the statue books is a must. Luxon should be reflecting on why he is in power | Bruce |
| Maori at the time of 1840 obviously ceded sovereignty – Mr Luxon, does the National Party agree? Maori history and customs are part of who we are as New Zealanders, but that should not lead into having undemocratic additional rights. | Perry |
| Certainly do – we need to get back to equal rights for all New Zealanders. | Jenny |
| ASAP !!! | Geoffrey |
| Should never have been considered, in the first place . Who thinks apartheid is a good idea, talk about racism in reverse . 16% of the population identifies as Maori , the coalition received more than 50% of the NZ vote NZers are tired of the unelected few having a say in NZ future . One people One vote lets get this country back to a prosperous nation with all people doing their bit and enjoing the better life outcome that will bring. | Dan |
| Of course. Politicians seem to be totally inept at foreseeing all the unintended consequences their tinkering creates. Helen Jeffery, John, Christopher et al. (Cindy and Chippy were intentional). | Creed |
| ALL race-based legislation should be repealed, The Waitangi Act 1975 should be repealed and the Waitangi Tribunal disestablished immediately. | TerryM |
| we should all be treated as being equal. | owen |
| We are a democracy, as such apartheid policies should have no place in our legislation | John |
| Just asking this question shows you don’t understand the Treaty or more likely don’t want to | Nigel |
| Definitely | Helen |
| The only way forward is colour blind!!! | Brian |
| New Zealand will not be able to flourish until this apartheid is destroyed forever. One people, one law for All and dissolution of Maori seats. But while we’re fighting each other we are easy to Control. | Paul |
| Need to stop excemplifying that racism can be ok if we want people to learn that racism is not ok. | Ed |
| Race based rights equals apartheid in NZ. That is unacceptable! | Sheila |
| We are all one people equal in humanity, none superior to the other | Linda |
| About time. We are all people in one nation. The separatism must stop immediately or the nation will fall as all in history teach us. Peace and unity and equal rights for all is crucial. | Gail |
| Equality within the bounds of the law is paramount in a free and democratic society. | Larry |
| There is no place for raced based laws in a 21st century liberal democracy. | Grant |
| It’s the only way forward for all of us. | Alister |
| There is no place for this in a democratic society. | Allan |
| descendants of Maori are just that. bitsers. bit of this, bit of that. Just like me and my family. interbreeding means no one is pure. we are equal. | Marie |
| The sooner the better | Heather |
| Treaty is Well out of date. We need equal rights for all NZers but recognising needs of different cultures | Heather |
| ASAP | Graeme |
| The sooner the better. | bruce |
| Agree absolutely! | George |
| only a racist hypocrite could oppose colour blind democracy. | Giles |
| I didn’t realise that racial quotas are now the norm for medical school. We are sounding more and more like an Appartheid system here every day. Go back and read Maori Issues on the Topic Index . It is a real eye opener. | Paul |
| Absolutely. – There is no other way that will bring NZ to being a great place to live so long as we do not abide by the “We are one people under the King (Queen)” Article 1. | maurice |
| We should be one people, no differences whatsoever. | Valerie |
| Its time we were all treated as equal in NZ, not as it is now where some are more equal than others | Laurie |
| Very necessary | ROB |
| it’s a racist act that excludes all other new Zealanders | Gary |
| One law for all new Zealanders | Des |
| Especially the proposal to set up Maori wards by every council in Nz and funded by the Councils Rate Payers | Stan |
| We are supposed to be ONE PEOPLE! So why is it there? | Heather |
| lets all be called kiwis regardless of the colour of our skin and get rid of the treaty once and for all time and if some dont like it let them go elsewhere in the world and see if they can survive with their attitude. | Richard |
| High time. I’m waiting for a hip operation, and at present every new Maori patient will put me further down the queue, and in more pain. | Kathy |
| If PM Luxon does not honour his commitment to a majority vote in this poll, he should relinquish his postition. | Dave |
| Totally agree !!!! Remove them all and start quoting actual Treaty wording — and not that fraudulent and possibly treasonous wording used by Matiu Rata in the 1975 Treaty of Waitangi Act. | Alan |
| YES WE ARE ALL EQUAL THERE IS NO COMPROMISE | RICHARD |
| Yes we need to be aiming for a colourless society here in New Zealand. Different cultures are great and seeing people celebrating that is great too but should avoid shoving it down everyone’s throat at ever opportunity. TVNZ need a lesson in this. Mise li meas | Owen |
| Stop apartheid in New Zealand now! | Peter |
| By removing existing race-based rights is the only way to make everyone equal which is what the original Treaty made clear. | Marga |
| most certainly | Colin |
| Race based rights should never have been included in any legislation | Peter |
| All rights for All people | peter |
| I see that Maori TV are listed in the TV guide as playing the movie Patu. This is a documentary about the 1981 protests against the South African rugby tour of New Zealand. This movie should be shown at the Waitangi grounds on Tuesday. Two faced Bastards. | Steve |
| If I was younger I think I would consider leaving NZ, a country I have always loved and called my own. But we are heading closer to a divided society. | Heather |
| Absolutely without delay! | Craig |
| No brainer. | Tony |
| If the nation cannot agree on what the Treaty of Waitangi says it is time to scrap it!!!! Take a vote /referendum and see who ant it removed. It creates divisiveness and always will. take a vote and save our nation. | Peter K |
| Unity for all, one NZ | Sandra |
| We are a country of one people, all with equal rights and privileges. There is no place for race based rights. | Gavin |
| we dont want apartheid | Fiona |
| well passed its used by date….also is obsolete. Has caused far to much leaverage for the radical T.P.M… time for a PUBLIC BURNING.. | David |
| it about time that NZers were 1 people with equal rights and RESPONSIBILITIES!!! | graham |
| Absolutely! There should never have been any to begin with. | John |
| 100% | Craig |
| This constant talk and focus on the treaty is holding NZ back. | Carl |
| They are only race based if not paakeha rights. Gravy train…what weighted words. When are you going to I clue the full comments from Apiranga. The government is like Russia invading Ukraine. Laws and trading were here long before white man. Colonization is done bestby the Brits. By the time they got to Nz they were master crafts men and we fell for it. I Amat loss for words reading this piece of pakeha perspective. | Linda |
| Absolutely | Noel |
| Should never been allowed to happen back in 1975 | Don |
| scary stuff! | Betty |
| Absolutely. High time all this crap was sorted out. It has become one big rort and needs to be stop asap. Waitangi Tribunal needs axing also. This country is going down hill fast | Peter |
| ASAP | Geoffrey |
| Racism or discrimination by race should not be written into any law. One rule for all people. | Clive |
| Maori seem to want to advance without effort or personal endeavour.No wonder they mostly have a poorer lifestyle. The treaty says our races should be equal. Maori should expend the energy the same as other races of New Zealand. A work and health ethic is what gets people ahead. Most Maori these days, certainly do not adhere to this belief. I am sick of their lazyness and intimidating and untruthful tactics. | Patrick |
| Absolutely crucial. | Hohepa. |
| The sooner the better!!!! | Evelyn |
| There is no place for racism (race-based rights) of any kind. | Richard |
| One person, one vote. All persons are created equal. | Guy |
| ASAP | Neil |
| If any races are to be included in legislation, then where are the larger racial groups in this plan? | Sharron |
| Not only “yes” to the poll question, but it’s well overdue to stop these unreasonable privileges of iwi businesses paying NO tax, it has to stop as part of this trough like gravy train…! | Bruce |
| We should not even be asking this question, but with Labour openig hte floodgates to teh tribal elites, it is obviously one that needs asking and an ida that needs total rejection. | Jan |
| A nation divided shall surely fail | Jennifer |
| we are all humans | g |
| WE ARE ONE PEOPLE IN NEW ZEALAND | SHERYL |
| We need this for the country to be able to continue to be free democracy | Bryan |
| I was born in a country with raced-based rights. Many of us left to live in NZ. Horrors! Raced-based rights have come to haunt us. Abolish it! | YokeHar |
| It is only right and proper that there is one Law for all New Zealanders. One person & one vote. Everything based on race/ ethnicity needs to be cancelled immediately. | Christopher |
| Equality for all. ! | Elizabeth |
| Yes we are all human beings no matter our skin color. Thus we are all equal, created in God’s image. We all have the same rights. | Theo |
| Removed as soon as possible under urgency to help stop the media one eyed carry on | leo |
| Yes we are one people | Helen |
| I believe in one law for all. | Jane |
| Why are we funding a race based media? | john |
| this has been long overdue | rosa |
| THE SOONER THE BETTER!!! | Sylvia |
| Dart by changing the tax free status of Maori businesses ( and also take a close look at firms like Sanatarium). If we are all equal and have the same rights and interests then any reference to preference and privilege should be eliminated otherwise there will never be a fair and equal society. The only differential should be advancement through personal achievement . | Mike |
| Its pretty sad to see all this happening. When I was a child, we were all the same. | Pamela |
| Yes, we are all New Zealanders, not a separist society, by people who they believe are indigenous, and the Treaty is their separate agreement to the Crown | Tony |
| This is what the coalition Government were voted in to do. | Errol |
| 100% yes. Its racist. Imagine the uproar from maori radicals if this was reversed? All non maori get preferential treatment. Our new govt has a hard road ahead. They need all our support to rid these scumbags for good. | Kevin |
| The sooner ,the better. | Rhys |
| The treaty was written in English as well as Maori. In those days Maori was a spoken language not a written one. There is a reason laws are written in English because it is clear what the words mean. | mark |
| Without question. | Fred |
| Immediately like NOW. | Dave |
| Should never have come into being in the first place, so Yes, yes, and yes!! | Gail |
| All New Zealanders should be equal in our great country. | Paul |
| Civil unrest leads to Civil disobedience. | Roger |
| All citizens to vote in a democratic Referendum. | Henry |
| Race based policy is RACIST | Wayne |
| All people are equal. NOBODY should get more rights or privilege over anyone else. All race-based laws should be abolished as well as Maori seats. | Simon |
| yes they must all be removed for NZ to become a cohesive society once again | NIGEL |
| How did we ever allow ourselves to get to this situation in the first place? | John |
| The media have much to answer for. The government are not wishing to change or rewrite the treaty – merely clarify it. Where have fair and balanced media gone? The public deserve facts not opinions! | Maureen |
| The media need to be held accountable for miss leading the public in regard to what the coalition goverment is proposing regarding the treaty. Need to report facts not opinons. | Peter |
| Our disgraceful, biased mainstream media are certainly fuelling the fire of Maori activists. Te Pati Maori are deliberately misinterpreting what our PM is saying, and will cause major disruption at Waitangi which is very sad, and dangerous. | Mary |
| Absolutely without doubt. This is the only way this country will ever move forward in unity | Neil |
| One person, one vote – always | Mike |
| Feel ashamed of my ancestry…hoping for better days! | Audrey |
| It is sad that a small minority of NZ citizens support and would like to increase division by ethnicity when NZ was strongly against apartheid in South Africa. | Anthony |
| Most deffinatly | eric |
| Labour’s efforts to divide NZ have to be cancelled. All citizens regardless of ethnicity must be treated equally. | Lee |
| Absolutely remove all the gravy train benefits which successive govts inc National have gone the easy road at the expense of kiwis .The greed and selfserving maoris must be stopped and no matter what the so called main stream media must remove their left wing bias and do what is required of them , otherwise stop all newspaper subscriptions ,as many have stop watching tv1 and tv3 news. the advertisers will soon get the picture . i note now Stuff wanting donations for news updates , no way, you scum buckets, Hit them in the pockets Kiwis . | Ray |
| I am of Maori descent. I consider myself to have the same rights as every New Zealander and only those. All should be treated all the same | Harvey |
| equal rights to all regardless of race | Rod |
| I prefer democracy over apartheid | Daniel |
| how much has race-based rights cost us over the 50 years | NOEL |
| We New Zealand citizens either have a proper democratic system or we don’t? I think that our current Government was elected to repair the ever creeping non-democratic arrangements of the disastrous last Government and to reinstate a full and proper western styled democratic system that has served us fairly well before all this nonsense of special rights was becoming entrenched right under our noses. We need a big push back to recreate our free democratic society. We must support David Seymour’s treaty bill to go ALL the way. Get ready for it. | Garry |
| In a democracy all citizens are equal before the law. | Doug |
| There shouldn’t be any differences because of someones race. Everyone should be treated equally. | Kate |
| Racism implemented by the Maori elite is strangling society. Banish the racist doctrine,now. All citizenry equal rights with one vote allocation. | Marshal |
| Long overdue | james and sue |
| Definitely | Steve |
| This Government MUST stick to it/s policies and promises that it made to the electorate. Do not fold. | David |
| Thats what most NZs want, This coalition has to stick to its plans.its the gravy train receivers and media making the noise | paul |
| ABSOLUTELY | John |
| If this is not done this and soon, country will slowly be reduced to a third world country – such a waste of potential. WAKE UP NEW ZEALAND!!! | Roy |
| It is dividing the country and destroying democracy. We are all Kiwis with EQUAL rights. | Gary |
| Sadly it’s all pie in the sky, New Zealanders are too self centred and gutless to stand up and be counted | Russell |
| One country one people, It,s time to look forward not back | John |
| please do not give up | annie |
| We should all, irrespective of race, have equal rights and responsibilities under the law. | Melanie |
| And sooner the better ,otherwise this country is stuffed. | Mark |
| This is the right pathway for all NZ’s future pathways | Wayne |
| Absolutely | Paul |
| Definitely. I have had a guts full of our taxes funding race based privileges. | Ann |
| It is human rights that should form the basis of our laws, customs and concerns not those defining people by race or colour. | Stephen |
| Immediately | Allen |
| ASAP | Anthony |
| Although the PM is against creating “complex co-governance bodies and bureaucracies in Wellington”, still waiting for him to rule out local co-governance outside of Wellington. | Ron |
| I can’t argue with Muriel’s opening summation. Spot on. | Mark |
| New Zealand will never move forward unless all its citizens have equal rights. Also, the apartheid system, that was initiated and flourished under the previous Labour Govt, must be abolished! | Heather |
| Need’s abolishing | Geoff |
| Race based legislation will lead to civil war | Derek |
| Absolutely remove all race based rights. Let us live under the one law . Equality. | Dianne |
| It’s time to recognise that all New Zealanders have equal rights – nothing else counts. | Graham |
| Remove all race-based rights legislation. Keep supporting David Seymour on this issue. | Donald |
| Absolutely | William |
| Should have happened at least 70 or 80 years ago | Brian |
| Ths country is now rife with division and hate. The millions that keep on being given to maori, free health care and control of New Zealand is criminal. Our future is looking very grim | Julie |
| Otherwise we will face civil war in the future of NZ | Marianne |
| Maori elite are bringing division. They are deliberately misconstruing the Article’s of the Treaty. | Dianne |
| most definitely no question about it, | rodger |
| Time to treat everyone the same as it was before the Labour government set out to maorification our once great nation. | Carol |
| The difference between the Treaty and a Cow You can not Milk a Cow for 50 years | Jim |
| It is way past time that the handful of elite troughers were shown the door | Geoffrey |
| no question | anthony |
| Absolutely. All New Zealanders should have equal rights and responsibilities. | Karen |
| This is not a difficult decision for me, I have never had any doubt whatsoever that what the early Maori Scholars research on the Treaty, published their findings said. Basically we are all equal regardless of race, with the Queen at the time protecting all rights. | Ian |
| Equal rights for NZ whites | Arthur |
| It’s amazing that in our day and age that we have remove something like this. | Peter |
| end apartheid | Gerhard |
| We are all one people. | William Clive |
| Of course all race based rights should be abolished. Common sense must prevail in the end. | Eric |
| Policies should be on need, never race. | Donald |
| Yes, absolutely | Don |
| Should never have been inserted in legilation in the first place, that is racist by definition! | Doug |
| Get on with it. Then put it to the people via a referendum. | Barras |
| If we don’t, there will no longer be democracy in NZ | Jan |
| All new Zealand Citizens should be equal under all laws. | Richard |
| i believe in individual responsibility | Elaine |
| Dump the Waitangi Tribunial | Peter |
| Yes,and the sooner the better. If National does not back Act and or NZ First then they should be axed next election if they last that long. | Peter |
| Not to do so would be racist. | Gordon |
| Must definitely be removed. | Noel |
| One person one vote | Ted |
| No doubt about this | Beverley |
| of course, for sure this should happen | gerard |
| Yes, we are all equal, so anything that divides us is not necessary. | Kim |
| Particularly galling that Maori business’s do NOT pay taxes and Why Not? They are GIVEN billions of Dollars as well as ludicrous large land parcels.. and announcing our land, our people! Since the releasing of the info and artifacts proving the authenticity that there were other races, in New Zealand hundreds of years before kupe. here long before kupe! Why should the people of nz , Maori and other races who have got off their backsides and let a gaggle of greedy so called Maori elitist .who if you feel Maori you are Maori.,joke well we the other occupants who know differently will be pushing back now. If you don’t pay tax you are not entitled.., easy. | Dianne |
| This business of race-based rights should all be removed, along with those in a position of power to continue to espouse such nonsense. What the treaty says is perfectly clear – every citizen of this country should be treated as equals. not “we are all equal, but some are more equal than others”, to paraphrase someone else | Trevor |
| as soon as possible….. | John |
| Otherwise we move closer to creeping apartheid which m/s Adern was working towards | Donald |
| All should be equal under the law | Geoffrey |
| Get on with it ! | Mo |
| Immediately cease and desist from race based rights! | Ann |
| They have to be removed if we are to avoid becoming a third world nation.. | Mike |
| It is high time the Human rights commission got off their backsides and did something about this problem that is spiraling out of control. | Roger |
| It’s about time… | Eddie |
| No place in New Zealand for anything other than equal rights for all citizens & legal residents. National had better stand strong on this position. | andy |
| You’ve asked this question before and the answer is still the same: REMOVE THEM FORTHWITH | Robyn |
| APARTHEID has never ended well for any country that has practiced it. NZ is no different. | Geoff |
| Most definitely. The policy of giving special privilege and rights to one race is playing right into the hands of the iwi leaders who use blackmail and bullying and we have bowed and scraped to their demands so that now we are considered ” the rest ‘ This MUST be reversed as soon as possible. | K |
| Yes! The sooner the better! | Peter |
| I’m sick of all this racist crsp, signed I’m 80 | Ken |
| Does the government have the balls needed to win the fight? | Mike |
| Revert to facts and democracy fairness for all | Gaye |
| There is nothing but bad news to come from establishing racial PRIVILEGE. | Malcolm |
| About time !,, | Peter |
| Why should some of my grandchildren be privileged more than the others? Equality is the only fait stance. | Alastair |
| absolutely ! | mike |
| That’s what I voted for! | Bruce |
| Should never have been in legislation in the first place! | Sue |
| go the coalition and get this country sorted | Barry |
| We are all equal Stop this treaty bastardisation now | Kevin |
| Evey one has equal rights under the law | Barry |
| i most certainly do | Mary |
| not stopping it now will result in greater devide between groups. | Gregor |
| Apartheid is not a successful form of Government. | Lionel |
| Absolutely | Alastair |
| Absolutely as soon as possible if the country is to have any future. Tribalism and race based policies are a proven recipe for disaster. | Ian |
| One law that applies to all irrespective of ethnicity | John |
| Well overdue. | Trevor |
| Without doubt | Dianne |
| one vote only | Deborah |
| In the eyes of the law we should all have equal rights. No exceptions. | John & Wilma |
| And because of MMP Governance, that separate Maori seats for Government elections and District Council elections- immediately. | Julz |
| Without delay! | Peter |
| I am totally tired of all this brown bullshit been rammed down my throat, just maybe it is time us ordinary NZs start to march in the streets? | Sven |
| Separation, segregation and anything in that direction is not needed in New Zealand. From experience that will get us nowhere as it becomes THEM and US! Please let our beautiful country treat all people with the same respect and regard and as equals. The wars are over, move on and help build this nation for us all – together. | Tersia |
| One country, one people, multiple ethnic ancestries, all operating equally under the same laws and provisions. | DAVID |
| One country one people | Colleen |
| There is no room in a democratic nation for racial preference as this denies equal rights to the remaining others not given racial privilege. | Stan |
| NZCPR is a fascist front for ACT which masquerades as a populist party but is mainly aimed as preserving upper-middle class privilege. I see your submission list does not include smoking/nicotine. | Patrick |
| Absolutely yes | Brian |
| Absolutely! We should all have the same rights of citizenship under the law. Iwi corporations should pay their fair share of tax also. | Mark |
| Absolutely | Sam |
| Hobson we were now one nation so there is no place for differential by race in our law | Bill |
| Race based rights have no place in present day legislation. When I arrived in NZ as a small child in 1948 I was taught in school that there was no privilege based on skin colour. And that should still be the case. | Paloma |
| Absolutely ,we are one people | Graeme |
| We are all New Zealanders. Race doesn’t come into it. | Kath |
| we are one people according too the Treaty | Ian |
| Most definitely, they are an abomination just like the tax-free status of the Iwi Corporations. Both should be axed sooner rather than later. | Allan |
| I look forward to a robust conversation on the treaty and gaining a better understanding of what it means to ALL NZ’ers. If we all understand the treaty better we will not need to pass racist legislation, which should be repealed. | Mike |
| So-called race-based rights shouldn’t be anywhere near any legislation. Where is equality in that? | Sheila |
| We are all the same, we are all human beings. If you want to be identified by race you will fail as a human being. We are all the SAME. | Alan |
| One country one people one vote. | Derek |
| A judge allowed some of these tribal concessions years ago-makes one wonder whether we are mimicking the US with “special deals”-read bribes? | Bryan |
| Absolutely. | Janine |
| learn from Rhodesia, South africa, judgements on character and actions alone. | murray |
| Please begin a public campagin against race based ownership of our foreshore & seabed. | John |
| YES!! All New Zealand’s should be treated as equals. We are ALL humans and should be equal. | Ian |
| Should never have been there in the first place. | Chris |
| now | Wiremu |
| Equal rights & responsibilities for all NZ Citizens | John |
| All who prefer a unified New Zealand, regardless of whatever name it may have in the future, need to keep the pressure on all the coalition parties to push through with the process- exactly as the previous parties did to divide this country. | Ian |
| Let’s stop trying to rip this wonderful country apart | Brianb |
| Totally agree. There will be no stability until these principles exist and are understood by every New Zealander. | Laura |
| One sovereignty one vote Western Democracy no race based laws. That is what the treaty promised and that it what it has delivered, until those who want everything decided on grounds of race now scream racism, to anyone who dares disagree with what they want, which is always race based. here is none so blind than those that cannot see who the real racists are. Take the Maori All Blacks. Are they a racially chosen team. No one has any objections about them. Nor I, having played with many of them. But what would happen if you chose a white All Blacks? Imagine the howls? | Dene |
| Yes they need to be removed as of yesterday and never given the opportunity to be re-established | Jeffrey |
| Yes. NZ is a democracy not a country wanting Tribal rule. | Heather |
| and soon. | Pam |
| Absolutely! But the radical Maori will go down kicking and screaming. Unfortunately the younger impressionable generations have been indoctrinated by these radicals and believe they are being disadvantaged by Europeans. The coalitions needs to stand firm by their commitment to all New Zealanders. | Geraldine |
| And from administrative proceedures | Perce |
| Hell yes! We must all be on an equal footing, it is the only way to go. | Valerie |
| New Zealand should be a colour blind society | Douwe |
| One nation one people | Mat |
| Yes, Yes and the sooner the better before the recist radicals destroy New Zealand. | Donald |
| only one level for all people | william |
| One people one law for all. | Mary |
| Absolutely | Bruce |
| Racism is racism, regardless of the colour of one’s skin | Hilary |
| Only New Zealand Citizen rights should remain! | Shaun |
| Thed sooner the better for all NZers | Richard |
| Yes, as New Zealanders we are One people. Divisions on race is Apartheid and so divisive. We, the citizens of this country we call home deserve better. | Colleen |
| New Zealand has no future under tribalism and apartheid..it will descend to being the Zimbabwe of the Pacific. | Frank |
| End the evilly connived gravy train handouts | Hugh |
| I did not realise that Maori businesses do not pay tax. That needs fixing! | Warren |
| Yes and those who think otherwise are nothing but traitors | Tom |
| Most definately ASAP | Barbara |
| about time. | Ian |
| We are either One Nation or racially seperated. We can NOT have both as prescribed by Maori Elite and because of what they say and do, proves that they are ony out for themselves. As Shane Jones stated “Time to put the K back in Iwi”. | Geoff |
| It’s incomprehensible to me that any New Zealander of sound mind; any New Zealander who believes in Democracy – whilst not perfect – is, given the flawed nature of human beings, the best of all systems, would vote other than “yes” to the above question. | Heather |
| and public office documentation should not be required to have te reo except where specifically addressing Maori issues. | Geoff |
| YES, most certainly! Getting the Legislation amended to do so at the Mad Hatters Tea Party that seems to have replaced our House of Representatives will be no easy task. God Defend NEW ZEALAND…. the country is nearly stuffed. | Bruce |
| Of course! | Alan |
| and all legislation should only be in English language | David |
| Democracy for all, equal rights for everyone no matter what race, what gender you are. It’s time this country got back to these basic democratic principles. | Gifford |
| I think we’ve covered this subject in the past. Of course we don’t want or need race based laws or policies. Kiwis should all be treated the same under the law, hence the Treaty. | larry |
| Full equality for all | Lindsay |
| The last Labour Govt pandered to the greedy radicals at the cost of every race. NZ has never been so divided and needs to be rectified for the sake of this country | Carol |
| The fact that these rights are in legislation show why the general public distrust politicians and legal leaders. | Ray |
| All I can say is thank God for David Seymour and I for one Will do all I can to counter the last six years of damage caused by Labour and the Maori elites | Greg |
| They should never have been introduced in the first place. Once removed rights must not be altered without a public referendum with a 75% majority. | Dennis |
| No racially based privileges | Jeff |
| Especially because the application of whether or not you are Maori is so flexible and open to abuse. | Leonora |
| One person, one vote. Every citizen in NZ should be of equal standing regardless of colour or creed. | Christine |
| Everyone should be equal under the law | Gavin |
| Of course there should be no race based rights in any legislation. Remove all unelected Maori from councils. Cancel the Maori electrol roll and put all New Zealanders on one roll so that we are all equal. | Des |
| Time for New Zealand to try & claw it’s way back to an international example of a modern democracy rather than sliding into the cesspit of 3rd world status that we are currently heading to – particularly under the last 6 years of communist tyrants! | Rex |
| Day after day the rort continues, aided and abetted by a mainstream media that is rotten to the core. | John |
| Maori have to be recognised for their warrior Han gene. Tribalism cannot work in a mixed society. Free lance Chiefs may breach the Crimes Act. Another thing to watch out for is Maui who they recognise as authorising deceit//trickery as a way of bettering themselves. | Kevin |
| Race should not be the basis for a constitution or of the establishment of law and order or health. | Trevor |
| Please lets get this done and restore NZ:s future or it will be lost forever. | Mike |
| This is long overdue !! | Bruce |
| Scrap them | Bruce |
| I do say “yes” to this — but probably nor for the same reason many of your readers and supporters do…I believe the priority should be helping those who are doing poorly economically, whatever their race. As Dr Newman’s column states: about “40 percent [of health problems are due to] socioeconomic factors such as education and income.” Clearly, then, this is the largest factor and it is what the government needs to better address, for these are not problems that can be solely remedied by personal responsibility and a willingness to work. Entry level jobs and apprenticeships need to be created — if not by the private sector then by the government! Aid to struggling farmers should be another area of action. Even if we think some of those receiving such aid are “unworthy” let us remember the next generation and our nation’s future. Do we want this same situation to persist in the decades to come? I don’t. | Marla |
| We don’t want apartheid in NZ | Ihaia |
| 1 person, 1 vote | Laurine |
| Removed | Terry |
| Everyone is equal under the law | Peter |
| equal right for all | Lorraine |
| One for all and all for one! | Jane |
| Simply to follow the Legislation of such counties as South Africa and USA then we will be equal. | Warren |
| Politician’s sold us down the river as they never had “The Peoples Mandate” to do so. | George |
| Apartheid based policies have never worked in any country and its clear to see its not working here. This country needs to return to equal rights and privileges to all citizens no matter what race thier ancestors were. | Leanne |
| YES of course if we ALL want to live in a peaceful Country. The sensible people shouldn’t think any different, but we do have a lot of trouble makers in NZ. | John |
| Yes of course.. We badly need a level playing field for every NZ citizen. Privilege based on race, gender, wealth etc is not acceptable in our Country but it has become the norm and the majority are looking for a change. Hence we have a new Government. I guess we will have to wait and see what they deliver. | Gary |
| It should be worth considering and discussing the increasing incidence of false heritage. I recently queried a Facebook conversation where a woman claimed tribal links to 4 or 5 iwi, whom had a European surname. Surely her ancestry had European roots on her paternal/male side, which she was ignoring. Does she feel that there are bigger privileges in claiming Maori ancestry over her European side? It is obviously not so apparent on a persons Maternal side, whereby convention has been to adopt a man’s family name upon marriage, eg Maori man marrying a European or Asian woman and thereby passing on that name down through their offspring. There are sooo many ‘Maori’ with European, Asian or Islander surnames, who should be honest about their ancestry and not deny their heritage. | Vic |
| No wonder Maori are opposed to any changes. They want power and money. | Ray |
| I am tires of hearing how maori have been hard done by because IWI have been given billions of dollars and none of it is funneled back into the people have been having a hard time, only the top tare and I don’t understand why they have the support they. They are very hypocritical and I hear that other New Zealand people are racist but I hear more published and said racist stuff from those who claimed that anything against them is racist. “Pot calling the Kettle Black” comes to mind. Maybe they should be taken to human rights for what they say and do. It is hate speech. Alot of the rhetoric I find as a New Zealander is offensive.. | Jackie |
| and thank you for enabling all NZ newspaper readers to access Ngata’s article. He must as be the most reliable writer on the subject given he was taught by ancestors with direct links to the signatories and led Ngati Porou to “pool” ancestral small holdings to set up Mangatu Farms. | Annette |
| They should never have been inserted in the first place. The Governor General should have stopped it but then she was appointed by the Labour Party so how can she represent the British Crown? | mike |
| Absolutely – this should never have been allowed to happen in the first place! | Scott |
| We are all bloody exhausted by this trible bullshit | Allan |
| It is the only way to get 1 vote for all | Colin |
| Maori elite are and have always been racist | Carl |
| Most defiantly this has gone on for to long and the Maori elite have milk it to a point that control the Government in the past and this has to change. With al the resistance by the radicals and the Maori elite their time is up. Bring it on ACT and NZ First. National has to be firm as well. | ken |
| Labour introduced too MUCH racist based legislation in its 6 years of power. Glad they are gone…… | Carl |
| Ashamed of political class in NZ. Change has become essential now needed with conviction to ensure the future and undivided country. | Norman |
| Racism has no place in this country… or any country. By perpetuating race based privilege the NZ Government is in breach of the United Nations Bill of Human Rights | Graham |
| Should never have been enacted in the first place. | Don |
| We do not want Apartheid | Nick |
| Endorse it entirely. | Judith |
| There will be NO progress or advancement until this is done. As a nation we MUST ensure this is the bedrock of our society. | Roger |
| Absolutely | Michael |
| Long over due in my opinion | Roy |
| I am of Maori Heritage and vote on the Maori Electoral Roll. | Denis |
| No brainer, esp. if democracy is to prevail | robin |
| Maori have had more rights than any other race, and as such, all special privileges should be withdrawn. One Country, one people. | DEREK |
| ALL race based and gender based policies must go. | Neville |
| No comment needed!!!!! | Richard |
| Absolutely, it should have been done decades ago. One Country, one people, regardless of race. | Elaine |
| absobloodylutely | Mike |
| Enough of policies based on the colour of our skins. We are all New Zealanders | Ailsa |
| The maori ‘elite’ have dishonestly misrepresented the treaty principles for so long, that some of ‘their people’ are probably unaware of the lies being told on their behalf. It is time for this to stop. | TOBY |
| Yes and as soon as possible | Peter |
| It is a basic requirement for democracy that all members of a nation, regardless of ethicity or tribal affiliations, have equal rights inc the right to one vote. | Ron |
| Yes Absolutely What more is there to say | Cookie |
| they have had it to good for to long | Barry |
| As long as the government hold strong, these sort of issues will be raked out and dealt to. | Glenda |
| Absolutely, that’s what we voted for and expect. The coalition government will come under extreme pressure in these forthcoming years from both Maori and the lefties. They need to stand firm. | Lawrie |
| There is no place in making allowances for anyone based purely of ethnicity – selective at that. | John |
| Everything in legislation related to race MUST be deleted. The treaty is well past its use by date | Gareth |
| And to the maori seats should also be gone! | Anthony |
| YES, and the sooner its dealt with the better off the rest of the people in this country will be, the Government was given a very strong mandate to sort this IWI shit out and they can’t let 16% of the people of this country take over and take control and say to hell with everyone else. It’s time for Maori to STOP crying and stooping and kicking their feet in the air like spoilt little children to get their own way. This Government has to do say the say or it will be very bad for this country if they give in, Maori have to learn to live with rest of us in harmony as it used to be back sixty or seventy years ago went we were all mates- friends etc and none of this current bullshit, and they need to read the original treaty agreement not the Maori version,written to suit themselves. | COLIN |
| Absolutely right! We are all New Zealanders and therefore should be treated equally without any race-based legislation being used. | Lauree |
| This coalition government must follow through on what was established in the coalition agreement and what the majority of NZers voted for. | Ray |
| Its inclusion was fairytail thinking in the first place like most of labors jacindas comunnistic thinking.! | Warren |
| Absolutely, we have to move on to a colour blind society and the sooner our radical based elite get this message that the vast majority of our citizens in NZ do not accept race based privileges the better we will be as a balanced society. | chris |
| Act are totally correct here, and there is no proposed changing of the Treaty, just correctly stating We Are One as stated . | bob |
| sick of the raciest maori’s wanting everyyhing for nothing. | Mike |
| It is the only way forward. | Stuart |
| Get rid of Maori seats – should have happened in 1994 under Bolger – but he was gutless | Mike |
| Rights must never be race based. | Ann |
| I would like to see all reference to “the principles” deleted. | Roger |
| Absolutely!!! | Marilyn |
| Long overdue including the dumping of the Maori seats | Collin |
| All New Zealanders should have equal rights under the law. There should be NO reinterpretation of The Treaty for a ‘Race-Based, Maori apartied system in NZ! | Treva |
| Such an obvious requirement that should never have beenallowed to creep into our legislative and administrative frameworks in the first place | Boudd |
| Absolutely | Steve |
| Yes, yes, and again yes! Without any delay or hesitation. | lee |
| Its purely a gravy train that is overdue for abolishing. There may have been a need 100 years ago, but not now. We are all equal before the law. Apartheid has no place in NZ. | Peter |
| It’s about time, I am sick of it. | Christopher |
| All new zealanders should have equal rights No race or religion should be privileged above others | john |
| Yes having done a law degree I was shocked at the changes in the laws over the past 5 years. I felt that we couldn’t use the current law degree overseas it was drenched in tikanga. I will always remember the E I got for saying no-one should own the water and Maori should not be given all the water rights in 2019 at Victoria University. Out professor was working for Judge Joe Williams and go very offended at logic. | Chaquila |
| Unequivocally : or New Zealand as a democratic country is GONE . | Stuart |
| 100% | Valda |
| This is now an opportunity to take our Country into the future | Rod |
| All us Kiwis just want the country to be equal for everyone and in my lifetime all Govts have talked and talked but it still remains the same so David get it done this time so we can die a bit happier for our children | Barbara |
| We are all equal not race based politics. | Janet |
| NZ needs to work as one people as we have a very multicultural society and as workers/taxpayers we cannot afford to keep paying for an individual race on any basis. We all need to stop looking back and look to a future for our grandchildren to accept with all being treated equally. | Jacqueline |
| Fair , honest treatment for all new Zealanders Including Taxes | Brenda |
| Appalling, devicing of all New Zealanders | Derek |
| Was it Hobson who said to ea h Maori Chief after he had signed%u2026.We are now one people. | Brian |
| There should be an Act of Parliament which effectively removes race based rights from all legislation, especially employment law. The Waitangi Treaty Act 1975 should also be repealed, leaving the Treaty in place in its original format and meaning. | Rod |
| Dann right. We are supposed to be equal. | Fraser |
| Absolutely ! | Craig |
| Feb 6th 1840= Forgotten quote from a VERY respected maori leader. “NOW WE ARE ALL ONE PEOPLE” i.e. NO APARTHEID IN NZ !!!!! | Honest Dave |
| Will stop the separatism and the feeling of one race privilege | Karen |
| Absolutely they should be removed. While they exist we are not all equal under the law. As a white non-maori male I am incensed that another person who was simply born in a Maori family should have greater rights and privileges than me and my family. | Kerry |
| all legislation should be colour blind | David |
| Absolutely agree. We are all equal in the eyes of god, it is man that separates us WEF, EU, WHO, DARVOS,etc etc | Noel |
| Entirely, & without exception. | Linton |
| We are all New Zealanders with equal rights under democracy | Anne |
| Must happen. now.. All Kiwis to have equal rights.. | Neil |
| Seeing that there are no full blooded Maoris left they have no rights | chris |
| Remove all privileges founded on race | Maurice |
| Anything else is unfair and wrong to all humans | Robert |
| should have been done long ago | Philip |
| Definitely!!! This farcical, fictional bias needs to be gone asap, or NZ is destined to become the next Zimbabwe, leading to mass exodus of qualified, working, tax paying Kiwis, as is already happening. The country cannot afford to continue along the divisive, race based path we have been on, for it will destroy NZ. | Andrew |
| Absolutely | Mark |
| We are meant to be one nation. | Tony |
| Yes, for every sound reason you’ve identified. There are other facts too. Ther4e is another interested party to the Treaty, and that is the settlers. The Maori Treaty would never have existed without the inputs of Busby, Hobson, and Williams who created the Treaty draft to be presented to the Chiefs at Waitangi. The other matter barely mentioned is the large-scale massacre of Maori by Maori in the decades-long Musket Wars prior to 1840. Was Maori willingness to embrace The Treaty seen as some kind of insurance against those earlier horrors? | Alan |
| This makes perfect sense.The current govt now needs to act on the mandate of the majority. | Ronald |
| It needs to be done as a matter of extreme urgency. All New Zealanders should be treated equally in every respect, whether it be health, education, tax, income, employment or crime & penalties. | David |
| Absolutely, Lets get NZ back under the control of all New Zealanders on an equal basis with no racism or apartheid to be seen or heard in our wonderful country. | Alister |
| Most definitely | Owen |
| Yes as their is no other way New Zealand can be at peace. | Charlotte |
| All law-abiding members of society should have equal rights under the law, irrespective of race, colour, creed, gender, etc. Specific challenges can be undertaken where members believe they have a legitimate claim but it should be at their expense unless ruled otherwise. | Martin |
| absolutely, remove them as soon as possible. | Mike |
| we’re ALL equal!! | Tony |
| Definitely should be removed | Graeme |
| It was never intended via the treaty of waitangi signed in 1840. All Kiwis equal under one law for all. | Gwenda |
| Governor William Hobson greeted the M%u0101ori chiefs on 6th February 1840 with the words %u2018He iwi tahi tatou%u2019 (We are all one people). There was to be one government with equal rights for ALL New Zealand citizens. This must never change. | Grant |
| Problems are global. We’re all in this together. Time to abandon negative tribalism and lies. | Phil |
| YES YES AND YES 100% | |
| Most definitely | Arthur |
| Absolutely yes. We have to reflect a 21st Century liberal democracy with equal rights for all citizens; not semi feudal, tribal with ‘victim’ mentality, rearwards looking, race-based and divided. We can be so much more together with all of the many ethnicities and diverse cultures that are the modern NZ population. We must remove the ‘handbrake’ of race-based politics and the present hypocrisy and appeasement must change. We cant rely on the courts, Parliament must give clarity and inspirational leadership or we will continue the descent into mediocrity. | Francis |
| We must all be equal and receive equal share of the pie. | John |
| Absolutely without exception | Roy |
| Of course YES. Anyone who thinks otherwise is, by definition, a racist | Kevin |
| DEFFINATLY. | iAN |
| No to apartheid! | Allan |
| The fact is there are no Maori left we are all one country. New Zealand!!!! | Les |
| All treated the same under the law. and in every section of life in our country of New Zealand | Kenneth |
| Most definitely! | Trevor |
| All people to have equal opportunity. | Elizabeth |
| “We are now one people.” | Ian |
| I BELIEVE EVERY-ONE should email BOTH NZ FIRST & ACT and tell them you support the maori treaty that makes EVERYONE EQUAL & there is NO PRINCIPLES IN THE TREATY | Cindy |
| I would go further: racism in all its forms should be illegal. | kelvin |
| There is no justification for rights based only on race | Graham |
| Raced based rights are racist and trying to justify them on the basis of equality, equity or anything else is simply wrong. Much of this has nothing to do with anything other than self entitled elitist individuals feathering their own, family and friends pockets. | David |
| Equal opportunities for all NZers. | Steph |
| equal rights for everyone. not special treatment. | Chris |
| It is impossible in a hugely racially mixed population to seperate races, even if that was desirable. | Len |
| 100% agree | Peter |
| One people one equal vote. Its called democracy. | David |
| The race based rights should never have been included in legislation. Please return New Zealand to a democracy where race based decisions and principles are deemed illegal. | Chris |
| Yes not only that all race based rights should be removed from legislation but also that all race based rights should be removed by legislation | terrence |
| Can’t be done quick enough | David |
| Yes, as we are all humans. | Kate |
| First, the Treaty is not one between races, it is between distinct legal/political entities as evidenced by over 200 years of Treaties between European nations and Indigenous nations., starting with the Two Row Wampum in 1613. And formally adopted by the British with the Treaty of Niagara 1764. | Michael |
| About time | fred |
| most certainly do. | Pam |
| Absolutely, and the sooner the better. | Neville |
| YES. I arrived in an ambulance in cronic pain recently. Went for x rays and waited for orderles to take me back. 2nd in line I was bypassed for maori lady in 3rd spot Then back at my room was then thrown out in hallway for maori boy with a bandage on his leg and all his maori followers. I felt like white trash. I was on morphine the whole day and needed top ups. Has this happened to other non maori ? Preferential treatment for maori must stop.. | Peter |
| Absolutely yes. Hold the line! | SteveT |
| Absolutely ! | Patrick |
| Maori are upset with Act’s proposal as they want to keep apartheid. | Ranald |
| We are one people, we are all equal, We are One Nation | Rod |
| Put NZ in line with many countries where reference to race based rights is illegal. | Clive |
| To many service men and woman have sacrificed their lives for this wonderful country | Norl |
| I have repeatedly, on this site and emailed politicians, that we must adopt the colourblind constitution/legislation that the European countries of Sweden,Germany, Denmark etc. adopted after Hitlers and Nazism s defeat to ensure that dictatorships and tribal/racist COUPS never happen again. Unfortunately nobody is listening only you. I was shocked that our local National MP this week has come out in support of a local Iwi claim for compensation. He kept that under his hat until National got in. The gravy train has an advocate in him. Government needs to sort out its traitors to democracy. | Brenda |
| Its essential to remove race-based rights if we want to have a great country that moves freely and lovingly because of its ability to live properly. | Murray |
| All people are equal. | Terence |
| All men/women in New Zealand are equal under the sun | R J |
| We should aim for a society where we are all equal with the same opportunities. We need to protect our hard won democracy at all costs. If it is lost it will be very hard to regain. To get tribal rule in NZ would be catastrophic. | lone |
| All equal under the Law as established by Parliament | David |
| Yes but it will never happen as the lawyers and WT is now running the show as its a gravy train with laws to shot down opposition – Governments have perpetually set NZ up to fail over time. Just a matter of time before NZ is tribal governed as most voters have rose coloured glasses on that are coloured by successive pro Government PMs. | Bill |
| Else our country becomes a look-alike Rwanda or South Africa and how well are those countries faring??!! | Helen |
| Learn from ‘the voice’ in Australia. | Coral |
| The elitist gravy train is just laughing in the faces of the Coalition Govt. Time to have race-based privileges diluted for all time …ASAP “Do you copy that Capt. Luxon ? “ | Chris |
| definitely | adrian |
| The Treaty settlements have not helped the average Maori only the elite few and it has become a gravy train, it needs to stop now. | Gayle |
| We are a unified country NOT based on one race or another. Unified under the law. Under the Treaty of Watangi. We need to move on in that direction again. | M. |
| Stop procrastinating and do it. | Ray |
| Absolutely. | Di |
| It is blatant racism! | Bruce |
| Immediately | Harvey |
| How else can one live in an alleged democracy? | Nick |
| The system is increasingly apartheid and I am discriminated against. | Brian |
| We are supposed to be all equal | Jimmy |
| yes yes yes please, the sooner the better | Erin |
| We don’t want apartheid in this country. | john |
| Definitely. We are all New Zealanders and should have equal rights. | Daphne |
| Maori Iwis and their tribal corporates should also be made to pay their share of Taxes back to the New Zealand Inland Revenue as we all do know matter what race. | Wayne |
| We are a country made up of immigrants and no bias should be shown to any race | Sharon |
| yES IMMEDIATELY | tHOMAS |
| And all journalists should be made to study the original Treaty and sit an examination on that! | Peter |
| MOST definitely. We are, or SHOULD be, EQUAL. It has been simply dividing our wonderful NEW ZEALAND. STOP it NOW, please. Brian. | Brian |
| An absolute No-Brainer. | Brian |
| NZ should NOT become an apartheid country with tribal rule | Michele |
| Absolutely. Equal rights fpr all. We are all either immigrants or decedents from Immigrants | John |
| Immediately – Now – before anything else!!!! | Colin |
| It’s a no brainer | Chris |
| We used to lead other nations. Now we should follow them & scrap reference to race in all legislation. | Doug |
| All equal. NZ is colour blind | John |
| and ASAP | tOM |
| Absolutely special rights should be removed or we can’t call NZ a democracy. | Linda |
| Threats of disruption and bullying by Maori activists should not be allowed. These actions are akin to treason and should be treated as such. | Dot |
| Immediately. Race-based rights should never have been introduced in the first place. For as long as I can remember special treatment has been given to those with even a minute trace of Maori ancestry so if they still can’t get by without special treatment in this day and age then they never will. | Helen |
| Absolutely! And the Maori corporations should have to pay tax on their income just like all other businesses. The Maori corporations have largely contributed to the rise of a Maori aristocracy. Those at the top of these businesses do very well, while many “ordinary” Maori struggle in their daily lives. | Laurence |
| merit not race please | john |
| This is what has always set Kiwis apart from the rest of the world as a peaceful nation. Look at how the abomination of global politics has divided the rest of the world. We don’t want to be like that, it’s not in our nature. The only way forward is as one people. And we need a constitution to reflect this so as new immigrants to our country commit to abide by & protect our constitution so as we can enjoy each other’s various cultures & not be detrimentally influenced by them. | Mike |
| Without Question! Racially based management of “anything” is unacceptable. | Andrew |
| Race-based rights are anti-democratic , it is imperative they be removed from legislation. | Margaret |
| as soon as possible | ERIC |
| Absolutely | Irena |
| All new Zealanders are to be treated equal to have a fair society | Gary |
| A S A P. Please ! | Rayner |
| O course they should BUT it won’t be easy and I don’t think there is anyone in this government that has the guts to say enough this is what is going to happen The Maori have to strong a voice and until the majority of the trouble makers are silenced we won’t see a lot of change we will see how strong the new coalition is on Tuesday won’t we | Peter |
| Absolutely! and the sooner the better! | Brenda |
| Preference granted to part-maori is divisive and unjust. Stop the gravy train, make them pay taxes and contribute to the Nation’s welfare/well-being | Sandra |
| One law for all, | Don |
| That is the very FOUNDATION OF DEMOCRACY! | Andy |
| One law for all! | Wietske |
| Well of course but optimism that can be achieved before the socialist woke take back control of the government is hard to maintain. | Richard |
| absolutrly yes. its time for maori to stand up for themselves as individuals, not a c;;ective of privileged few | john |
| As should exclusive cultural rights such as tikanga which are now used to cudgel non-maori to comply with efforts to exclude them from the sea, rivers and lands which are the domain of all New Zealanders. | Baden |
| Is the pope catholic? Actually forget that, I’m not sure. | Matt |
| Equal Rights is the Sound and sensible way to go. It covers for ALL Races | Pierre |
| Any country worldwide where one race/tribe has more rights than the other – always- ends badly. South Africa, either then or now is a prime example | Alvs |
| Accepting racial is contrary to the international equality of rights of all individuals | Bryan |
| An absolute requirement | Peter |
| One country one people. | Don |
| Absolutely, and the sooner the better for us all. | Greg |
| Absolutely – it is almost 200 years since the Treaty and all Maori are now of mixed blood. Forget the past and look to unitedNZ in the future. | Gerry |
| This must happen if we are a country worth living in. | David |
| To become one people called New Zealanders or Kiwis is a dream – but we must start NOW | Peter |
| Kiwis not iwis | Trevor |
| The waitangi tribunal in its entirety should at last be wound up. This inefficient gravy train has bled New Zealand tax payers for far to long. | Jules |
| Yes. As a native New Zealander, why should I have differing rights to others not born here, but legitimatly in the country, and holding NZ citizenship | Neil |
| Without question of further debate-we have apartheid alive and well in NZ. | Hylton |
| Race is a myth anyway. We all have human DNA so we are all part of the human race, not different races. | Ray |
| absoutely it should be removed. As a white-eye, I feel very unimportant racially in the country of my birth with this type of legislation, Ban it and anything else that suppresses the Pakeha needs to go now! | mary |
| We are one people. | Jill |
| The government won the election as they promised to make NZ equal again so they must push ahead and get this done | Chris |
| I would like to go as far as to suggest that we, as a united nation should put the treaty to sleep and let it it settle in the dusty realm of history. It is not a legal document, it is not signed by all the tribes and it is between the British Crown and some tribes based on conditions nearly 200 years ago, irrelevant now. It should be replaced by a simple set of principles like equality, no ethnic or religious referrerences in law, simple really, same rights and obligations for all who are of this nation. But I am dreaming of course as the majority of people in NZ for some reason want to keep it alive, can you imagine what the world would look like if it was to adhere to similar 200 Yr old treaties. | Leonard |
| Please lets try and stop this nonsense Maori gravy train. | Kt |
| Luxon cannot explain it any simpler than what he has. The Elite just don’t like the removal of the Gravy train | frank |
| Of course all race based legislation should be repealed – it has no place in any democracy. Why it has ever come this far is a disgrace to humanity. | Scott |
| Absolutely. This is a democratic country and aattenps to turn it into a Facist or communist state must be nipped in the bud | Robbie |
| simple race based rights ? They confuse with human rights. Time to remind them of Apartheid in South Africa, Raced based rights -Very True. Not for New Zealand not acceptable ever. | Philip |
| Absolutely.No exceptions. | gale |
| “Let’s get our country back on track” I think a public censor is a good start to this problem. | Doris |
| Wow. Maori privilege out | Evans |
| No one should be able to claim any privelege over another person, based on their ethnicity. As New Zealand citizens, we all have the same rights by law. No one can take that away, but those laws need to be strengthened and entrenched, so that our rights and freedoms remain forever. | Trevor |
| As a Maori. Even given the potential for personal gain, there is no merit in race based legislation. Ethically there can never be justification. In reality it become incumbent on the Maori elite (the only beneficiaries of racial favouritism) to ensure and encourage the failure of those they claim to represent. | Dominic |
| Enshrined equal civil rights for all must surely be the under pinning principle regardless of race or creed. | Max |
| The principal outfall from The Treaty of Waitangi was our Democratic System / Democracy and this must be totally recaptured , re-established and reinstated WITHOUT COMPROMISE. Tribal participation has ABSOLUTELY NO PLACE and NO ROLE in our Democratic System/ Democracy. Democracy is about the rights and equality of INDIVIDUAL CITIZENS. Another excellent paper from Muriel Newman. | Hugh |
| Why should NZ adopt more separatism than we already have, such as children of Maori descent already get different privileges when starting secondary education. | Carol |
| Immediately | Laurie |
| Absolutely. This is not North Korea ?? | Russ |
| Yes, Yes, Yes. A resounding YES! | Grahame |
| These ‘rights’ have to be removed once and for all. The radicals will not take any measures taken by the Government lightly. They will spit venom and the MSM will aid these radicals . That is why the Coalition should start with cutting these media sharks loose and let them fend for themselfes. To deal with the radicals will be tricky. It would not surprise if they will resort to violence. But that would show the real face of what they call ‘ Maori rights’. etc etc. It is time for a showdown and this endless pussyfooting has to sto now. | Michael |
| Should never ever have been in there at all | bRUCE |
| The Waitangi Tribunal needs to be revised to focus solely on improper acquisition of tribal lands, if any,and nothing else | David |
| Remove it. The only way my country can move forward. | Neil |
| Absolutely | Charles |
| We should moved swiftly and decisively. | Graham |
| One people | Jenny |
| all one NEW ZEALAND | RAY |
| Absolutely it’s called democracy And FREEDOM | Greg |
| We shouldn’t be changing the law because we don’t agree with a decision | Bonzo |
| I am appalled at the racism that exists – in favour of Maori & to a lesser extent Pacifica. get rid of all trace of tghis apartheit! | Mark |
| Maori activists are holding NZ to ransom & it has to top before our country is ruined. | judith |
| Absolutely without question. | Kris |
| Time for the Treaty to be thrown into the disposal bin…. Once and for all! No more separatism, or race preference, perks. ONE LAW FOR ALL!! | David |
| The Treaty being HORORED is not Tiriti o Waitangi (article treaty), but rather the English as signed Freeman Formal Royal Style ruined overseas dispatch version that was used by Reverend Maunsell to collect an overflow of chiefs signatures at Waikato Heads and then fraudulently used to enact the 1975 Treaty of Waitangi Act which created the Waitangi Tribunal.(principles treaty). The Treaty of Waitangi Act 1975 and ALL the other statutes, which give recognition to the Treaty are NOT entrenched. They can be swept away by a simple majority in Parliament, said constitutional lawyer Geoffrey Palmer AFTER he left parliament. Let’s put the pressure on this coalition government to MAKE IT HAPPEN. | neil |
| Its a no brainer | kaye |
| Most definitely | David |
| There should be no place for tribal influence and domination in a modern liberal democracy. | willy |
| I most certainly do not agree with Dr.Newmans right wing double speak. I heartily support Jacinda Arden’s Socialist agenda and look forward to the dismissal of the Three Headed Taniwha in favour of a Socialist government that actually TRULY cares for the people of NZ. | Kim |
| Sly politicians with hidden agendas betrayed citizens in a despicable manner | Doug |
| Return to true Democracy and ensure that injustices are addressed according to need irrespective of race | Bruce |
| Race-based rights are a recipe for long-term division and inequality. | Alister |
| Most definitely – should never have been there in the first place! | Graham |
| disband the waitangi tribunal forthwith.not fit for purpose | chris |
| Absolutely and Immediately | Basil |
| It’s crown’s obligations to improve outcomes for underserved groups. If that means Maori have poorer health outcomes, we should prioritise improving Maori health outcomes. | Common |
| The article states clearly what must be done to preserve Democracy in New Zealand. Urgent Removal of race based rights must be done now in 2024 or Luxon shows he is weak and easily manipulated. Hoping it all goes away Mr Luxon is foolish and will cost you dearly at the next election. Doing nothing means he is not governing for ALL New Zealanders. National have one chance to sort this mess or they will not be top dog party next election. Show some back bone man. | Sam |
| Absolutely race based legislation should be removed – it should never have been introduced in the first place. | David |
| The sooner race is removed from legislation, the sooner NZ can move forwards. | Murray |
| Yes, yes, yes – we should have been having this debate decades ago! | Paul |
| Well done to the coalition for putting equal rights high on their agenda. I fervently hope they can successfully follow through. | Heather |
| It is a disgrace that so much racial privilege has been introduced into NZ laws. Most of the public had no idea. The country has become captured by tribal leaders and the sooner we are rid of it all, the better! | Fiona |