The 12 month freeze on MP salaries announced by the Prime Minister last week typifies the approach of this coalition government – more fluff and symbolism than serious policy reform that would bring about stronger economic growth and higher living standards.
It is of course hardly a sacrifice for the PM on her $470,000 salary – the fifth highest paid leader in the OECD – to forgo an increase, but her actions have politicised an issue that previous governments have been at pains to de-politicise.
The Remuneration Authority was established by Parliament in 1974 as an independent body to determine the salaries of MPs, judges, local councillors, and other public office holders. The percentage-based model for politicians – tied to the average increase across the public sector – was introduced in 2015 to reduce the size of the pay rises.
The proposed increase came at a bad time for MPs. Accepting a 3 percent rise when nurses and teachers have been out on strike and are being told there is no more money, would not have gone down well with the public.
The austerity has also been extended – at least cosmetically – to public service bosses by stripping away performance bonuses, which have long been hated by the unions. That move distances the government even further from performance pay in the teaching profession, which many believe is necessary if exceptional teachers are to be retained.
True to form, an insatiable local government rejected any call for a pay freeze, with Local Government New Zealand President, Dave Cull, justifying the increases recommended by the Remuneration Authority of up to 12 percent for some mayors.
All of this comes at a time, when the ANZ business outlook survey shows business confidence has slumped to its lowest level in nine years.
Although the economy is still expected to grow, most are now predicting the rate will slow to around 2.5 percent rather than 3 percent. With annual inflation running below 2 percent, the Reserve Bank has put the official cash rate on hold at 1.75 percent, and expects it to stay there until 2020.
The resulting fall in the Kiwi dollar signals higher consumer prices on the back of rising petrol prices. Only a quarter of the pump price is the actual cost of petrol, more than half is excise tax – then there’s an Emissions Trading Scheme levy of around 5 cents per litre, GST, and for Aucklanders, an extra 10 cents a litre regional fuel tax.
In their Monthly Economic Indicators Report for July, Treasury notes that the housing market is continuing to cool, unemployment is starting to rise, and business confidence is declining further with the NZIER business investment intentions survey falling from 16 percent in the first quarter to just 2 percent in the second.
According to Treasury, “Although we think growth held up in the June quarter, weaker confidence, in conjunction with other data, highlight the risk that growth over the coming fiscal year may be weaker-than-forecast in the Budget Economic and Fiscal Update 2018.”
This will be a real concern to the Government which has spent up large and agreed to substantial wage increases for a number of state sector workers. Although government politicians are upbeat in public, they are concerned enough about the increasing likelihood that next year’s Budget will downgrade revenue forecasts, that they have announced yet another working group – this time a business advisory council to help restore business confidence.
The problem for Labour is that for nine years in opposition, they have vilified wealth creators for political gain, only to find their tax revenue now depends on them! Their challenge is to revive business confidence, but that’s not easy for a Party that’s not only beholden to the anti-business trade union movement for funding and electoral support, but is totally reliant on the extremist Greens to stay in Government – but more on that later.
This week’s NZCPR Guest Commentator, economist and businessman Dr Kerry McDonald, who has held a number of high profile private and public sector roles – including as Chairman of the Government’s 2011 Savings Working Group – is scathing about the failure of successive governments to implement policies to sustainably improve the living standards of New Zealanders:
“When the economic engine of a democracy fails, social and environmental imperatives become unaffordable – but rather than fix the economy politicians obfuscated and spent more of the Nation’s precious capital on political band aids – reinforcing the downward spiral.”
Dr McDonald believes there is an appalling lack of “political will and leadership to prioritise the national interest and deal effectively with important economic, social and environmental issues”, and he warns that “the cost of addressing numerous social problems is reducing the capacity for productive investment to improve the economy and future living standards.”
We concur with his sentiment and outline five policy changes that the NZCPR believes would make a significant difference to the future of New Zealand.
Our first suggestion relates to a devastating social policy failure that no government has had the backbone to address.
Every year thousands of New Zealand children suffer serious abuse and neglect. For some, the damage begins before birth, when irresponsible mothers drink alcohol while pregnant. The wholly preventable Foetal Alcohol Syndrome Disorder (FASD) is said to affect up to 3,000 children a year, with life-long physical, mental, intellectual, and behavioural disorders, that leave them vulnerable to further harm.
New Zealand’s rate of child abuse is one of the worst in the developed world. The reason is policy failure. Although research shows that intentional abuse most often affects children living in welfare dependent sole parent households, our government continues to use the benefit system to incentivise single women to have children as a lifestyle choice. Over the last five years, there has been a 22 percent increase in the number of children born to women on a Sole Parent benefit, from 5,384 babies born in 2013, to 6,584 in 2017.
The Prime Minister’s new ‘baby bonus’ of $60 a week from the birth of a child until the age of three, will make the problem worse.
It’s an intolerable situation when government policy is placing the most vulnerable New Zealanders – young children – in a situation where they are at of grave risk of abuse.
We have two proposals to turn this situation around.
First, change the benefit: replace Sole Parent Support as a stand-alone benefit, with assistance through Job Seeker Support to send the strongest possible signal to women, that if they get pregnant and have a baby, temporary help will be provided, but they will be expected to get a job and become the breadwinner for their family.
And secondly, change the entitlement: given the dangers associated with raising children in families dependent on welfare, the benefit should be capped at the number of children a woman has when she first enters the welfare system. Given the difficult situation she will find herself in, there should be no financial incentives for her to have more children.
Our second policy suggestion is to stop Green Party extremism.
The Greens are the most radical party New Zealand has ever had in Government. Other Prime Ministers have kept them out of Cabinet, but Jacinda Ardern – desperate to form a government – gave them Ministerial positions.
The Greens are planning to sabotage our economic future under the altruistic guise of upholding the Paris Climate Accord. At a time when many other countries have signalled an intention to retreat from their Paris commitments, the Green Party is rushing to legislate.
By their own modelling, once their laws are in place, they expect our economy will be at least a quarter smaller in 2050 than it is today. The burden of the decline in society’s wellbeing will fall disproportionately on lower income households.
But the Greens also intend destroying industries that have been the basis of wealth creation in New Zealand, with agricultural production expected to halve.
Is this economic destruction really the future legacy that Labour is planning for our country?
And where is the chorus of people speaking out against this madness?
Labour and New Zealand First need to be convinced to rein in the Green zealots and replace their economically suicidal Zero Carbon Bill with sensible policies that will take the country forward. National, which inexplicably agreed to support the Greens’ extremism, apparently needs to be convinced of this as well.
Our third policy suggestion is to remove the roadblocks to growth.
This Government needs to understand that the business sector is the engine room of our economy and for the country to do well, wealth creators must be confident their enterprises can grow and prosper.
The proposed industrial relations law changes, that Labour intends introducing to appease their trade union affiliates, is one of the main concerns of business. Taking those proposed changes off the agenda would restore confidence, investment, and growth.
There are, of course, many roadblocks to growth, but one policy that has created more problems than most over the years is the Resource Management Act. National not only failed to properly reform the RMA, but they made it worse by increasing iwi involvement in resource consent decision-making – to appease their Maori Party coalition partner. They also failed to require councils to remove the urban boundary limits that are at the heart of the land shortages that have caused the housing crisis.
Reforming the RMA should be a priority – but so too should be the way it is administered. The manner in which local authorities are putting the RMA into effect is destroying wealth creation. This can only be addressed by taking that role away from them and restricting their activities to local infrastructure and property services. The Bill that’s in front of Parliament to expand councils’ mandate to include the economic, social, cultural and environmental well-beings of their districts should be withdrawn.
Removing the roadblocks to growth in the coastal area, leads us onto our fourth policy suggestion – to restore Crown ownership of the foreshore and seabed.
The Marine and Coastal Area Act has been a disaster and should be repealed. Introduced by National to appease the Maori Party, it has resulted in almost 600 opportunistic tribal claims covering every square inch of the coastline, many times over. That was never the intention of Parliament.
Nor was Parliament’s intention to force anyone wanting a resource consent in the coastal marine area to have to consult with as many as 20 or 30 iwi who have lodged claims for the area. The law requires those consultation provisions to remain in place until the claims are resolved, which, given the current lack of progress, could take 10 or 20 years. This will effectively kill off all future coastal development into the foreseeable future.
Nor was it Parliament’s intention to pay over $100 million in taxpayer funded grants to tribal lawyers to help them prepare claims for the coast – up to $412,000 for the 380 Crown Engagement claims and up to $316,000 for the 202 High Court claims.
This disastrous Act should be replaced with the Foreshore and Seabed Act so the beaches and Territorial Sea are once again held in Crown ownership for all New Zealanders. All claims should be extinguished – except for those that have already been started.
Our fifth policy suggestion is to remove the Maori seats.
Parliament’s Maori seats are now being used as a power base for the Maori sovereignty movement. They have passed their use-by date and should be removed.
Introduced as a ‘temporary’ measure in 1867 to give the vote to Maori men who didn’t qualify under the land ownership requirements of the day, they should have been removed in 1879 when full voting rights for men were granted, or in 1893 under universal suffrage.
In 1986, the Royal Commission on the Electoral System recommended the abolition of the Maori seats, if MMP was introduced, to avoid an over-representation of Maori in Parliament. That has now occurred.
A national referendum on the future of the ‘temporary’ Maori seats should now be held, so New Zealanders can choose whether to retain the present divisive race-based system, or restore a colour-blind electoral franchise and one law for all.
THIS WEEK’S POLL ASKS:
Would you support a nation-wide referendum on the future of the Maori seats?
*Poll comments are posted below.
*All NZCPR poll results can be seen in the Archive.
THIS WEEK’S POLL COMMENTS
| Should have been abolished decades ago!! | Henry |
| I do as we then have an opportunity to vote these racial seats out of existence. Our beautiful land is being torn apart by all this biculturism and racial based political bullying. Under cover treason really. What is wrong with the so-called leaders of this country that they cannot see or refuse to recognise what is happening?? | Marilyn |
| Because a hard line approach is needed to get NZ as united as possible and we all should be voting for 1 parliament. It may cause some short term up roar but so be it. | Geoff |
| Winston was going to sort this wasn’t he? | Simon |
| Five very good policies but who is going to introduce them – certainly not this shambles of a government where the so-called PM is too gutless to fire errant ministers. Certainly not under National with Bridges as leader. In Australia, PM Turnbull was sacked because of his mad green policies! What is Judith Collins’ view of all this? | Monica |
| This and the climate change fiasco are the two main problems in this country – both should be abolished | Janet |
| Absolutely .. democracy at it’s finest would decide whether these seats stay or go. | Maddi |
| They are well past their “sell-by” date, and are clearly no longer justified as a mechanism to ensure that Maori have an appropriate representation in parliament, commensurate with their proportion of the population. | Laurie |
| Yes absolutely! It’s why myself & many others voted for Peters. Won’t be making that mistake again. But looking at the bigger picture & supported by the opinion of Dr Kerry Mcdonald, the referendum we should be having is one on the electoral system so that we get the chance to restore New Zealand to a true democracy which it clearly isn’t under MMP. Key’s pathetic last attempt at that was clearly stacked against any other system being introduced. | Rex |
| It is high time for a referendum to abolish the maori seats before this country is divided by race to the detriment to us all. | Laraine |
| Yes this is the only way to go surely. Run all race based policies by the public before their introduction and let the people decide. | Paul |
| For a temporary measure its endured far too long!! | David |
| For sure and well overdue | Barry |
| Not just a referendum please, a Binding referendum! | Huria |
| Yes ,but it must be binding | Athol |
| Long overdue | Richard |
| Nearly all agree that Maori seats should be abolished. That small but powerful group, manage to divert attention every time . | Neville |
| Long overdue! | Leon |
| Who wouldn’t support a nation-wide referendum on the future of the long out-dated Maori seats? Well, the small percentage with a vested interest, of course. While we are at it, let’s have a nation-wide referendum on whether to totally dump the Resource Management Act and its gravy train as well – but I am dreaming, aren’t I? | Rob |
| This ongoing race-based “favouritism” confirms that the treaty acknowledges Maori inferiority and that they need to be favoured in order to survive. A recipe for disaster! | TOBY |
| WE are a nation of many races and it is time we all pulled our weight to be a fair and just society not one group trading on a treaty that is generations out of date | Alan |
| Maori seats in Parliament are well past there used by date. Maori can stand up on their own two feet now as numbers of Maori already in parliament would suggest. | Wayne |
| Absolutely not. I cannot believe seemingly well educated and qualified people charged with responsibility of establishing this charter could even consider research has a racial component. It is bad enough we have a separate maori unit responsible for indentification of “maori bugs, diseases and infestations at our borders. I was previously unaware these undersirables were racially selective. http://www.biologicalheritage.nz/programmes/maori-biosecurity-network | Chris |
| This should be a fully binding referendum and the sooner it is held the better. I am certain what the result will be but would accept the result as the majority rule | Bruce |
| The marxist controlled Green party highlights the bad things associated with MMP. Low quality politicians on all sides are turning NZ into a near future Venezeula. I predict a massive economic recession within 8 months. | Rex |
| The electoral system of mmp was always going to be a disaster. the commission should develop a system which reduces or eliminates party seats and ensures candidates are elected by the electors. | Irvine |
| One law for everyone irrespective of skin colour | Gerard |
| Colour blind is best | Brian |
| But as we all know, referendum in isolation is not binding. We need a BINDING referendum that must be introduced into law. | Barry |
| Maori are new Zealanders and should be accorded the same rights as all other citizens….no more and no less! | John |
| There should NEVER have ever been maori seats … full stop! | Des |
| Most definitely. These seats are now a vehicle to promote racism and have no purpose other than to provide a vehicle for a racist agenda to be promoted further. | David |
| Legalised racism is a travesty and undemocratic. Eliminating it is a no brainer. Unfortunately this coalition has negative brain power. | Richard |
| Binding referendum | Linc |
| We need a Nation wide vote on the removal of the treaty from our policy and Law, removal of all race based expressions from Policy and Law | Bruce |
| Long overdue | Laurel |
| Too right! They should be abolished – New Zealand can never claim to be a democracy while it harbours parliamentary privileges to a minority of its citizens. | David |
| Make the result binding | Martin |
| Absolutely NOT | Denis |
| Anachronistic patronising and racist | Francis |
| It’s time the majority of New Zealanders had their say on the double dipping provisions for Maori representation in N Z government. | Allan |
| Not before time, | Benjamin |
| The original 5 Maori seats were TEMPORARY and were only to be in force until all matters settled — ie about 5 years after they were introduced and certainly not after 1860. | Alan |
| There is no more need for the Maori seats anymore One vote for everyone regardless of race who ever they are | Cherryl |
| What astounds me is if you call for everyone to be treated equally per the third article in the treaty you are called racist | Mike |
| Stop talking about it and tell us how it will come about.If we wait for MP’s to act I will be dead and buried before anything happens. | Peter |
| The result should be immediate and binding. No “field day lawyers” or interest group wailing. The people have spoken .. accept it, and get on with making New Zealand great again. | Kabe |
| Well written and clear advice on the imminent dangers we are facing. We have had weak political leadership for too long. Makes me so frustrated. This must stop! | Robert |
| And make it binding! | Brian |
| Absolutely, long over due. Agree with the five policies. Would require an extorindary leader who would put the nation before their own self interest. It will never happen. | Sam |
| With so many of the “Maori” population in prison, where presumably they are not entitled to vote, why do we need “Maori” seats? There are not enough in the community to have a significant representation ito be entitled to seats in Parliament | Maurice |
| There will never be a reconsideration of the Fore shore and Seabed legislation while there is proportionally over representation of Maori in parliament. This over representation will only increse over time until we are totally governed by maori | Peter |
| They SHOULD have been abolished YEARS ago but National kept them to appease the maori party which QUICKLY dumped them for labour.WAKE UP Simon | Cindy |
| Yes, yes, yes, but I fear there will be some interference in one way or another. I do not believe I have ever seen so many adverts from Government seeking people to join the Maori electoral role!!! Paid by all taxpayers, how many times do they need to be asked? | Audrey |
| The Maori seats are supported by less than 50per-cent of descendants of Maori. They should have been abolished with the introduction of MMP. What a pity Don Brash had not remained leader of the National Party. The current opposition are exactly what I have been calling them for years, ‘THE NATIONAL BRANCH OF THE LABOUR PARTY.. | A.G.R. |
| People should get into parliament on merit and not colour and /or culture. And why do we need so many people in Government? | Ido |
| Yes ! and it should be a referendum asking the nation to retain or abolish tribalism. Continuing as we are, we could finish up like South Africa today and that would be a disaster for this country. | Don |
| Long overdue! | Doug |
| Yes , but infavour of getting rid of | Maurice |
| MMP makes them redundent. | Doug |
| Decades overdue! | Alan |
| Of course. At least then we will know what the rest of the country as a whole thinks. This is called democracy I believe. | Paul |
| This continued apartheid needs to go! | Mark |
| They are no longer needed. | Nick |
| Absolutely – but it needs to be a binding referendum | Fiona |
| This is long over-due!!! | John |
| Who has the moral and political fortitude to make this happen? JK had the opportunity and reneged on his promise to have a NZ wide referndum. Who has the gonads to put this suggestion in front of Parliament? | Chris |
| It is imperative that this be implemented – isn’t it Winston? There is a very strong under current in this country that Maori are holding the country to ransom, and this is an unhealthy state of affairs. It needs to be addressed. | Chris |
| I am part Maori/ However I do not believe maori should have any special treatment. We are all one people. | Tony |
| The Maori seats have out-lived their objective; both major parties now have significant numbers of Maori MP’s. | Eric |
| But a referendum is not needed, JUST get rid of them. Can be done. | Graham |
| The race-based Maori seats must go | Kerry |
| I voted for Winston, for that reason only. So far he’s let many of his voters down. That was the first and last time I’d give him my vote. | Brent |
| Get rid of the maori seats and the Waitangi Tribunal while we’re at it. One law for all. | Mike |
| Yes! They should have been relegated to history over 100 years ago. | Les |
| For sure | Philip |
| An excellent first step towards removing race-based politics from NZ. | Colin |
| Past their use by date and now only creating increased divisiveness in the community. | Graham |
| Long overdue.It probably needs a party prepared to face a backlash, even oblivion to do this. I would pop the Foreshore & Seabed on the same referendum paper. I can see further shootings and threats eg Kawhia if this is not resolved quickly. | Dick |
| Outcome will determine the political future of NZ | Pierre |
| Time the Maori gravy train ended –many are now more and more accepting that they are hard done by and are are greedy for what they think are their rights without doing anything to earn it –what about those of us that work for ours and the continual growth and prosperity of N Z? | Marylin |
| it would make NZ one country for all people not just a trough for a bunch of half caste fat cats that will destroy this country with the help of all the do gooders that are so far up there brown back sides you can only just see them and a piece of paper called a treaty which is more like a open cheque for some. | Richard |
| But only if weak pollies had not dumped them permanently by other means. | Frank |
| Get rid of this tribalistic rabble | John |
| You bet I would. They are an abomination and as stated in your article we now have an over representation of Maori’s in parliament. The greedy Iwi will be using all their power over these MP’s to screw the government for more and more money with ever more ridiculous claims for claims that should not even be considered. | Colin |
| The Maori seats have no place in a democracy.Bring on a Referendum to rid us of them but show me any Politician with the guts to act accordingly including Winston who now hides his commitment to abolish them behind his baubles of office. | Don |
| I do but it won’t happen and we all know why. | Barbara |
| They have gone beyond their use-by date. Why continue a redundant process that really benefits no one. | Peter |
| Outdated and unnecessary | Rick |
| Definitely. | Carolyn |
| Should have been abandoned many years ago. On 6th Feb.1840 we all became one people. | David |
| We are supposed to be ALL one people here in New Zealand. | William |
| Should have been scrapped many years ago | Gareth |
| I hope it is not to late . The part Maori have become very well organised e.g. they have managed to gain control of the news and are able to determine what is published . All pro the part Maori faction . I am bewildered why our politicians won%u2019t grasp the nettle and do away with all this part Maori separatist stuff . Another great example of how the part Maori control media was their ability to stop TVNZ running the film Skeletons in the cupboard as it asked too many questions about where and when the Maori came from . Surely the politicians realise that the vast majority want this Maori and Treaty rubbish to stop NOW . | Jock |
| The reason that a referendum on the future of the Maori seats has not been held already is the implied threat of disruption and possible violence if their removal occurred. This had caused all political parties which would normally support such a move, to push it into the future so they would not have to deal with the fallout. The effect of not removing the Maori seats will lead to far greater disruption in the future. | John |
| There are so many Maori in Parliament now that the Maori seats are no longer required for Maori to have adequate representation | Isabel |
| There are plenty of Maori in politics so the need for reserved seats has long past its use by dates | John |
| Why are we continually having these referendums at tax payer expense when there should be no distinction for all N Zers especialy based on racial divisions? | Ian |
| centuries past their use-by date | Bruce |
| Absolutely | Brian |
| Absolutely, get rid of them as soon as possible | Graeme |
| Yes— I would support a referendum to abolish Maori seats. Fact is that we have enough Maori representation in all political parties as it is and this is what the original idea wanted to achieve — is it not?? In regards to the political changes you suggest in your article. All very commendable ,but I am afraid that the rot has set in too deep across all parties and we are dealing with an unholy alliance of TOW’principles’ , radical influence in the education sector, left leaning biased MSM and the emergence of a even more radical subgroup consisting of Antifa and associated radical militaristic Maori who are tolerated and even condoned by Green Party members like Goldiz Gamamaran who is not above legally defending war criminals. To achieve true change in this rather peculiar political environment a new right leaning conservative party is desperately needed to create a political equilibrium. ( a NZ version of the German Alternative fuer Deutschland) And on top of that we desperately need alternative media outlets to inform NZlanders unbiased about political developments in NZ and the world. | Michael |
| It will be a huge waste of tax payer money, but there is no other way which will not result in huge violence by a few. | Marianne |
| They should have been abolished years ago. Maori were a warring race,the more powerful tribes would raid the weaker tribes, rape pillage, enslave & eat them. Apart from cannibal acts I doubt much has changed, they are even allowed to get away with murder.Why would we want them in parliament! | Allen |
| Just one BIG question covers this – Do we want ‘ONE’ New Zealand? Most New Zealanders prefer a united ‘ONE” New Zealand – not the present fragmented very loose ‘choose to vote Maori if you want’ option. Crazy! Inducing – encouraging fractional self serving factions instead of ‘One New Zealand’ philosophy. | Stuart |
| Definitely a no brainer, but about zero chance of success. Maori would welcome this I’d imagine with the same enthusiasm as being offered a cup of cold sick. | Barry |
| How can we be ‘equal’ as the Treaty of Waitangi proposes if Maori are still given rights dependant on some tiny percentage of Maori blood. | Robbie |
| As a democracy NZ does not need them. | Chris |
| As noted they are an anachronism long past their used by date | Bryan |
| Yes !!! Let’s putaside that dreadful attitude that John Key had-that it would cause protest. Long past time this racist canker on our democracy was done away with. | Roger |
| Yes, yes, yes but it must be binding and with a defined date of happening. No timeframe or room for bloody politicians of any leaning to compromise what the voice of the majority of New Zealanders say. Part-Maori certainly must maintain their heritage but not at the expense of one New Zealand. We all have different heritages to preserve. | David |
| We are all New Zealanders so we shouldn’t need Two Rolls. Full Support for the abolishment of the Maori Roll’s. | Richard |
| There should be no argument about this basic understanding of free societies. | Rob |
| and hopefully NZ will vote for equality in our representative chamber, not racially based seats based on a racial franchise. Not from this present government I fear, but why is NZ First not pressing for this as per its election promise??? Too many baubles to lose! | Andrew |
| Binding | Murray |
| It won’t happen! | Alan |
| Now is the time for ALL to be New Zealanders | Penina |
| It is time New Zealand Grew Up | Bryan |
| Peters promised us this | Andrew |
| It’s amazing how one of Winston’s “bottom lines” suddenly disappeared” when he had the opportunity of being a coalition partner! | Ted |
| Racial seats are wrong | Graeme |
| They’re a total farce, esp with dozens of part-Maoris in Parliament and among the top leadership these days. Also, the smaller size of the Maori electorates, compared to the general electorates, means they give Maori voters even more power than the rest of us. | Paul |
| But then we have already had one and the Government ignored it so what has changed that makes it likely they will be any more receptive to reason. | Terry |
| As long as it’s binding otherwise it’s a waste of time like all past referenda . If they are not binding, they are just a waste of money like the anti smacking referendum. The government ignored the majority and look what it has produced. Abuse is still increasing. Kids growing up with no discipline. Mental health issues climbing as when today’s kids get teenagers and the real world and someone stands up to them they all get offended and Need mental health!!!! | Greg |
| Yes Maori seats are no longer required as race based representation is not appropriate. | Neil |
| It’s time | Philip |
| Our country is being destroyed by the Govt pandering to maori demands. We are all New Zealanders. Regardless of race.. | Deb |
| Bring it on. We must have a colour blind social and political structure if we are to avoid some serious problems in the future. | Frank |
| Certainly everyone has the same chance to stand so why make it easier for certain groups to have an advantage | Peter |
| Absolutely, enough is enough. And the amount of money stolen off the taxpayer to pay for legal fees, lower than low! | Brooke |
| Past govt have been slowly giving in to the squeaky iwi on all fronts and now we have a unruly gang making their own rules and most are uneducated | Colin |
| I am blown away with the factual insight shown in Muriel’s Article, should be compulsory reading for those (of whom some are directed through Legislation) advocating/support otherwise. Not holding my breath. !!! . Having been a District Councillor with a Lifetime of experience, and opposer on behalf of 37 others, to the Coastal Claim process in the High Court . Witnessing/experiencing this happening via the collusion by the MSM in keeping this hidden from the uninformed majority of the populace, is a crime against freedom of information and expression. Mindless claims of our multicultural “Diversity” is code for “Division” !!!. | Jack |
| Vote them out | Kevin |
| The main political parties have used Maori seats as a political football for many years and have made “fake news” promises to the electorate about those seats being abolished. Winston Peters is a classic recent example of that. We will never see our Country unified until Maori seats are abolished and we live in a society where we are all recognised snd respected as equals. | Nev |
| Sadly it is unlikely to happen with the power in the hands of the Iwi Leaders Group rather than the Govt we did not elect | John |
| Long overdue | David |
| About time the seats went | steve |
| The country is in trouble due to MMP. If it wasn’t for MMP the Politicians wouldn’t be trying to appease a minority party to keep them in power | Trevor |
| The Maori seats are an anachronism that should have been eliminated 100 years ago!! | Tony |
| get rid of them | Jim |
| Every NZ citizen already has voting rights…go to the voting polls and be active. | Jim |
| Many political parties have promised it in the past. | Mike |
| It is just a waste of money and time, just abolish them now, nobody has the balls to stand up to our part maori activists. There are no Maori left, just people who have majority pakeha blood and genes. All this because they came on their canoes a bit earlier? One nation, one race, the human race. Am I wrong? | Leonard |
| Maori representation nationally and locally is our of control. It is not working | Michael |
| About bloody time. Fed up with this present situation. | Tim |
| Many Maori don’t even go on the Maori roll, as they can’t see the point in it. It’s time for those seats to go. | Andrew |
| Absolutely, but who will have the balls to put it forward. They will be called a racist. It would be a start, but probably never happen as too many people are making too much money in the Maori sovereignty movement. | Graeme |
| Absolutely the Maori seats should go – they are the reason that those who call themselves Maori are doing so poorly – they have been marginalised by their iwi leaders chasing power and wealth by keeping them disadvantaged. | Barry |
| Definitely there should be a referendum. But has anyone got the gumption to hold one? | Christine |
| Tribalism is a disaster. It divides society and enriches those at the top at a cost to everyone else. The sooner NZ society rids itself of it, the better. | Thomas |
| Winston Peters is in Government because he promised to hold a referendum on the future of the Maori seats. He needs to find a way top do so if his party to have any chance of succeeding at the next election. | Dan |
| The Maori seats should have been abolished long ago. | Andrew |