A few months ago, a friend contacted me. He was very worried. He felt the country was going seriously off the rails, with the Government creating more and more divisions between those of us with a Maori ancestor and those of us without.
He mentioned the Independent Maori Statutory Board in Auckland, giving unelected tribal appointees voting rights on most Auckland Council committees.
He mentioned the proposal in the Bill to amend the RMA which would require all local governments, within 30 days of election, to invite tribes in their area into “iwi participation agreements”, to enable tribes to participate in planning and decision-making.
He mentioned the Government’s proposal to involve tribes in the allocation of fresh water, something traditionally the sole responsibility of local government.
He wondered why the large tribally-owned businesses which have emerged from the settlement of historical grievances are exempt from the taxes paid by all other businesses.
He felt that more and more politicians were seeking to divide us, in clear contradiction to the promise which Governor Hobson made in 1840 as chiefs signed the Treaty of Waitangi that “We are now one people”. And in clear contradiction of the Treaty itself, which made it quite explicit in Article III that all New Zealanders would henceforth have all the rights and privileges of British subjects – no more and no less.
He urged that we form a new political party to fight this insidious trend, a trend which could only end in resentment and racial conflict.
I told him he was right to be worried but crazy to think we could successfully set up a new political party – single issue parties rarely succeed anywhere, and it would be difficult to gather sufficient resources in the short term.
But the conversation got me thinking. We are on a dangerous and slippery slope. Since the conversation with my friend we’ve seen a Labour MP introduce a Bill into the Parliamentary system which would, if drawn from the ballot and passed, “entrench” separate Maori electorates – electorates which were originally intended to last for just five years in 1867, and which the Royal Commission on the Electoral System recommended be scrapped if MMP were adopted. With more than 20 Maori MPs now in Parliament, only seven of them elected in Maori electorates, there is surely not the slightest need to continue with these electorates.
We’ve also seen in recent weeks, the so-called Maori king express the expectation that, by 2025, Maori New Zealanders would be able to “share sovereignty” in New Zealand. “Share sovereignty”? What on earth is he talking about? All Maori, and all other New Zealanders, already “share sovereignty” – we all have a vote! But I suspect that that was not what he had in mind.
Setting up a new political party doesn’t make sense, but the situation is very serious. As a result, a group of us has formed the Hobson’s Pledge Trust. We’re committed to doing everything we can to raise awareness of the extreme dangers of the path which successive governments have been taking us down, and to oppose at every opportunity measures which would divide us on the basis of when we or our ancestors arrived in New Zealand.
We are totally opposed to the Independent Maori Statutory Board in Auckland – it should be scrapped. We are totally opposed to requiring local governments to invite local tribes into “iwi participation agreements”. We are totally opposed to separate Maori electorates – they should be abolished without delay. We are totally opposed to the notion that the Treaty created a “partnership” between those with a Maori ancestor and those without. We are totally opposed to any governance arrangement where people are appointed based on when they or their ancestors arrived in New Zealand. Essentially, we want to affirm Governor Hobson’s pledge that “we are now one people”.
Those supporting the Trust also propose that we provide financial support to any political party, or parties, which commit to end this divisive nonsense after the 2017 election. Which party might qualify for support? I very much hope that all parties make such a commitment.
The National Party has long had a commitment to “equal citizenship” in its constitution, and “one law for all” was a major slogan for the Party in both the 2002 and 2005 election campaigns. In 2002, National Party Leader Bill English gave a speech in which he reminded us that “the Treaty created one sovereignty and so one common citizenship. Unless New Zealanders accept Te Tiriti o Waitangi at something much closer to its face value, we could destroy something unique… Maori were sovereign in 1840. But the Treaty of Waitangi fully conveyed that sovereignty.” In 2003, he committed a future National Government to abolishing the Maori electorates.
When I was Leader of the National Party, I gave a major speech to the Orewa Rotary Club affirming National’s support for our common citizenship, and the public reaction to that speech suggested that a great many New Zealanders agreed with me.
In 2008, John Key campaigned on a policy of abolishing the Maori electorates on the completion of the historical Treaty settlements, then expected in around 2014.
But sadly, National has retreated a very long way from those commitments.
The ACT Party has long been committed to treating all New Zealanders as equal before the law, irrespective of when they or their ancestors arrived in this country. I understand the Party is still committed to this principle, though David Seymour has not been making a major issue of it.
It does nothing for my sense of humour that the only political party leader who is making a big issue of this currently is Winston Peters. I disagree with Mr Peters on a range of issues, but on the principle that all New Zealanders should be equal before the law, he is absolutely right – and having Maori ancestry himself, he can say what needs to be said without being accused of being racist.
This year, he has repeatedly offered to assist the National-led Government achieve meaningful reform of the RMA but only on condition that all reference to preferential treatment for those with a Maori ancestor be removed from the legislation. For the life of me, I cannot understand why the National Party doesn’t take up his offer.
In any event, I believe it is long past time when New Zealanders should take Governor Hobson’s words seriously, and move to a colour-blind society where every New Zealander has equal rights. The Hobson’s Pledge Trust is committed to that goal.
Copyright © 2024 Don Brash.