By Toby Whittaker
Although unlikely to be passed into law the ACT Party’s Treaty Principles Bill has certainly exposed some ugly facets of New Zealand politics – from the uncivilised and barbarous disruption of Parliament by Maori Party M.P.s (cheered on by Labour and the Greens) to the cowardice of the Prime Minister, Christopher Luxon, in promising to “support” the Bill through its First Reading and Select Committee hearings but then, after being “got at” by tribal thugs at Waitangi on 6th February, he ran backwards like a frightened rat.
In the words of Dr. John Robinson in his latest book, Who Really Broke the Treaty?, “To any reasonable person this (“support”) implies positive support throughout that stage, with further action guided by the report of the Select Committee….All submissions would be listened to by the Select Committee and Parliament, so we were led to believe. No way. Luxon announced in no uncertain terms that National would not support the Bill, no matter what the public opinion is. David Seymour then commented sensibly that only after the public has spoken will a final decision be made.” Why would people bother to make a submission when they have been told by Luxon that whatever they say will not be listened to?
Worse, National has embarked on a campaign of lies to discredit this worthy Bill, with Minister for Treaty Negotiations, Paul Goldsmith, apparently being given the role of Liar-in-Chief. In an e-mail to the well-known writer and commentator, Amy Brooke, Goldsmith wrote, “Successive National Governments have worked well with Maori while ensuring equal citizenship and equal opportunity for all New Zealanders”.
Goldsmith entered Parliament as a National List M.P. In 2011, having previously worked for that notoriously biased institution, the Waitangi Tribunal. Below is a list of statutes that the National Government (including Goldsmith) voted for which grant considerable race-based rights to those of part-Maori descent over and above all other New Zealanders.
Exclusive Economic Zone and Continental Shelf (Environmental Effects) Act 2102 – decisions to be informed by a Maori perspective; hearings must recognise tikanga Maori where appropriate and receive oral or written evidence in Maori.
National Animal Identification and Tracing Act 2012 – values to be protected include the relationship of Maori and their culture and traditions with their ancestral lands, waters, sites, wahi tapu and taonga.
Nga Wai o Maniapoto (Waipa River Act) 2012 – an anti-democratic co-governance entity set up to manage the Waipa, many of the appointments being race based – part-Maoris only!
Ngati Manuhiri Claims Settlement Act 2012 – another co-governance racket giving certain race-based appointments to part-Maoris only.
Game Animals Council Act 2013 – Council members must have knowledge of, and experience relating to, Maori “hunting interests”.
Housing Accords and Special Housing Areas Act 2013 – majority of members of an appointed territorial authority panel must have knowledge of and expertise in relation to planning, design, and engineering and appropriate knowledge and experience relating to the Treaty of Waitangi and tikanga Maori.
Mokomoko (Restoration of Character, Mana, and Reputation) Act 2013 – a parliamentary pardon for the brutal murderers of Rev. Carl Volkner in Opotiki in 1866! The master-mind of this atrocity was Kereopa te Rau of the Ngati Rangiwewehi clan of the Arawa tribe who hailed from the north-west shore of Rotorua. In the words of James Cowan, the leading historian of the Maori wars, “He was a thoroughgoing old savage, and he quickly plunged into the worst excesses, even cannibalism”. Volkner, who had ministered to the local Maoris for several years, was beheaded and, in the words of Captain Levy of the Eclipse who was present, “The natives then formed themselves into a line and prepared to taste the blood as it ran out of the head and body”.
They then gathered inside Volkner’s church and Kereopa, dressed in Volkner’s long black robe, placed the dripping head on the reading desk and filled the communion cup with Volkner’s blood; this was then passed around and drunk. From the pulpit Kereopa ate Volkner’s eyes in front of about a hundred natives. Four of the murderers, Mokomoko, Heremita, Kahupaea and Kereopa, were put on trial, convicted and hanged. But on 21 June, 2014, the National government of which Goldsmith was a part, pardoned the murderers for their horrific crime – a murder that was witnessed by over a hundred Maoris plus some settlers. Then to drive home the insult to Volkner’s memory even further this same shameless National government of 2014 gave $6 million of taxpayers’ money plus a forest and several valuable hot springs around Rotorua to Kereopa’s greedy tribe.
Ngati Whatua o Kaipara Claims Settlemwent Act 2013 – claims “The relationship between Ngati Whatua and the Crown was founded on the partnership created in 1840 through the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi”. This is a lie as there was no partnership of any kind.
Patents Act 2013 – established a Maori Advisory Committee whose members must have knowledge of matauranga and tikanga, to advise on patent applications.
Arts Council of N.Z. Toi Aotearoa Act 2014 – at least four members must have knowledge of te ao Maori and tikanga. The Council must recognise in the arts “the role of Maori as tangata whenua”.
NZ Mission Trust Board (Otamataha) Empowering Act 2014 – declared that the 1852 Crown grant that awarded the land to the Church Mission Society was in breach of the “Teaty principle of active protection” even though there is no such principle in the Treaty and, in fact, such “principles” were only invented in 1986!
Tapuika Claims Settlement Act 2014 – set up co-governance of the Kaituna River; the Authority must acknowledge the interests of iwi.
Heritage NZ Pouhere Taonga Act 2014 – scientific investigation of any site of interest to Maori requires the consent of iwi and hapu.
Environmental Reporting Act 2014 – require that synthesis and domain reports “are informed by a Maori perspective” and that regulations can not be made without consultation with iwi authorities.
Hawkes Bay Regional Planning Committee Act 2015 – an anti-democratic statute that requires co-governance between “mana whenua and elected representatives” overseeing development and review of Resource Management Act documents. The Committee standing orders “must not contravene tikanga Maori” (whatever that means).
Ngai Takoto Claims Settlement Act 2015, Te Aupouri Claims Settlement Act 2015, and Te Rarawa Claims Settlement Act 2015 – all these Acts give tribal rights over conservative land – land that should belong to all New Zealanders.
Environmental Canterbury (Transitional Governance Arrangements) Act 2016 – two members of the powerful transitional governing body must be nominees of the greedy Ngai Tahu tribe and must have knowledge of and expertise in relation to tikanga.
Hurunui/Kaikoura Earthquakes Recovery Act 2016 – members of the Recovery Review Panel to have knowledge of matauranga and tikanga.
Te Ture mo Te Reo Maori Language Act 2016 – states (falsely) that the Maori language is protected by Article Two of the Treaty.
Land Transfer Act 2017 – an application for adverse possession cannot be made against Maori land – only against non-Maori land.
Resource Legislation Amendment Act 2017 – agreements to provide a mechanism for tangata whenua through iwi authorities to participate in resource and decision-making processes.
Te Awa Tupuna (Whanganui River Claims Settlement) Act 2017 – gives part-Maoris considerable powers over the Wanganui River.
So, having voted for these and other measures doling out race-based privileges and resources to part-Maoris at the expense of the rest of us, Goldsmith has the effrontery to declare that National Governments have “ensured equal citizenship and equal opportunity for all New Zealanders”!!!!!!!!!!!! Was he asleep when he voted for all these pieces of racist legislation?
It is bad enough for the National Party to try to sabotage this Bill that is designed to restore equality of citizenship to a country that has lost it over the years – thanks to National, Labour and our rotten judges. But please Mr. Goldsmith spare us the lie that National has given equality of citizenship and opportunity over the years when in fact it has done the exact opposite.