Post by Kiwi Frontline on May 8, 2019 5:22:57 GMT 12
Nelson Mail 8/5/19
COUNCIL-IWI PARTNERSHIP
Nelson City Council has advertised a fulltime position for iwi partnership with council.
The growth in race-based representation in local and central government - through appointment rather than election - is concerning.
The drive by iwi leaden to institutionalise 50-50 governance is a threat to our democracy.
These demands for power are fraudulent. They claim that the Treaty of Waitangi established a 50-50 partnership between Maori and the Crown, so iwi should have half the say in official decision-making in New Zealand.
This ignores the fact that the Treaty was not a partnership, but an agreement that endorsed the Queen as our sovereign, protected property rights, and established the rule of law.
Truth is no obstacle to the supporters of the sovereignty movement.
Treaty partnership rights do not exist in law. They are a political construct by the iwi elite to pressure politicians to accept that the Treaty confers special sovereign rights that justify tribal groups being elevated to a position of power above everyone else.
This is a dangerous and undemocratic precedent, and for the council to be buying into it underscores its contempt for democracy.
DAN MCGUIRE Nelson,
Dominion Post 8/5/19
PETERS' PROMISES
A commentary in a national newspaper ranked Cabinet ministers from 1 to 10 on their performance. Not surprisingly, Phil Twyford, David Clark and Shane Jones each received a rating of 4.
However, I was aghast to read Winston Peters received an 8 out of 10. Is this the same politician who coerced the voting public to support him with these three of many pre-election promises:
1. There should be "one law for all New Zealanders".
2. That the MAori seats in Parliament "must be abolished as recommended by the royal commission".
3. Reduce Parliament to 100 MPs.
Since this politician, who after the election engineered the Labour Party to become the new Government, made these important policy statements, not one of them has been fulfilled.
It beggars belief that, despite Peters making promises he hasn't kept, he has still managed to retain his seat in Parliament over the last 30-plus years.
We won't be fooled a second time into voting for NZ First in 2020.
TONY FELLINGHAM, Tauranga
MAORI NOT SIDELINED
The May 3 editorial asks, "Were Maori sidelined in the mental health inquiry?" As the former inquiry panel, we firmly reject this claim.
There is only one inquiry report, He Ara Oranga, delivered in November, when the inquiry panel was legally disestablished. To help future researchers, summaries of submissions were published after the inquiry concluded.
The Maori summary document, Oranga Tangata, Oranga Whanau, published in February, was not "sanitised", but was delayed after peer review led by Professor Mason Durie found the first commissioned draft was not a faithful representation of submitters' voices. The needs of Maori were central to the inquiry terms of reference and panel composition. We had extensive engagement with Maori.
The entire inquiry report carries a strong theme of radical change to New Zealand's mental health and addiction system and underlying inequities in society. To suggest Maori missed out because only three recommendations specifically refer to Maori overlooks the fact all 40 recommendations are about substantial change for Maori and all New Zealanders.
We expect meeting the needs of 'Maori will be central to the Government's response, as it was to the inquiry and our report.
RON PATERSON (CHAIR), MASON DURIE, BARBARA DISLEY, DEAN RANGIHUNA, JEMAIMA TIATIA-SEATH, JOSIAH TUALAMALI'I
sites.google.com/site/kiwifrontline/letters-submitted-to-newspapers
COUNCIL-IWI PARTNERSHIP
Nelson City Council has advertised a fulltime position for iwi partnership with council.
The growth in race-based representation in local and central government - through appointment rather than election - is concerning.
The drive by iwi leaden to institutionalise 50-50 governance is a threat to our democracy.
These demands for power are fraudulent. They claim that the Treaty of Waitangi established a 50-50 partnership between Maori and the Crown, so iwi should have half the say in official decision-making in New Zealand.
This ignores the fact that the Treaty was not a partnership, but an agreement that endorsed the Queen as our sovereign, protected property rights, and established the rule of law.
Truth is no obstacle to the supporters of the sovereignty movement.
Treaty partnership rights do not exist in law. They are a political construct by the iwi elite to pressure politicians to accept that the Treaty confers special sovereign rights that justify tribal groups being elevated to a position of power above everyone else.
This is a dangerous and undemocratic precedent, and for the council to be buying into it underscores its contempt for democracy.
DAN MCGUIRE Nelson,
Dominion Post 8/5/19
PETERS' PROMISES
A commentary in a national newspaper ranked Cabinet ministers from 1 to 10 on their performance. Not surprisingly, Phil Twyford, David Clark and Shane Jones each received a rating of 4.
However, I was aghast to read Winston Peters received an 8 out of 10. Is this the same politician who coerced the voting public to support him with these three of many pre-election promises:
1. There should be "one law for all New Zealanders".
2. That the MAori seats in Parliament "must be abolished as recommended by the royal commission".
3. Reduce Parliament to 100 MPs.
Since this politician, who after the election engineered the Labour Party to become the new Government, made these important policy statements, not one of them has been fulfilled.
It beggars belief that, despite Peters making promises he hasn't kept, he has still managed to retain his seat in Parliament over the last 30-plus years.
We won't be fooled a second time into voting for NZ First in 2020.
TONY FELLINGHAM, Tauranga
MAORI NOT SIDELINED
The May 3 editorial asks, "Were Maori sidelined in the mental health inquiry?" As the former inquiry panel, we firmly reject this claim.
There is only one inquiry report, He Ara Oranga, delivered in November, when the inquiry panel was legally disestablished. To help future researchers, summaries of submissions were published after the inquiry concluded.
The Maori summary document, Oranga Tangata, Oranga Whanau, published in February, was not "sanitised", but was delayed after peer review led by Professor Mason Durie found the first commissioned draft was not a faithful representation of submitters' voices. The needs of Maori were central to the inquiry terms of reference and panel composition. We had extensive engagement with Maori.
The entire inquiry report carries a strong theme of radical change to New Zealand's mental health and addiction system and underlying inequities in society. To suggest Maori missed out because only three recommendations specifically refer to Maori overlooks the fact all 40 recommendations are about substantial change for Maori and all New Zealanders.
We expect meeting the needs of 'Maori will be central to the Government's response, as it was to the inquiry and our report.
RON PATERSON (CHAIR), MASON DURIE, BARBARA DISLEY, DEAN RANGIHUNA, JEMAIMA TIATIA-SEATH, JOSIAH TUALAMALI'I
sites.google.com/site/kiwifrontline/letters-submitted-to-newspapers