Post by Kiwi Frontline on May 16, 2016 8:17:08 GMT 12
Waikato Times 16/5/16
COUNCIL ELECTIONS
With the local government elections later this year, the chance for accountability for their actions by present-day councillors should be taken.
The establishment of two Waikato Regional Council seats based on race were implemented without real consultation or a referendum.
This needs to be tested by asking each aspiring candidate: Do you support the continuation of two councillors based on accident of birth?
Where electorates were surveyed to see if part-Maori should elect their own councillors, the answer was a clear no - Hauraki District Council, 80 per cent no; Waikato District Council, 78 per cent; Nelson District Council, 79 per cent; Far North District Council, 68 per cent. The Colmar Brunton poll 2012 (Consumer link) showed 70 per cent support for abolishing Maori wards in local government.
So why should the Waikato Regional Council continue to have two seats based on race when democracy says they should be gone? Future candidates need to let us know where they stand in representing the views of their electorate.
P H W
Thames
New Zealand Herald 16/5/16 (Short & Sweet section)
ON MIDDLE NZ
Lizzy Marvelly asks “What on Earth is middle New Zealand?” The short answer is: 80 per cent of New Zealanders.
And yes, from her writings, along with Mike Hosking’s, I believe it does not include her.
GEOFFREY T. PARKER,
Kamo.
Taranaki Daily News 16/5/16
FLAWED MODEL
Watching Andrew Judd implicate the whole district as racists for reversing the ill-considered decision to adopt Maori wards highlights the problem that we have with our out of touch politicians and bureaucrats who loath the idea of effective community voice.
I voted against the proposal twice, once as councillor and second as a citizen in the referendum, for a range of reasons, none of them associated with somehow continuing to marginalise an important group in our community from involvement in any decision making.
I just happened to think that the representative model as it operates in local government is flawed and corrupt and saw no need to entrench it even further by adding another ward layer to it.
Our system already does everything to minimise ordinary citizens, not just Maori, having an effective voice in decision making on topics that matter (spare me the box-ticking response about opportunities to "consult" or "deputations").
You’d have to be blind, cynical, or delusional to think that adding another seat around the Council table would fix that.
Just read this Council’s Significance and Engagement policy to understand the true intent and limits on community engagement.
I suspect that a large part of the no vote can be attributed to a backlash from a population consistently ignored by councillors and bureaucrats in favour of insiders.
Interestingly Judd’s response wasn’t "how did we get this so wrong?" but "what can we do to remove the right of binding referenda?" We should all feel uneasy by what that statement implied.
L H
New Plymouth
Bay of Plenty Times 16/5/16
PERFECT NAME
It seems that the name Toi Oho Mai Institute of Technology is a perfect name for a student institution. The name will be abbreviated to TOIT, which is well-known to be part of the student mantra. “I will study when I get around TO-IT”; “I will hand in my assignments when I get around TO-IT”; “I will repay my student loan when I get around TO-IT.”
M G
Omokoroa
Hawkes Bay Today 16/5/16
FAIR COMMENT
Bruce Bissett wrote that the presumptions of too many pakeha are racist.
Bissett looks like a pakeha, so is he being unconsciously racist?
Bissett’s rant was triggered by racism allegations in turn sparked by a comment by TV presenter Mike Hosking on outgoing New Plymouth mayor Andrew Judd.
Hosking’s full comment was: “Sad to say I'd never personally attack him obviously but he's completely out of touch with middle New Zealand — there's nothing wrong with Maori representation on councils cause any Maori that wants to stand for a council is more than welcome to do so and you can sell your message and if you're good enough you'll get voted on.” Is that true, false, racist or fair comment?
Our Hastings council shows that there is no impediment to Maori and everyone else to get voted in should they choose to.
Look at the website and count up the numbers.
If Hosking’s comment is deemed racist then it is clear that: (1) our democratic system of one person one vote is on the way out, and (2) there is no longer freedom of speech in NZ.
MIKE BUTLER
Hastings
CRYING RACISM
Horiana Robin keeps crying “racism” about Mike Hosking’s comment when what he said was correct.
He stated that people should be democratically elected by vote and not automatically by the colour of their skin.
The ex-mayor of New Plymouth tried to force a Maori Advisory Board on the New Plymouth council against the wishes of 83 per cent of his constituents.
They held a referendum and he was massively outvoted.
Exactly the same outcome would happen in Hastings as we already have three Maori council members who advise on Maori interests.
If anyone wishes to be on any board, council or go into Parliament they put their name forward and are voted either in or out.
Ethnicity, religion, age and sex are not taken into account. The best person for any position is voted in democratically.
One person, one vote, with all constituents treated equally under the law.
If I went on to her marae and demanded an automatic seat on her marae board because I was a European would she agree? I seriously doubt it!
Jacoby Poulain, Adrienne Pierce and Henare O’Keefe JP put their names forward for the HDC and thankfully were voted in.
They all work extremely hard for their constituents and are respected by all. (Abridged.)
J S
Hastings
Hawkes Bay Today (Text Us section) 16/5/16
■ If Maori want a seat on council, why don't they stand for election the same as everyone else? Why do Maori need their own seat allocated? I am not racist, with friends of all races and they are all Kiwis to me. I was born in England but am Kiwi now. Remember Dame Whina Cooper. One race, one people.
JR
Wairarapa Times-Age 16/4/16
BENDING THE TRUTH ON TREATY
Abusing the meaning of the Treaty of Waitangi has become a powerful political tool of racists in New Zealand who are trying to subvert our democracy by demanding special privileges for people with a bit of Maori ancestry. Some appear in the Times-Age for May 11.
One is PJ Devonshire claiming that appointing unelected Maori to the Masterton District Council is “a legitimate adherence to the Treaty of Waitangi, specifically the first and second articles”. The truth is that by the first article the chiefs ceded sovereignty to the Queen and by the second the property rights of all the people of New Zealand were guaranteed. Anything else is a blatant falsehood.
Another is Cheryl Cavanagh who dislikes letters from “out of-towners”. She brings up that modern fabrication, the so called “principles of the Treaty”, including the “partnership” lie. She also contradicts the truth with “Like it or not, we are formally two peoples, Maori and European.” If she knew any history she would know that as each chief signed on February 6, 1840, Hobson said: “He iwi tahi tatou” — “we are one people now” — which all thought a fine compliment.
BRUCE MOON
Nelson
UNDEMOCRATIC
I would like to thank Gary Caffell for his very lucid explanation on May 11 regarding the rather hurried and controversial council decision that two iwi representatives should sit on two council committees.
I have no quarrel with people of any race being elected to council — anyone may stand on their merits at voting time and should be elected democratically. After all, we've had quite a few Maori folk who have proved themselves worthy — Ben Couch and Jeff Workman come to mind and there are more. This latest farce makes a mockery of democracy.
E A
Masterton
COUNCIL ELECTIONS
With the local government elections later this year, the chance for accountability for their actions by present-day councillors should be taken.
The establishment of two Waikato Regional Council seats based on race were implemented without real consultation or a referendum.
This needs to be tested by asking each aspiring candidate: Do you support the continuation of two councillors based on accident of birth?
Where electorates were surveyed to see if part-Maori should elect their own councillors, the answer was a clear no - Hauraki District Council, 80 per cent no; Waikato District Council, 78 per cent; Nelson District Council, 79 per cent; Far North District Council, 68 per cent. The Colmar Brunton poll 2012 (Consumer link) showed 70 per cent support for abolishing Maori wards in local government.
So why should the Waikato Regional Council continue to have two seats based on race when democracy says they should be gone? Future candidates need to let us know where they stand in representing the views of their electorate.
P H W
Thames
New Zealand Herald 16/5/16 (Short & Sweet section)
ON MIDDLE NZ
Lizzy Marvelly asks “What on Earth is middle New Zealand?” The short answer is: 80 per cent of New Zealanders.
And yes, from her writings, along with Mike Hosking’s, I believe it does not include her.
GEOFFREY T. PARKER,
Kamo.
Taranaki Daily News 16/5/16
FLAWED MODEL
Watching Andrew Judd implicate the whole district as racists for reversing the ill-considered decision to adopt Maori wards highlights the problem that we have with our out of touch politicians and bureaucrats who loath the idea of effective community voice.
I voted against the proposal twice, once as councillor and second as a citizen in the referendum, for a range of reasons, none of them associated with somehow continuing to marginalise an important group in our community from involvement in any decision making.
I just happened to think that the representative model as it operates in local government is flawed and corrupt and saw no need to entrench it even further by adding another ward layer to it.
Our system already does everything to minimise ordinary citizens, not just Maori, having an effective voice in decision making on topics that matter (spare me the box-ticking response about opportunities to "consult" or "deputations").
You’d have to be blind, cynical, or delusional to think that adding another seat around the Council table would fix that.
Just read this Council’s Significance and Engagement policy to understand the true intent and limits on community engagement.
I suspect that a large part of the no vote can be attributed to a backlash from a population consistently ignored by councillors and bureaucrats in favour of insiders.
Interestingly Judd’s response wasn’t "how did we get this so wrong?" but "what can we do to remove the right of binding referenda?" We should all feel uneasy by what that statement implied.
L H
New Plymouth
Bay of Plenty Times 16/5/16
PERFECT NAME
It seems that the name Toi Oho Mai Institute of Technology is a perfect name for a student institution. The name will be abbreviated to TOIT, which is well-known to be part of the student mantra. “I will study when I get around TO-IT”; “I will hand in my assignments when I get around TO-IT”; “I will repay my student loan when I get around TO-IT.”
M G
Omokoroa
Hawkes Bay Today 16/5/16
FAIR COMMENT
Bruce Bissett wrote that the presumptions of too many pakeha are racist.
Bissett looks like a pakeha, so is he being unconsciously racist?
Bissett’s rant was triggered by racism allegations in turn sparked by a comment by TV presenter Mike Hosking on outgoing New Plymouth mayor Andrew Judd.
Hosking’s full comment was: “Sad to say I'd never personally attack him obviously but he's completely out of touch with middle New Zealand — there's nothing wrong with Maori representation on councils cause any Maori that wants to stand for a council is more than welcome to do so and you can sell your message and if you're good enough you'll get voted on.” Is that true, false, racist or fair comment?
Our Hastings council shows that there is no impediment to Maori and everyone else to get voted in should they choose to.
Look at the website and count up the numbers.
If Hosking’s comment is deemed racist then it is clear that: (1) our democratic system of one person one vote is on the way out, and (2) there is no longer freedom of speech in NZ.
MIKE BUTLER
Hastings
CRYING RACISM
Horiana Robin keeps crying “racism” about Mike Hosking’s comment when what he said was correct.
He stated that people should be democratically elected by vote and not automatically by the colour of their skin.
The ex-mayor of New Plymouth tried to force a Maori Advisory Board on the New Plymouth council against the wishes of 83 per cent of his constituents.
They held a referendum and he was massively outvoted.
Exactly the same outcome would happen in Hastings as we already have three Maori council members who advise on Maori interests.
If anyone wishes to be on any board, council or go into Parliament they put their name forward and are voted either in or out.
Ethnicity, religion, age and sex are not taken into account. The best person for any position is voted in democratically.
One person, one vote, with all constituents treated equally under the law.
If I went on to her marae and demanded an automatic seat on her marae board because I was a European would she agree? I seriously doubt it!
Jacoby Poulain, Adrienne Pierce and Henare O’Keefe JP put their names forward for the HDC and thankfully were voted in.
They all work extremely hard for their constituents and are respected by all. (Abridged.)
J S
Hastings
Hawkes Bay Today (Text Us section) 16/5/16
■ If Maori want a seat on council, why don't they stand for election the same as everyone else? Why do Maori need their own seat allocated? I am not racist, with friends of all races and they are all Kiwis to me. I was born in England but am Kiwi now. Remember Dame Whina Cooper. One race, one people.
JR
Wairarapa Times-Age 16/4/16
BENDING THE TRUTH ON TREATY
Abusing the meaning of the Treaty of Waitangi has become a powerful political tool of racists in New Zealand who are trying to subvert our democracy by demanding special privileges for people with a bit of Maori ancestry. Some appear in the Times-Age for May 11.
One is PJ Devonshire claiming that appointing unelected Maori to the Masterton District Council is “a legitimate adherence to the Treaty of Waitangi, specifically the first and second articles”. The truth is that by the first article the chiefs ceded sovereignty to the Queen and by the second the property rights of all the people of New Zealand were guaranteed. Anything else is a blatant falsehood.
Another is Cheryl Cavanagh who dislikes letters from “out of-towners”. She brings up that modern fabrication, the so called “principles of the Treaty”, including the “partnership” lie. She also contradicts the truth with “Like it or not, we are formally two peoples, Maori and European.” If she knew any history she would know that as each chief signed on February 6, 1840, Hobson said: “He iwi tahi tatou” — “we are one people now” — which all thought a fine compliment.
BRUCE MOON
Nelson
UNDEMOCRATIC
I would like to thank Gary Caffell for his very lucid explanation on May 11 regarding the rather hurried and controversial council decision that two iwi representatives should sit on two council committees.
I have no quarrel with people of any race being elected to council — anyone may stand on their merits at voting time and should be elected democratically. After all, we've had quite a few Maori folk who have proved themselves worthy — Ben Couch and Jeff Workman come to mind and there are more. This latest farce makes a mockery of democracy.
E A
Masterton