Despite the absence from your in-box, Hobson’s Pledge have been toiling away - kept busy by a Government determined to divide New Zealanders based upon ancestry.

This month alone this Labour Government has:

• Introduced the Water Services Entities Bill (which implements the Three Waters reforms) and taken it through the First Reading
• Proceeded with the Canterbury Regional Council (Ngai Tahu Representation) Bill, which has completed the second reading
• Received Royal Assent for the Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Bill, which implements, among other things, the Maori Health Authority

Behind these issues, we cannot lose sight of:

• Coastal claims under the Marine and Coastal Area Act
• Efforts to implement co-governance over the Hauraki Gulf removing council elected representation
• The review being conducted by the Department of Conservation as to the status of roughly one third of the public conservation estate, which is “stewardship land”.
• How the history curriculum will influence New Zealand’s education system

Hobson’s Pledge continues to work to expose these issues to greater public scrutiny, as we were able to do with the Rotorua District Council (Representation Arrangements) Bill.  

The separatist agenda has been given momentum by the He Puapua Report that this Government, despite commissioning the report in 2019, has attempted to distance themselves from.

Willie Jackson, the Minister for Maori Development, (and now Broadcasting) announced in April we had nothing to fear from co-governance and that a new report to realise the objectives of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People (UNDRIP) had been commissioned.

Regardless of the name of the report, the realisation of UNDRIP cannot avoid the implications on New Zealand’s democracy and our constitutional make up. The more scrutiny that can be placed on this, the better positioned we all are to have intelligent and rational debate.

Hobson’s Pledge applaud the efforts by Democracy Action to have a highly qualified academic analyse He Puapua. Professor James Allan has the unique advantage of being Canadian but also having worked for long periods in academic roles in New Zealand and Australia. All three of these countries are currently grappling with the issues of indigenous rights.

You will have the opportunity to hear Professor James Allan speak on this important topic. Click here to see their event details.

Professor Allan discussed his report on the Leighton Smith podcast. Click here to listen to their conversation.

Healthy New Zealand

Our Healthy Futures were given a green light with Royal Assent on the Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Bill on 14 June 2022.

If there is any doubt as to the ultimate objective by elite Maori leadership you need look no further than the Maori Party. Debbie Ngarewa-Packer when she stated, in April 2022:

“With the establishment of the Māori Health Authority a new era in Māori health is arriving. It’s crucial that this is done right, and there is no other way of guaranteeing that than letting Māori lead. We must not have a situation where the Māori Health Authority can be vetoed or underfunded by Pākehā bureaucrats.”

The risk that making decisions on health treatments will accommodate race as a priority consideration will be challenged in our future campaigns.

Protecting our Identity

Continuing to distract from important issues, a petition was delivered to Parliament this month calling to change the name of New Zealand to Aotearoa. With so many issues confronting New Zealand in Health, Education, Cost of Living, and Crime it is disappointing that any political party would be investing their political capital on this issue.

New Zealand’s name should not be changed at the whim of identity politics and should most definitely be protected from an ambiguity of use that compromises our identity as a nation.

This was highlighted in recent open letter to Minister Mahuta:

"I was searching for New Zealand on a drop-down menu in Germany yesterday (this was to book for a tour of castles in Bavaria) and our country was not listed under 'N'.  I eventually found our country under 'A'  for Aotearoa!”

Click here to sign our petition to protect our nation's identity.

Three Waters Roadshow

Protecting the ownership and control of our water systems has taken to the road. After a successful tour of the South Island, the Taxpayers' Union Stop Three Waters Roadshow is about to begin their North Island leg.

Click here to check when they are coming near you.

Despite the Government spin, there is even more co-governance in the legislation they are pushing through Parliament than there was in their initial proposal. No matter how the messaging is couched this system is founded on undemocratic and divisive co-governance.

Click here to ensure your name is on our open letter to the Prime Minister opposing Three Waters.

Together we can make a real difference in the fight to protect our democracy.

Thank you for your support.

Casey Costello

Trustee
Hobson’s Pledge