Last week, I wrote about the disturbing news that our Government is ordering doctors to assess which patients to prioritise for treatment and surgeries based on their race.

I want to emphasise just how seriously we must take this.

Not only does this policy contribute to a growing list of ways the New Zealand Government is allocating rights and access to services based on ancestry, but it also serves as a giant distraction from the worsening outcomes in our system.

If you haven't signed our petition calling for equal healthcare please consider doing so. It takes a matter of seconds. 

With the election fast approaching, now is the time to show strong opposition to this kind of race-based policy. Politicians are worried, leading up to an election, and will pay more attention to petitions, polls, and public sentiment. 

I encourage you to forward the website www.equalhealth.nz to friends and family. If every Hobson's Pledge supporter signs, and gets one friend to sign, this would be an issue no politician seeking to be elected could avoid. 

Nobody should miss out on healthcare because of their race.

How quickly you receive surgery should be determined by how sick you are, how urgently you need surgery and how long you’ve been waiting. Justifying the inclusion of how long you or your ancestors have been in New Zealand, as a consideration in the decision, is a new low for this Government.   

I can't stress enough how unethical this policy is and how concerned we should all be when we view it as part of a wider picture of a Government attempting to reengineer society.

Please take a few seconds to sign. Please talk to friends and family about this.

Join me in telling the Government that equality before the law is not something we are willing to give up. 

 

Following the recent resignation of Race Relations Commissioner Meng Foon because of a conflict of interest, the position has become vacant and I know the perfect person to take it over.

We need a commissioner who, unlike Mr Foon, knows what racism is and doesn't accept it in any form. Someone who advocates for equality under the law for all New Zealanders and respects democratic processes.

Hobson's Pledge supporters like you are well acquainted with my nominee, and I'm sure you'll agree that she would make a fantastic Race Relations Commissioner.

I am, of course, talking about our very own Casey Costello!

Casey’s passion for a harmonious and multicultural New Zealand where we are all afforded the opportunity to get ahead makes her an excellent candidate.

Incidentally, if appointed, Casey would make history as the first Māori woman to hold this position. 

Casey has vowed to actively combat policies that foster division and promote policies which ensure equal treatment for all New Zealanders. Her focus will be on preventing the implementation of legislation, policies, and regulations that differentiate individuals based on their ethnicity or ancestry.

Just as Casey's perspectives as a New Zealander with Māori heritage who firmly believes in equal rights and representation have been valuable for us at Hobson's Pledge, so too they would serve New Zealand well. 

New Zealand needs bridge builders and unifiers, not more identitarians who like to split us into tiny groups.

The Government has yet to announce whether the position will be filled immediately, or after the upcoming October election. Hobson's Pledge argues that the appointment of a new Race Relations Commissioner should be postponed until after the election so that the new Government, whoever that is, can make the decision.

Candidates for the position can be nominated by interest groups or Members of Parliament, through self-nomination, or by community and professional organisations.

While the appointment process involves independent panels and consultation with parliamentary party leaders, ultimately, the decision falls under the jurisdiction of the Minister of Justice, who at present is Kiri Allan.

When we have a better idea of the process and timing of the appointment, I will advise you of how we will go about nominating Casey. 

I hope you will get behind my nomination and support Casey in this.

The Government not only cannot define racism, it would seem, it cannot recognise racism when it hits it in the face. 

As Health Minister Ayesha Verrall rallies to defend the indefensible, it is important to note that this unethical policy has not appeared out of the blue. It stands on the foundation of racism that this Government has normalised.

This week we will deliver our open letter calling for a condemnation of all forms of racism to Justice Minister Kiri Allan as planned. Fed up, 28,648 New Zealanders have signed the letter having identified that something is very wrong in New Zealand. It is the letter that NZME refused to publish.

“We call on you to make clear to the Ministry of Justice and the Human Rights Commission (including the Race Relations Commissioner) that as minister you do not tolerate any form of racism and that no matter who it is targeted at, the Government will treat the matter seriously.”

The Government keep trying to hide behind their policy and legislative failures by accusing everyone else of racism, but they are unwilling or unable to define what racism is nor confirm that it is something they take seriously when it is directed at anyone. This latest healthcare revelation is a symptom of this.

The incorporation of racism into legislation and public policy must be stopped. It is unethical and indefensible.

Every New Zealander should be able to feel safe in the knowledge that if they need medical treatment their race will not unfairly disadvantage them. There is a thing or two written about this in the Human Rights Act 1993!

Ignoring practical alternatives and failing to effectively engage with those who can provide solutions, Labour has simply forged ahead with a race-based health system.

Given that the recent health reforms embedded division of races in the legislation by forming a separate Maori Health Authority, it is hardly unexpected that further race-based policies would follow. Co-governance is a recipe for further disharmony not cooperation.

Even before the Pae Ora (Health Reform) legislation came into effect $22million was allocated to establishing the Maori Health Authority board headed up by Nanaia Mahuta's sister Tipa.

The New Zealand Initiative produced a comprehensive report on what is actually needed for Health Reform. 

The foreword of this report was prepared by Dr Des Gorman Emeritus Professor of Medicine, who is himself Maori. In a podcast discussion on this issue he said:

"We can all agree that the time to address the underlying causes of this inequality is well overdue. However, what is needed are objective data about what leads to improved outcomes rather than political rhetoric."

He is exactly right. And was also right when he defended the professionalism of the health service refuting the accusations of systemic or institutional racism.

Additionally, the commentary of inequitable outcomes was noted by many as having much more complex contributing factors. Most of these factors are outside of the control of health services. Ultimately, there is no evidence that basing service delivery by race will achieve better health outcomes.

Dr Lawrie Knight also produced a very considered and detailed submission regarding the health reform - click to read. 

Some of New Zealand's brightest minds can clearly see through the accusations of systemic and institutional racism that are the fallback position of this Government. They know it is a distraction from real issues. 

Race should never be a consideration, in the allocation of health services. Every New Zealander's health is important and every life is valued. It is frankly sickening to see Kiwis valued differently depending on their race. Who their ancestors are.

This is why Hobson’s Pledge has been fighting against racism so aggressively over the past few months. It is embedded in our Government and public services and we cannot afford to be complacent. New Zealand is a proud multicultural nation and to suggest that my Maori heritage would be a factor in me getting access to healthcare that another Kiwi might need more should be abhorrent to everyone.

I know I have asked you to sign a lot of petitions lately, but it is working! They allow us to draw attention to these issues and it is very hard to ignore our collective voice. So, I am asking again. Please sign:

New Zealanders want a health system based on need, not race. Sign the petition to demand that the New Zealand Government immediately halts all race-based prioritisation in healthcare and triages patients by need and urgency. 

We cannot effect real change while so many New Zealanders are being forced to be silent and accept the racist division of our wonderful country.

Please help us normalise this conversation and give courage to more New Zealanders to say ENOUGH!

One nation, one people. Don’t let them keep dividing us.

So many issues driven by our current Government have race at their foundation.

As I wrote about last week, we are still working through the impact of the Safer Online Services and Media Platforms proposal from the Department of Internal Affairs and Independent Electoral Review recommendations.

These demonstrate that instead of being an inclusive multicultural nation where equal rights before the law are assured, we have become a divided nation.

It now seems that as a Maori, I am not only afforded different rights before the law but also expected to forgo all democratic rights of representation and consideration due to the arrogant claims of a Maori representative whom hardly anyone voted for.

Yesterday, Rawiri Waititi, the co-leader of the Maori Party, was discussing gang lawlessness and, staring into his camera, told the Prime Minister and the leader of the National Party that they needed to "shut their mouths."

In an environment of escalating crime, and with so many families and businesses living in fear, we can’t even discuss the foundational issues of law and order.

The Maori Party is not the elected representative or the voice of Maori. In the last election, with a Maori roll of 276,013, the Maori Party secured only 33,632 votes, representing just 12%. When the total number of eligible Maori voters are 473,046 (nearly half of whom chose not to be separated by race and opted out of the Maori roll), they secured only 7% of the total Maori vote.

We frequently hear democracy demonised as the tyranny of the majority, but tyranny of the minority is an appalling alternative.

Waititi commented on this situation in Opotiki when he stated “Christopher Luxon, Chris Hipkins need to shut their mouths and stop using our people as a political football to score points. They have no business whatsoever commenting on matters they know nothing about. Keep my iwi out of your mouth.”

When the community of Opotiki has closed schools and parks in an environment of fear, it seems that the leader of the Maori Party not only believes he represents all Maori but also suggests that non-Maori do not warrant any consideration or protection.

He went on to comment, "Please be respectful at this particular time as our community mourns their loved one." It is hard to avoid the conclusion that he is suggesting that ALL Maori are affiliated with or members of the Mongrel Mob.

How does New Zealand hope to come up with solutions when political leaders can demand that those of a different ancestry "shut their mouths" on such foundational issues as law and order?

With all that is happening now, the last thing we need is for politicians to shut their mouths. We need more accountability, more transparency, and, most of all, more answers.

The Department of Internal Affairs, the one who produced the proposal to limit and restrict what we can say online, except for Maori, is in the firing line for sneaking through changes to the Three Waters legislation without authority. These changes were only picked up by later scrutiny from MPs.

Sir Geoffrey Palmer, the former prime minister and constitutional law expert, rightly notes "There is always a temptation in emergency situations to cut corners and depart from constitutional principle. New Zealand lacks the checks and balances to prevent such constitutional slippage."

This does not bode well for the even more complex and unworkable resource management reform legislation.

We know how easily constitutional slippage can occur, like when this Government attempted to remove equal suffrage from New Zealand through the Rotorua District Council (Representation Arrangements) Bill. This would have become law if the bill hadn't been successfully challenged by our supporters. Your support and public outcry do work!!!

The tactics of the Department of Internal Affairs reported this week demonstrate why we must continue to be diligent and under no circumstances should we “shut our mouths”.

Thank you for your massive support in making submissions on the bi-lingual road signs. We are close to 20,000 submissions, with another two weeks to go before the closing date.

It is hard not to conclude that our Prime Minister is himself keen for us to shut our mouths when he comments on those criticising the road sign proposal: “There is a racist underbelly in some of the public dialogue around this and that does seem to be an audience the National Party are trying to appeal to.”

This issue is discussed in length in an article by Graham Adams called 'Are bilingual road signs safe or even sensible?'

Your support in making submissions on the bilingual road signs is not representative of a racist underbelly but rather a representation of New Zealanders who are frustrated by a narrative of race-based division and want real, practical, effective solutions that deliver better outcomes for all.

If you haven't already, use our submission tool to have your say on the bilingual signs.