It feels like it has been a long time since we were able to encourage you to make a submission to SUPPORT a Government bill, but the time has come! In fact there are two bills I encourage you to support.

The first bill is a matter of urgency as there are only two days left for you to submit. The Government is pushing it through a rapid process as there are deadlines that need to be met for local body elections.

This bill is the Local Government (Electoral Legislation and Māori Wards and Māori Constituencies) Amendment Bill introduced by Local Government Minister Simeon Brown.

You'll probably recall Nanaia Mahuta removed the right of ratepayers to petition for a referendum when councils decide to create Māori wards. She did this with an even shorter consultation period than the Government is now doing to reverse it.

Your submission need not be lengthy or complex. A simple paragraph supporting the return of the right to demand a referendum before Māori wards can be implemented by councils will do. You may like to mention that this is enhancing local democracy and ensuring that a matter of constitutional and representative significance is decided by the people. You could also mention that democratic principles like 'one person, one vote' and equal weighting of votes are important to you. 

>>> CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT IN SUPPORT OF SIMEON'S MĀORI WARDS AMENDMENT BILL <<<

We have a little bit longer to submit on the second bill. Thirty-seven days to be precise.

This bill is the Oranga Tamariki (Repeal of Section 7AA) Amendment Bill introduced by Minister for Children Karen Chhour.

This bill and its minister have been at the centre of some really nasty attacks from the Opposition. That is because the bill will remove the section that has been used to justify Oranga Tamariki treating children differently because of their race and putting their identityahead of their wellbeing. 

It has resulted in children being uplifted from families in which they were happy and healthy because their foster parents were not Māori and placed with distant relatives elsewhere in the country. 

Incredibly, Labour, Greens, and Te Pāti Māori are opposed to the idea that a child's wellbeing and safety should be prioritised above their race or culture. 

Again, your submission doesn't need to be long. The main point is to support the removal of section 7AA and to reinforce that every child in New Zealand is entitled to know that if they need the intervention of the state their race will not be prioritised above their wellbeing.  

>>> CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT IN SUPPORT OF KAREN'S SECTION 7AA REMOVAL BILL <<<

Have no doubt that those who oppose these bills will be submitting in droves. Even a short submission in support will give the Government more confidence that their bill is supported by the public. 

These are important reversals of race-based legislation that the previous Government foisted on us. Let's tell the Coalition Government that this is why we voted for them!  

We cannot rely on our courts.

The judiciary has been captured by the divisive ideology that separates New Zealanders into two groups - Māori and non-Māori - and assigns rights based on this.

Today, the Court of Appeals overturned the High Court decision that said the Waitangi Tribunal had erred in issuing a summons to the Minister for Children Karen Chhour. The new decision says that the Tribunal has an important constitutional role and full powers of a commission of inquiry.

We have to be strategic. The courts may be captured but the Government has made several promises in their coalition agreements to unwind racist policy and law. We must demand they end the Waitangi Tribunal now.

Here's why:

• It was always meant to be a temporary standing commission and it is nearly 50 years old
• It has been radicalised and is now run by activists rather than legal experts
• The bulk of Treaty settlements have been achieved and all remaining and future cases can be heard through the court system or negotiated directly with the Crown
• It has steadily pushed the boundaries of its purpose and power and is asserting the right to interfere with Government policy
• Helen Clark's Labour Government introduced a September 2008 deadline for the lodgement of all historic claims and that has well passed

SIGN OUR PETITION TO END THE WAITANGI TRIBUNAL

The only way we can achieve our goal of equality of all New Zealanders is by dismantling the systems that have been set up and manipulated to consolidate power in the hands of iwi.

The Waitangi Tribunal has done its dash. It served an important role in righting historical wrongs, but in recent years has begun creating new wrongs. 

It is time to wrap up the Tribunal. Sign our petition now.

If we don't achieve change with this Government, we may well never get the opportunity again. National appears to be the handbrake on this Government taking definitive steps toward removing race from our constitution. Winston Peters and David Seymour need to be able to demonstrate that they have public support so that they can carry Christopher Luxon, however reluctantly, over the line.

We need to get as many signatures as possible to show that the silent majority don't care what the media or academics say. We want change and we voted for it. Sign our petition to show that you support removing racist institutions.

If you agree that it is now or never and that we must push the Government to take action so that the courts can't run roughshod over our rights, sign our petition and then share it with everyone you know.

Quick, go sign it and then copy the link into your family group chat or send an email around your networks.

I feel quite ill thinking about how far down the rabbit hole our judiciary has gone. But given the Waitangi Tribunal is not a court, it is a standing commission of inquiry, the Government has power to disestablish it. That is where we must begin.

At least if the Waitangi Tribunal goes there will be one less lever for the activists to pull. 

Did you see the abhorrent comments by Auckland University of Technology's Dean of Law Khylee Quince circulating on social media last night?

I am shocked that a Dean in a New Zealand law school would say such a thing. In fact, I feel so strongly that I wrote a letter to the Vice Chancellor of the University.

Dean Khylee Quince who has a mere handful of years of junior practising experience prior to joining academia, is referring to Gary Judd who has been a Queen's Council and then King's Council for 29 years. He has appeared before the Supreme Court and Privy Council more than a dozen times each. Hat tip to Kiwiblog for this information. 

In my letter to the Vice Chancellor I convey our deep concern that someone in such a prominent position in their law school has:

a) used such abusive and disrespectful language;

b) publicly demonstrated disdain for our system of law and the right of people of all perspectives to take legal action;

c) contributed to the toxicity of the debate about the role of tikanga and the Treaty in law rather than using her position to foster respectful discussions.

d) failed to live up to legislative expectations of lawyers.

Click here to send your own letter to the Vice Chancellor.

In response to Dean Quince's comments, Gary Judd KC (whom she is talking about) said:

What sort of lawyers will be produced by a law faculty led by someone who resorts to petty abuse instead of engaging in rational argument? 

Why did she not explain why tikanga is law? Why did she not explain why a body of law built up over centuries for the purpose of testing whether a custom should be accorded the status of law must be jettisoned because tikanga cannot meet those standards? Why did she not answer other matters raised in my complaint to the regulations review committee? Responses like those could have been expected from a person holding a privileged leadership position.

I have been conscious to write my correspondence to the university in the manner in which I would have expected the Dean to communicate. I strongly encourage you to do the same. We do not advance our cause of equality in New Zealand by stooping to the level Dean Quince did.

We must let AUT know that New Zealanders are entitled to discuss, debate, and legally challenge matters regarding tikanga, the Treaty, and race relations in our country.

Students must not be taught that to question law and policy changes makes them "racist dinosaurs". They certainly should not be taught that it is appropriate to tell people they disagree with to "go die quietly".

 

As I write this I still can't believe this has happened to us. We hear of political interference happening overseas, but today Hobson's Pledge has been the target.

Facebook has deleted all of our posts that sent supporters to submit on the Fast Track Approvals Bill including paid advertising we were running. 

At first our team thought there must have been an error and attempted to post again. It became clear that anytime we used the link to the Government website to make a submission on the Bill, Facebook either blocked us or removed the post minutes after it went up.

As we were aware that the Māori Party were also promoting submitting on the Bill, we checked out one of their posts and found that there we could access the Government submissions page with no problem at all. 

This is discrimination and political interference. Will you stand with us against it?

For a start Facebook should not be able to block links to the Government website and impede democratic engagement.

They certainly shouldn't be able to pick and choosewhich organisation can help their supporters to access the submissions page.

It is nearly impossible to reach an actual person at Facebook to ask what on earth is going on.

Are they taking stances on all political issues? Or is this something an individual staff member has taken it upon themselves to do? Maybe it is simply that their systems are vulnerable to bad faith activists overwhelming them?

We would love to know. 

We will be doing our best to follow up and ensure that this kind of thing doesn't continue to happen.

Every New Zealander should be free to encourage submissions and indeed to submit. We would never dream of attempting to prevent Māori Party supporters from having their say. We live in a democracy!

Don't let political interference get in the way of you having your say on the Fast Track Approvals Bill and opposing special rights for iwi when it comes to consultation and decision making.

CLICK HERE FOR THE BANNED GOVT SUBMISSION PAGE!

I cannot overstate how much of a political intrusion this is. Hobson's Pledge already experiences significant hostility from the media and we use emails and social media as a way to go around the patronising so-called fourth estate to reach New Zealanders.

For our ability to use social media to be threatened is truly concerning. In today's online world, it is an attack on our right to freely engage in politics. 

I will keep you updated on where this goes. If there is any action we can all take, you can expect an email straight away.