The rot in tertiary education on show

When Don Brash was “uninvited” on August 7 to a speaking engagement at Massey University, Vice-Chancellor Jan Thomas cited “security concerns” as a reason. But emails released under the Official Information Act revealed that the Vice-Chancellor’s “concerns” had festered for weeks and they were nothing to do with security.

Read more

Better Treaty partner arrangements a mistake

A Crown-Maori Partnership portfolio and a new agency to support the Crown to be a better Treaty partner, announced yesterday, is fraught with danger because it entrenches the notion that the Crown and Maori somehow exist as separate groups.

Read more

Farmer challenge on race-based policy welcomed

The Waikato Regional Council is set to defend a complaint laid with the Human Rights Commission alleging its controversial Plan Change 1 aimed at improving water quality gives iwi special treatment.

Read more

Thank you for the free-speech support

A big thank you to all who spoke out and generously supported Hobson’s Pledge spokesman Don Brash after vice chancellor Jan Thomas declared he could not address students at Massey University.

Read more

Treaty indoctrination in action

A new School Journal comic book aimed at 10- to 12-year-olds with a Year 6 reading level shows indoctrination about the Treaty of Waitangi in action.  

Read more

What big grievance warrants big Ngapuhi settlement?

Big talk from a Kaikohe claimant about a $1.5-billion settlement for Northland tribe Ngapuhi raises the question what is the big grievance they want settled?

Read more

Spotlight on freedom of speech

The Auckland Council unwittingly did Canadian activists Lauren Southern and Stefan Molyneux a favour by withdrawing permission for them to speak at the council-owned Bruce Mason Centre.

Read more

Peters revives talk of Maori seats referendum

Talk of a referendum on Maori seats was revived, briefly, last week when Acting Prime Minister and New Zealand First leader Winston Peters called for a two-pronged referendum on whether they should be entrenched or should go altogether.

Read more

Relations ‘still broken’ despite decades of appeasement

Crown-Maori relations are in need of repair, according to Kelvin Davis, who is the Minister of the new Crown-Maori Relations portfolio.

Read more

Submit against Ngati Porou coastal bill

For those following the long-running shambles to do with tribal claims for the coast, Friday is the deadline for submissions on the Nga Rohe Moana o Nga Hapu o Ngati Porou Bill (No. 2), which gives effect to a deed of agreement between Ngati Porou and the Crown for around 200 km of the East Coast coastline north of Gisborne.

Read more

Full page adverts spell out ‘no partnership’

We posted full-page adverts this week to advertise the fact that claimed Treaty partnership between the Crown and “Maori” is constitutionally impossible. The adverts were prompted by meetings being conducted by Crown-Maori Relations Minister Kelvin Davis, often at private maraes.

Read more

Maori wards vote gains national attention

Maori wards became an issue of national significance over the past week after five districts voted against them and while a handful of politicians said they want to change the law to outlaw such referenda.

Read more

What we have learned as Maori wards votes soon end

We’re into the last week of the Maori wards debate and what have we learned?

1.Only 55 percent of Maori voters are on the Maori roll, which means that 45 percent of Maori voters would vote on the general roll in council elections.

Read more

Maori wards nothing to do with hospitals or wardens

Wairiki MP Tamati Coffey found out in Whakatane what we found out while collecting signatures for petitions for a vote, that many people haven’t a clue about what proposals for Maori wards entail.

Read more

Library cancels Treaty talk

When retired computer pioneer Bruce Moon planned to give a talk to the Nelson Institute a week ago on how the Treaty of Waitangi had been twisted he was surprised to have permission to talk at the Nelson City Library suddenly withdrawn.

Read more

What do Maori think of the Maori roll?

With the census done and dusted, citizens of Maori descent may now choose whether to vote on either the Maori or general roll.

Read more

The Maori questions in the Auckland consultation

The Auckland Council is seeking feedback on a 10-year budget and Auckland Plan 2050 and tucked in there is a whole series of questions on Maori identity and wellbeing.

Read more

Hamilton council name-change idea fails to fly

On Thursday, Hamilton mayor Andrew King dropped his plan to get the city council to consider changing the name of the council to the Kirikiriroa City Council.

Read more

Govt divided on fresh water rights

“Words” spoken between Crown/Maori Relations Minister Kelvin Davis, Finance Minister Grant Robertson, and Environment Minister David Parker on Monday prompted Stuff reporter Jo Moir to surmise on how the battle lines are drawn between coalition partners on water rights.

Read more

Tribal rebellions day is upon us

A mass haka at Waitangi at 3pm on Friday, March 9, 2018, probably timed for the 6pm news, will kick off the first national tribal rebellions day.

Read more

Five out of five for Maori wards votes

Petitions in both Palmerston North and Kaikoura were validated on Wednesday, which means that all five districts where councils have voted to establish Maori wards will have a vote in May on whether or not those should proceed.

Read more

We get to vote on Maori wards in May

Campaigners in Manawatu, Western Bay of Plenty, and Whakatane have taken sufficient signatures to their respective councils to trigger polls on proposals for Maori wards in their areas.

Read more

Waitangi Day and closing the gaps

Closing the gap between Maori and everyone else in terms of inequality in education, incarceration, poverty and employment was how the news media reported New Zealand’s national day on Tuesday.

Read more

New PM could end Maori underperformance instantly

At Ratana Pa last Wednesday, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern kicked off the political year when she said “we will never have fulfilled our obligations under Te Tiriti o Waitangi or the prophesies of Ratana” until “we” have improved Maori social indicators.

Read more

Waikato, Ngai Tahu quietly paid $370m

Two iwi have quietly been paid huge top-ups, totalling $370 million, to their supposed "full and final" Treaty of Waitangi settlements, Stuff reported today. Waikato-Tainui received $190 million and the South Island's Ngai Tahu $180 million – more than they originally settled for in 1995 and 1998, respectively.

Read more


Donate