A series of actions by the coalition government has drawn criticism this week, with iwi leaders, health experts and MPs accusing it of deliberately and systematically dismantling Māori rights and protections, Henry Oliver writes in today’s excerpt from The Bulletin.
To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here.
Treaty clause review condemned as historic breach at the Waitangi Tribunal
The Waitangi Tribunal’s urgent inquiry into the government’s proposed amendments to Treaty clauses across 19 pieces of legislation wrapped up on Wednesday, after two days of evidence from claimants around the country. As Liam Rātana writes on The Spinoff, constitutional law expert Carwyn Jones told the tribunal the reforms would amount to “the most wide-ranging legislative breach of Te Tiriti in modern history” – and that official advice did not support the changes. Jones said the proposals would shift the Treaty from a foundational constitutional document into “one competing consideration amongst others.”
Iwi leader Tukoroirangi Morgan, who appeared before the tribunal on behalf of Te Whakakitenga o Waikato and the National Iwi Chairs Forum, called the coalition government “the most racist, anti-Māori government ever to come to power,” saying the government had undone decades of progress in Māori-Crown relations in “almost two and a half years flat.” Morgan also rejected the government’s use of the National Iwi Chairs Forum as a consultation mechanism, calling it “a one-stop tick box shop.”
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith, in a written letter to the tribunal, said cabinet decisions were informed by officials’ advice and political judgment, and that consultation would continue through the select committee process. The tribunal is now awaiting closing submissions before publishing its report, expected ahead of the bill’s first reading next month.
Pharmac proposal called “colonisation in action”
Separately, The Press’s Maxine Jacobs reported that Pharmac is proposing to cut special authority criteria allowing Māori and Pasifika people with type 2 diabetes earlier access to three heart and kidney-protecting medications. The drugs – empagliflozin, liraglutide, and dulaglutide – were made specially accessible to Māori and Pasifika in 2021 after data showed they face significantly higher risk of cardiovascular and kidney complications. Māori are almost twice as likely to die from type 2 diabetes and three-and-a-half times more likely to die from diabetes-related causes.
Dr Maira Patu of Ngāi Tahu health body Te Tauraki called the proposal “colonisation in action,” warning that patients who don’t receive the organ protection the drugs provide “develop complications faster, end up on dialysis or having a heart attack years sooner than they should.” Pharmac says it is proposing to widen universal access by lowering the cardiovascular risk threshold, but critics say that in practice Māori and Pasifika are less likely to reach the point of getting the necessary checks – and that the diagnostic tools used are calibrated for European bodies. The consultation period closes June 11.
The government wants to ban unelected council members from voting
Local Government Minister Simon Watts has announced legislation to ban unelected members of council committees from casting votes – even where those votes are advisory only and must be confirmed by elected councillors. Writing in the NZ Herald, Audrey Young notes the move was driven in part by competition on the centre-right: “It has been a big issue for Act, New Zealand First and Hobson’s Pledge, who have cast it as co-governance in disguise. It was promising to become a campaign flashpoint for them in the run-up to November’s election – against National as much as opposition parties.”
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi was scathing: “Every time we think this Government couldn’t possibly harm te iwi Māori any more, they always find more rights to take away,” he said. “They are doing everything they can to ensure that Māori get absolutely zero say in any decisions made on our whenua.”
“This coalition only cares about democracy when it can be weaponised against Māori. And they have the cheek to call iwi representation ‘undemocratic’ while they are pushing through these changes without a select committee process.”
“Every Government MP is a hypocrite, and they all know it.”
