In a round of end of year interviews, the prime minister confirmed the government will pare things back in 2023 to focus on economic issues and that some retirements will be announced next week, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday morning, sign up here.
Paring things back for 2023
Prime minister Jacinda Ardern’s round of end-of-year interviews were aired and published last night. Of note was an indication that the summer break will be used to think about “areas that we can pare back” and that 2023’s focus has to be about “the economic challenges we have in front of us.” Newsroom’s Jo Moir picked up that ball first on Tuesday and Toby Manhire ran it long on Wednesday, with some indications of what may end up going by the wayside. Moir, with her third break this week, confirms this morning that Willie Jackson will take a recommendation to cabinet next week to halt work on a draft plan designed to meet commitments made under the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People (UNDRIP).
“A handful of retirements”
As far as powers of prediction go, I’d like to point out that the prime minister’s observation that “people are tired” was also a blindingly obvious call I made this week. I really need to find a new line to hit the Christmas parties with because I’ve been saying it for two months now. Ardern also revealed that there will be announcements next week about a “handful of retirements.” Jo Moir reported that cabinet minister David Clark is set to announce he’s retiring from parliament at the next election. Local government minister Nanaia Mahuta confirmed on Wednesday that she has no plans to step down at the next election. Ardern said Mahuta was “an important part of our team and she has a huge contribution to continue to make.”
National continues calls for Mahuta to be sacked
The Water Services Entities Bill passed its third and final reading yesterday. In the end only Labour, with its majority, backed it. The Greens withdrew their support over concerns about privatisation. During debate yesterday, the National party continued the call for Mahuta to be sacked. National MPs Chris Bishop, Simon Watts and Nicola Willis all pressed the government on it with Mahuta, Grant Robertson and Kiritapu Allan on the receiving end of questions about the entrenchment provision and whether Mahuta had acted in accordance with the cabinet manual. Bishop went in with a question about the requirement to consult the minister of justice on all proposals affecting constitutional arrangements and Watts reiterated the allegation that Mahuta had deviated from cabinet’s agreed position “that the bill should not entrench the privatisation provisions in the bill.”
The value of our “ivory tower” academics
In summing up this current juncture Stuff’s Luke Malpass argues “although Nanaia Mahuta has become the face of that failure, sheeting all of that home to her is unfair. Merits of the policy and legitimate questions around co-governance aside, there has also been more than a patina of racism across this issue.” To end, a very level-headed observation from the NBR’s Brent Edwards (paywalled). Edwards points out that the outrage over the entrenchment provision only came after Victoria University law professor, Dr Dean Knight clocked it. It was also spotted by University of Otago law professor Andrew Geddis. Edwards concludes: “In this case the usual checks of the parliamentary system, including the role of the opposition to hold the government to account, failed. But thanks to Knight and his fellow law academics, no lasting constitutional damage has been done. Next time someone makes disparaging remarks about those sitting in ivory towers it might be worth remembering the important role they played.”