Te Pāti Māori condemns Defence Minister Judith Collins’ refusal to rule out buying drones from Israel as part of the Government’s $12 billion defence spending spree.
“Judith Collins has exposed herself as a warmonger who is willing to back war crimes” said Te Pāti Māori Co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer.
“While Palestinian whānau are being bombed, starved, and slaughtered, Collins is opening the door to doing business with the very weapons companies making it possible. She is no longer complicit to genocide; she is participating in it.”
Collins has stated she wants a “more lethal” defence force and signalled she may follow Australia’s lead, who in 2022 sourced drones from Israeli arms company Elbit, notorious for profiting from the occupation and oppression of Palestine.
“Let’s call it what it is” said Te Pāti Māori Co-leader Rawiri Waititi. “This isn’t ‘defence’ it is warmongering. Judith Collins wants to turn Aotearoa into a customer for war criminals. If New Zealand buys Israeli drones, we are directly funding genocide.”
Te Pāti Māori’s Military Neutrality Policy is a principled stance that opposes Aotearoa’s involvement in imperialist wars, foreign military alliances, and the increasing militarisation of our foreign policy and Pacific relations. It is rooted in tikanga Māori, tino rangatiratanga, peace and indigenous solidarity.
“Te Pāti Māori will never stand with war criminals” Ngarewa-Packer said.
“We stand with tangata whenua, with Indigenous peoples, with Palestine, with life over death. Judith Collins’ legacy will be one of blood money and betrayal. Our legacy must be peace and tino rangatiratanga.”