WAATEA NEWS COLUMN: Election 2026: The Government’s anti-Māori agenda vs the double standards of natural disasters

There is a fundamental double standard at the heart of this Government.

For the last 2 years the National, ACT and NZF Government have used Māori and the Treaty as a political punching bag to score points with their reactionary rump base.

Yet the millisecond there is another climate change extreme weather event, the Government laud’s Marae at the frontline of the Civil Defence response.

Time and time and time again, Marae are an essential part of the disaster relief  providing food, water, comfort and information yet the Government has cut $25.7 million from Civil Defence while burning as much environmental protection legislation as they can get away with.

What is even more egregious is that they have held up the Emergency Management Bill  so they could water down the 2023 version which strengthened co-governance with Iwi in the Civil Defence area!

• They removed language that looked like independent co-governance powers and instead emphasised Māori participation, engagement, advice and collaboration within the broader emergency management system.

• Provisions for Māori membership are tied to regulations and consultation processes, which gives wider executive discretion in how the roles are specified — a practical dilution compared with mandatory, tightly defined roles.

• They delayed commencement for some functions (including National Māori Emergency Management Advisory Group) suggests the Government chose to implement these pieces more slowly and conditionally rather than hard-wire them immediately into statute.

So while the Government praises the work Marae have once again provided at times of need and natural disaster, they have cut $25.7 million from Civil Defence AND they have watered down the co-governance measures for the Emergency Management Bill that would have recognised the true importance of Marae during natural disasters while waging a war on the environment!

Climate change is real, it is here and it is going to get far worse.

We should be investing more into Marae as vital functioning Civil Defence infrastructure and empowering them with that extra resource, we shouldn’t be  cutting funding or diminishing Māori expertise and agency.