As we head into this year’s election NZ First has dangled the carrot of a binding referendum on whether the Māori seats should be abolished. Given it has been NZ First policy to abolish the seven Māori electorates for some time the position taken just over two months out from an election is not surprising.
In June Professor Judy McGregor received the Supreme Award in Governance at the 2016 Women in Governance Awards. The Supreme Award recognises a New Zealand woman who has achieved excellence in governance through a lifetime commitment to the promotion, support and mentoring.
An ethical question this process seeks to address is can society do harm to a person with a terminal illness who is facing death by allowing them to choose when and how they die with the support of an authorised medical practitioner?
For Coach Graham Henry, who during his tenure began to rebuild the world’s most successful sporting team from the inside out, the emphasis was on individual character and personal leadership. That is, ‘Better People Make Better All Blacks’.
Last week New Zealand First chose to Party Vote against the proposed Taranaki iwi membership of these committees by highlighting the May 2015 vote in New Plymouth that rejected the Council decision to have a Maori ward as justification for their opposition.
The UN Declaration of Human Rights states in Article 25 that everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for their and their family’s health and well-being including housing. As a signatory to the Universal Declaration and a number of human rights treaties the New Zealand Government is bound to ensure every citizen has the human right to adequate housing
On 9 July 2016 we will commemorate the 30th anniversary of the passing of legislation sponsored by Hon Fran Wilde that removed criminal sanctions against consensual homosexual conduct between males.
The issue to be addressed in respect of water is the extent of customary interests or native title that Māori have in the rivers and lakes.