How the emotional carnage of the Foreshore/Seabed confiscation & Key’s privatization of Hydro set Labour’s 3 Waters into political cement
Many pundits can’t understand why Labour are so set on passing the 3 Waters legislation.
3 Waters has been sold by the Right as a capitulation to Māori interests who will then steal all the water and stop whitey from drinking fresh water ever again.
What’s funny about this right wing trolling is that a cow has the faecal load of 14 humans, we have 10 million cows, that’s the equivalent of 140million humans pissing and shitting into our waters every single year, so the fresh water the Right claim to c are about isn’t actually that fresh.
There are 2 main reasons Labour has politically set in concrete this 3 Waters legislation.
The first is their history, the second is Key’s legacy.
Punters fail to understand the full impact of Helen Clark’s Seabed and Foreshore land confiscation on the Left. Here was a cherished labour leader who was confiscating Māori land rights to pacify the rednecks of NZ
Jacinda, Chris Hipkins and Grant Robertson all worked in Helen’s Office in the wake of that land confiscation and saw the internal damage stealing Māori land had on the Left. Helen’s confiscation of Māori land rights saw the birth of the Māori Party who sided with National for a decade which helped lock Labour out of power for 3 terms.
This current Labour leadership know full well the political pain of stealing from Māoridom.
The second reason that has cemented Labour’s response is Key’s legacy of privatising the hydro-assets.
Māori had politely not pushed their water ownership rights when water was being used in the national interest, but the millisecond Key put a value on that water by privatising hydro assets, Māori interests were immediately triggered.
Māori went to the Tribunal in 2012 and the Tribunal agreed that Māori still had water rights which the Government must take into account now they had privatised 49% of the hydro assets.
These two events, Labour’s confiscation of Māori land rights and Key’s privatisation of hydro assets have combined to cement into place Labour’s 3 Waters.
Rather than risk Māori going back to Court to force the ownership issue again, Labour carefully constructed a co-governance model that would give Māori the legal rights they have already won while rebuilding the water infrastructure.
The racist backlash that 3 Waters has inspired however is simply too attractive for the Right and even if they win next year’s election and dismantle 3 Waters, it’s an almost certain bet that Māori would immediately lodge another Tribunal claim and an equally sizeable chance the Tribunal would be incredibly damning of National/ACT robbing Māori of their already confirmed legal rights.
At that stage, National/ACT would either need to pass legislation removing Māori water rights altogether, or they just have to agree with 3 Waters.
No one seems to understand why 3 Waters is here nor what happens if rednecks stop it from being implemented.
Can you imagine redneck fury the moment they hear it’s going back to the Tribunal for another public spanking of their ignorance?
Happy Days.
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In Canterbury a bunch of those cows are owned by Ngai Tahu, they are either one of the biggest, or the biggest dairy farmer there.
Also in Canterbury, effectively Universal suffrage is being removed to place two unelected Maori councillors.
3 waters isn’t saving the environment, it’s putting the fox in charge of the henhouse.
Where in the treaty are all these extra rights Maori suddenly have?
If 3 waters was a Nat idea you would be against it. Its a con introduced to enrich the Mahutas.
)So 2 ex Labour ministers mayors of our 2 largest cities are now right wing provocateurs are they . Not sure of the other councils but 60 out 67 do not want 3 Waters are they all right wing or are they just right . Labour is trying to force through their mind set in water health and the children’s commissioner and it may cost them the election as they are unpopular with the populaion
Actually they have expertise from overseas Trevor overseeing 3 Waters, who thinks it’s a great ides. Add to the fact what is happening at present is NOT working. But carry on pushing the envelope and carry on hating.
https://www.1news.co.nz/2022/04/29/victim-of-havelock-north-water-contamination-hopeful-for-three-waters/
What you’ve hinted at here is something telling you often see in supporters of these reforms.
They say ‘status quo sucks’ therefore we should just accept this plan despite its flaws.
The problem is everyone knows and agrees ‘status quo sucks’. It appears supporters of the reforms stop thinking at that point and everyone else just wants to improve it in a better way.
That’s all very well, and I totally support the overhaul of Three Waters that the Government is pursuing. What I don’t understand is why isn’t Labour driving and leading the debate on this issue? They have let National and Act to drum up a large amount of discontent to the restructure and now Labour is politically on the backfoot.
Why isn’t the leadership out there with the facts, figures and logic to back up the model, instead letting the right sow anger and discontent that heightens the risk that pushing Three Waters through is the straw that breaks the camel’s back, and giving National and Act a huge issue to drive an election win in 2023.
3 waters is a racist grab at assets owned by everyone.
If you doubt it read Clause 1, Clause 140 and Clause 141 which clearly show the whole bill is about Maori control , not about water safety
Wow – ‘This Act is the Water Services Entities Act 2022.’ (C1) as a title sounds very subversive! Since when was the right to consult or the requirement to respond to submissions equate to theft – Durrr???
Have I read the wrong legislation or are you just a stirring dipstick?
Why are we letting the Chinese take our best water the water no one owns gee someone is dumb or dumber. Councils might own the infrastructure but they don’t own our rivers, lakes or stream where they get the water etc no no. The councils need to close the loophole allowing for foreigners to get a cheap permit and take the water no one owns its not right.