Waatea News Column: The political attack on Māori is a naked unnecessary cruelty
The scale and brutality of anti-Māori policy being rammed through by the new hard right Government is an unnecessary cruelty being passed to appease angry voters wanting some culture war revenge.
Using race baiting tactics to win an election is ugly, going through with that agenda is malicious.
Dumping the Māori Health Authority despite all the research clearly highlighting the necessity for one because of poor Māofri health outcomes generated by poverty and colonization is an obscenity!
Dumping 7aa from Oranga Tamariki because it is cheaper and quicker to uplift a Māori baby without having to deal with Iwi groups who will find culturally appropriate wrap around services to avoid the damage the State has historically caused stolen generations is criminally short sighted!
Demanding Waka Kotahi use NZTA because it is too confusing when many National Party MPs couldn’t name what NZTA stood for is offensively ridiculous!
Going ahead with 8000 preventable tobacco deaths to fund tax cuts in a move Hone Harawira described as, “They’re happy to let Māori die so that they can get more money for tax cuts for their rich friends, that’s the horrifying thing, that they are so naked in their charge for cash.”
On top of this is the desire to move legislation that will redefine the Treaty Principles to entrench 19th Century White Settler privilege.
The sheer scale and size of the political attack on Māori saw immediate nationwide protests alongside an unprecedented Royal Proclamation for a National Hui against this new hard right Government’s anti-Māori agenda, in what will be the most important political event of the year.
The backlash to this Government’s very racist agenda that has extreme consequences for the poorest and most vulnerable amongst us will revitalise the Left like a lightening rod because many, many, many, many, many Pakeha, migrant NZers and Pacifica will unite with Māori on this because this policy agenda is not what the vast majority want!
Climate change, poverty, inequality, housing, good public health and properly funded public services and infrastructure THESE are the things we demand political attention and solutions for!
What we are getting is unnecessary cruelty as public policy.
Treaties are to be honoured, not settled.
We are a lesser people for this Government and it’s barely been a week..
First published on Waatea News.
https://www.nzdoctor.co.nz/article/opinion/call-genuine-accountability-how-do-i-explain-health-equity-act-party-and-mr-luxon
This is a good description of the faults of the new government’s thinking/actions
This is a no ethics government in power as we speak Nicotine Willis is searching for money to pay all Luxons promises and pay our countries bills. I wonder how many NZers will lose their jobs so she can deliver tax cuts for the rich and landlords. Local councils are putting up rates by so much due to no money for infrastructures they are pricing people out of ever being able to own a home and many will struggle to service rates, mortgages and insurances for a home. Something has to change the council need the governements help.
This is a no ethics government in power as we speak Nicotine Willis is searching for money to pay all Luxons promises and pay our countries bills. I wonder how many NZers will lose their jobs so she can deliver tax cuts for the rich and landlords. Local councils are putting up rates by so much due to no money for infrastructures they are pricing people out of ever being able to own a home and many will struggle to service rates, mortgages and insurances for a home. Something has to change the council need the governements help.
The only positive is that Luxon seems to have indicated that the Act referendum policy will die in the select committee process. But when push comes to shove we shall see.
The bad(der) news is that the attacks on beneficiaries, the poor, low wages workers and renters are still to come.
I don’t think Luxon will be able to control the narrative he has unleashed with his select committee ‘deal’ to become PM. The coallition agreements prove the ACT & NZF called the tune and they will continue to so.
Luxon has only got platitudes to cover up what is about to be inflicted on the country, and if he renegs on a referendum the response from ACT will be brutal.
So, this new government is wasting money doing a referendum when they have said we need to be saving money (austerity)
Poor Maori health outcomes has nothing to do with colonisation and instead a lack of personal responsibility – there are other ethnic groups in NZ that are generally less ‘well off’ than others but you will find recent Indian immigrant families cooking nutritious and very cheap meals for their families for instance which as everyone knows contributes massively to their ‘own health outcomes’.
Everyone in NZ knows full well that a good diet and regular exercise are essential for ‘good health outcomes’ but if you can’t be bothered guess it’s just easier to blame someone else.
Ignoramus Mr. Brown.
Is that right James and our Indian immigrants do they speak their native language, and can they go home to visit their whanau or have they been colonised and their land mostly taken and they have to try and learn their language as an adult and be a second calls citizen in their own country? And can we move to their country and insist on changes to their countries policies?
James Brown you should change your name to James White
With Simpleton as middle name.
Very clever unless of course you are over the age of 9.
It is easy to see the problem regarding health but you would have more credibility if you identified the cause of the poor diet also. When people are in poverty or without a clear path to succeed in life it is easy to get trapped in a poor lifestyle, this is not helped by the commercial interests pushing alcohol, fast food and other recreational drugs. I would like to see those in distress live better but they need role models and people that care about and encourage them to improve. This new government has shown that profiteering is more important than protecting people from exploitation and simplistic slogans about freedom etc are just BS.
Is that right James and our Indian immigrants do they speak their native language, and can they go home to visit their whanau or have they been colonised and their land mostly taken and they have to try and learn their language as an adult and be a second calls citizen in their own country? And can we move to their country and insist on changes to their countries policies?
True – it is my fault you don’t learn your own language.