Waatea News Column: Using Māori as a political punching bag is having real world negative impacts beyond rhetoric
A polite reading of the way National, ACT and NZ First used Māori as a political punching bag during the election tells us that beyond the spittle flecked rhetoric, all three Parties were merely playing the election ‘game’ and the reactionary and racist policy platform would be superseded by common sense and a desire to dampen down the level of polarization.
That’s certainly what Sir John Key did as Prime Minister.
Unfortunately that polite analysis of the political landscape has been burnt to ashes as this Government has embarked upon a 100 day agenda of reactionary culture war legislation that is stained with racism and petty ideology that bashes the weakest amongst us!
The desire to reward the anger of their voter base and punish everyone that voter base despises has generated counter productive and draconian policy changes that are almost too numerous to list.
The sudden desire to cut funding to the disabled, alongside changing the welfare adjustments which will see them lose $2300 per year while the poorest families miss out on $555million!
All of these negative social stats are felt more keenly by Māori, so that we get a compounding of negative weight upon them as a community.
The decision to remove section 7AA from Oranga Tamariki appeases ACTs reactionary voters, but it only cements back into place negative State care outcomes for Māori children!
Killing off the Māori Health Authority makes right wing voters happy, but has enormous detrimental impacts on Māori!
Bewilderingly allowing 8000 tobacco deaths (many of which are Māori) wasn’t even campaigned upon and yet has ended up hurting Māori!
A Government focused on giving a $2.9billion tax break to the richest landlords doesn’t care about those they damage in that process.
Using Māori as a political punching bag is having real world negative impacts beyond rhetoric.
First published on Waatea News.
Yes I’m right but you sound like your talking about yourself it’s called white privilege.
“..stained with racism and petty ideology” is as good a summary of this government as you could get. However it is hard to see any coherent ideology in the 100 day plan. The graft and corruption is in plain sight and breath taking in its audacity. The interest groups that paid these 3 political parties have all been rewarded with commendable speed. The rest has been an exercise in tearing down everything the last lot did. It is almost a Trumpian approach which I guess is an ideology.