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Leader's LetterJune 2002Leader's ReportTHREE THINGS IN THREE YEARS
FIXING THE TREATY INDUSTRY: FIXING THE LAWLESSNESS AND VIOLENCE IN OUR SOCIETY: TREATY LUNACY AND TREATY PEOPLE New Zealand’s approach to race relations must not rely on wishful thinking,make-believe or denial.We must start by acknowledging the facts which are that Maori are over represented in the statistics of social failure:
Ask the inmates of Paremoremo,of Mt Eden and Mt Crawford: who is paying the price for this flawed approach?A flawed approach to race relations has not only patently failed to resolve the genuine problems facing Maori but has also sown discord, distrust and disharmony. The Maori who make up the numbers behind the claims being made in their name are being robbed blind and becoming the subject of odium and distaste because of a perception that they have their hand up for another hand-out.They suffer the consequences and watch the benefits go into the pockets of their agents, What else can we conclude from the following contradiction: One -over the past 15 years,a huge amount of this country ’s resources in the form of money,time,and intellect has apparently been devoted to overcoming Maori disadvantage: Two -Maori disadvantage persists. How can this woeful result be explained? The main cause and culprit for the abysmal failure of the present approach to race relations is the thinking,the culture and the fraternity that has grown up around the Treaty of Waitangi over the past 15 years An entire multi-million dollar industry has proliferated like a noxious weed around the Treaty. This industry consists of an unholy alliance of consultants,lawyers,PR manipulators and assorted fellow travelers in the bureaucracy and media - only some of whom are Maori. This motley collection could be described as “Treaty People ” and the millennium has seen them proliferate. Like a noxious weed,a malignant cancer, this industry thrives on certain conditions that promote its growth. If we are to stop this juggernaut we need to clearly understand the conditions that enable it to flourish. The first condition that has allowed the Treaty People to mushroom is the stultifying self-censorship of public debate and discourse on the issue of race relations.Under this regime of tacit censorship,otherwise known as political correctness,certain views are air brushed and filtered out of the public arena.In particular questioning the current orthodoxy is regarded as a no-go zone for politicians A ‘New Zealand Herald ’ editorial stated that “there are some things that responsible politicians will not do.One of them is to exploit latent racial antagonisms for cheap electoral gains.” Clearly,NZ First differs from the editor of the Herald on what constitutes responsibility. The real responsibility lies in not turning a blind eye to the outrageous pilfering of the public purse under the disguise of addressing Treaty grievances.New Zealand First will drag the issue of the Treaty kicking and screaming into the 2002 election however much the media or the other political parties want to keep it under wraps. That much we owe to all New Zealanders -and most especially Maori -who in reality suffer most when resources intended to help Maori as a whole are diverted to the advantage of that select fraternity we refer to as the Treaty Industry. The second condition that allows the Treaty industry to flourish is the obfuscation and vagueness that surrounds any discussion of the issues. Since 1975 the Treaty Industry has spawned a torrent of words -in fact a Tsunami of verbiage.In Parliament,this year,we have repeatedly sought an explanation of what the principles of the Treaty actually mean.No Government Minister has fronted up with a straightforward comprehensible answer. The consequence of the steady encroachment of Treaty principles into New Zealand law and public policy is that almost anything can be demanded, asserted or claimed.All sorts of assertions regarding the Treaty,however spurious,have to be taken at face value. We challenge the Government -spell it out!Tell New Zealand in simple English what the Treaty principles are. Where do they start and finish?What do they include -and exclude? They will not tell us -because they know that the current approach to the Treaty which treats it,euphemistically as a “living document ” is totally open ended.. Or,in other words,a perpetual geyser of public money.The result of this absurd way of thinking has been inevitable:the Treaty has become like a hidden vapour seeping remorselessly into every aspect of New Zealand life. For example,Government departments and local bodies are busily developing strategies and plans to uphold and implement the Treaty of Waitangi.Of course in the absence of knowing what that really means it all collapses back into bromides such as “building partnerships ” and “being responsive to Maori.” More and more pieces of legislation now incorporate references to the Treaty, currently over 30 pieces of major legislation refer to the Treaty or its principles.In 2001 Law Dean Mathew Palmer (son of our former Prime Minister)pointed to the dangers of infecting legislation with vague and generic reference to the Treaty of Waitangi.The reason is obvious. The incorporation of these vague and generic references to Treaty principles may seem innocuous,but like internet viruses they are eating away and undermining the legal and constitutional basis of our country. They are unexploded time bombs! The more obscure,the more nebulous and the more elusive the meaning of Treaty principles the more scope exists for deceit and deception. There is one more factor to consider and that is greed,venality.The Treaty Industry is big business -a multi-billion dollar industry Most people are aware of the major settlements of Treaty claims that started in the early 1990 ’s such as the Fisheries, Tainui and Ngai Tahu settlements. All these settlements were around $170 million each Since 1992 there has been over $758,000,000 spent on Waitangi claims. In real terms that figure is $1.58 billion in today ’s money. And spending on things Maori now runs at $8.2b per annum,that is $23,000 spent per Maori,each and every year. That is more than the salary of most New Zealanders.But really,who is getting that money? Although these are settlements of bona fide grievances it is legitimate to ask what real improvement has this money bought for most Maori? Ask ordinary Kiwis,including Maori,what they make of the Treaty Industry and you hear:a gravy train,snouts in the trough! New Zealanders are being mocked,the Treaty has been turned into a tax.And of course the overwhelming majority of Maori are also suffering from the imposition of this hidden tax. Money can only be spent once.To the extent that we fritter it away on bogus and tokenistic activities we deny resources to solving the real problems confronting Maori. So can we fix it? Yes we can! New Zealand First will ask the hard questions and punch through the political correctness We will oppose at every opportunity the insidious,creeping infestation of our legal and governmental system with ill- considered references to undefinable Treaty principles. We will do all in our power to derail the Treaty gravy train. And just in case there is any doubt about where we stand,our approach does not imply
But we do believe in having a solid foundation and a shared understanding of what it means to be a New Zealander. Without that secure foundation -our differences -and they are many in our multicultural society -will divide and separate us,rather than contributing to New Zealand ’s special place in the world The ultimate tragedy of the current situation is not only that it has opened the door for the squandering of public money but that it also betrays the very people it purports to serve.By diverting enormous resources,energy and attention from real to contrived issues the Treaty Industry hinders the efforts of Maori to overcome disadvantage. A Treaty that should be a symbol of what unites and binds us as nation has become perverted into a source of division,rancour and resentment. Rt Hon Winston Peters MP
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