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Leader's LetterMarch 2004
Keeping Our WordYOU WILL ALL recall that at the last election our campaign revolved principally around three major areas of concern; namely immigration, the Waitangi grievance industry and law and order. Nobody will forget Winston’s appearance on T.V. where, with three fingers, he illustrated clearly and concisely in a very statesmanlike manner, the importance of addressing these issues positively. I am pleased to say we have made significant progress on immigration. Winston led the fight both in Parliament and the media, and the government has made many of the necessary changes, somewhat reluctantly I might add. You will recall we said we wanted fewer immigrants on an annual basis and the numbers are now being reduced sharply and this trend is expected to continue this year. We said all immigrants should have a job to come to. The Government has now stipulated this as a requirement. We said all immigrants should be able to speak English. The Government has strengthened the English language test. We said new immigrants must be prepared to work outside Auckland. The Government has acted upon this. We said all immigrants should be screentested for diseases such as TB, HIV and aids. Finally, the Government has concurred and screen-testing will be introduced. It was not an easy battle and we were labelled xenophobic and racist in the process. But although there is more to achieve, it can be fairly said we have largely delivered on this commitment. Law and order is an ongoing issue but we are forcing the Government to make changes in some areas. There are five specific areas of concern: prevention, apprehension, punishment, rehabilitation and very importantly, victim support. You do not need me to tell you there are major concerns in all these areas. The media reports them daily. Having said that I must acknowledge that, to some degree, when it comes to dealing with offenders, the Government has listened to New Zealand First. However, there is much more to be achieved and therefore you can expect a continued sustained attack on the Government’s liberal policies when it comes to law and order issues. The third matter, the Treaty grievance industry, has gained new impetus due in part by the ‘political opportunism’ antics of a certain political party. You should have no doubt that under Winston’s leadership the New Zealand First team is prepared, equipped and determined to get a satisfactory and workable solution to this issue. However, if anyone feels that a workable solution can be imposed by one side or the other, I respectfully suggest they think again. Imposition will split this country like nothing else. A sustainable, positive outcome will only eventuate if understanding, logic, fairness and tolerance are included in the process. Remove those and immediately tension increases and these attributes are replaced with friction and abuse. My fear is, if ‘political opportunism’ wins the day on this issue, there will be no rules. It is as simple as that. The current climate has raised the profile and gives more focus to radicals on both sides. Fair-minded people appear to have been sidelined. It must not be overlooked that every political party accepts there are some legitimate Maori land claims, which need to be finalised fairly and speedily. Additionally, current legislative and electoral processes need to be addressed, again in a fair manner. To make progress on these issues it is necessary that all sides are treated with respect. Recent outbursts of opportunism risk taking us down the wrong road. The way some political opportunists are going I would not be surprised to see a collection of ex-English pats insisting that as the English invented rugby and now hold the World Cup (albeit temporarily), the haka should be dropped and replaced with Morris dancing! Now that would be a sight wouldn’t it?! As a “blown away pom kiwi” myself - I think not. For my money, I’ll stick with the haka and be proud of it. Peter Brown MP
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