Yesterday Winston Peters focussed his attention on the important matter at hand. Tweeting.
Like the former, and quite possibly next, orange POTUS, from whom he takes much of his political strategy, Winston is an avid X’er.
His message didn’t resemble an historic address this time. In fact it was more reminiscent of hearing someone on a bus ranting and raving about minorities.
Winston wasn’t just riffing casual racism against his own people though, he was messaging a wider audience on behalf of a man that takes opposition to Māori, and pretty much anything the last government supported, seriously.
His name is Gary Judd KC, and when it comes to respecting one, and only one culture, he is boringly serious.
Some of you kind hearted folks might be a bit concerned about Gary’s right to speak his truth. Plenty of other people have been shut down for standing up for what they believe in. Some have even lost jobs.
Rest assured readers, let me assuage your undeservedly sympathetic concerns. What old mate Gary is saying is pretty much straight from the coalition playbook, he agrees with them. He’ll be just fine, with a green light to spout whatever garbage he likes.
Below is an abridged version of Winston’s tweet. I have not edited it, other than removing sections due to it’s excessive length. Here’s some of the first half:
Tikanga is not law. It is cultural indoctrination.
…Gary Judd KC, has filed a complaint about compulsory tikanga Māori studies for law students - highlighting the utter depths of absurdity this woke cultural madness has taken our society.
…Law students should not be force fed this kind of woke indoctrination from some culture warrior’s slanted version of what tikanga means.
So what is tikanga? Here’s a definition:
Tikanga, or societal lore within Māori culture, can best be described as behavioural guidelines for living and interacting with others. Tikanga tends to be based on experience and learning that has been handed down through generations, also deeply rooted in logic and common sense.
Tikanga includes principles of consensus building, respect, care, balance, intergenerational equity and relationship building.
I don’t know about you, but that doesn’t sound too insidious to me.
Māori are under-represented in many professions, and I’m sure that the traditions in law are heavily european. The Law Society reports that 76.4% of all lawyers are NZ European, whereas just 7% are Māori who form 16.5% of the population.
Is it such a bad thing to include a component that seeks to improve interactions, consensus building, and respect? To make the profession more accessible to a group that are under represented, and more approachable to the wider Māori community?
They seem like odd things to speak out against. “We don’t want your care, balance, and equity here - for goodness sake this is the law!”
It made me wonder what sort of person Gary was. Were his concerns about people gaining better understanding and respect, or was there something else he didn’t like?
What could be driving him? What did he care about? Goodness me is that a blog he’s written nailing his views to the mast? Yes, it is. So let’s check out… https://www.garyjuddqc.com/
The first article from Gary is…
Uphold rule of law: condemn co-governance and coercion.
Oh, oh I see.
Gary might be a KC but he is also one of those. Here’s his opening paragraph on co-governance:
New Zealand is faced with a determined push for a momentous political change -- called co-governance, but really a devolution of power to an unelected tribal elite who have been described in Cabinet papers as “iwi/Māori”. Giving powers of veto and more, “co-governance” will enable iwi/Māori to impose their will on the ordinary people of New Zealand.
Hmm, I think we might be starting to see why old Gary is not so keen on tikanga. Perhaps we’re being unfair, let’s check a few more of his articles. This is the next one:
How the govt and Ministry of Health have failed New Zealanders
You might be shocked to learn that Gary was not a fan of the previous government’s Covid response, and in particular the trust placed in Ashley Bloomfield…
“Although, contrary to its own claims the government did not "go early" in its 2020 response to the pandemic, its failure to act when warning signs started sneaking out of Wuhan was not much different to many other governments.”
Really Gary? Really?
Because the following clip came up in my “memories” the other day from four years ago, and I reckon you’re… hmm.. I’m not sure if this is a legal phrase, but it’s the most polite one that I can come up with at present. I reckon you’re full of it.
Readers may want a tissue handy for this video. It made me weep remembering how many lives were saved, and it pisses me off to see people like Gary misrepresent that:
As for Dr Bloomfield, Gary says in his piece:
…its major mistake was to rely on the Ministry of Health and in particular the Director-General who was given superstar status, the pre-eminent "expert".
…Dr Bloomfield was given Oracle status and according to recent revelations from the Prime Minister has been participating in the decision-making process instead of being an advisor whose advice may or may not be accepted, and about whom ministers could have free and frank discussion in his absence before making their decisions.
Clearly Gary didn’t like our Covid approach.
I don’t know about you but for me if you’re facing an uncertain pandemic that could kill tens of thousands of people I want the Director General of Health heavily involved in determining the approach.
Not handing things over to politicians who might choose to ignore the scientific advice, as we saw elsewhere.
I do get Gary’s point about the separation between elected officials and the public service, but to me Covid was a crisis. It was akin to a time of war, and the usual niceties didn’t apply.
Our health response was too important to leave to politicians who might be more worried about their popularity than death rates in certain demographics.
Gary’s next piece was: West West Coast councillors are right to demand proof.
In which our erstwhile KC defends the decision to seek evidence of a man-made contribution to climate change.
So that’s about enough from Gary for me.
I’m not the only one unimpressed by his words and apparent motivations. Let’s return to that long winded tweet from the Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand…
What is most concerning is the Dean of the AUT Law School, Khylee Quince, funded by the taxpayer, decided to typically stoop to a gutter level and call Judd an ‘old racist dinosaur’ who should ‘die quietly in the corner’. This is from someone who is in charge of teaching our law students.
How has this kind of insipid, cancerous, woke indoctrination taken a hold within our education system? Someone in Quince’s position, with this septic and out of touch modus operandi, raises the question of the proper use of taxpayer funding. She does not represent New Zealand or what we expect in our tertiary institutions.
In typical Winston/Trump style there are accusations and threats from our Deputy PM. How depressing is that?
Apparently it’s all fine and dandy for a KC to hold these views and speak out, saying things that many New Zealanders would not only disagree with but actually find incorrect and objectionable.
But if you’re the Dean of a Law School, who disagrees, then the second most powerful man in the country, some might argue the most powerful until such time as Luxon actually grows a pair, will raise questions as to whether someone with those views should receive government funding.
Mind you Gary wasn’t just criticising the Dean, but the entire school…
Really subtle Gary. And which august publication did he publish his proclamation in? It was www.bassettbrashandhide.com, a website run by Michael Bassett, Don Brash, and Rodney Hide. What is the phrase? Something about knowing people by the company they keep?
I’m not much for biblical quotes but this one seems appropriate - “He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.” Something to think about there Gary.
Bassett, Brash and Hide dot com is like Whale Oil. The reckons may use more educated language but it’s still the same awful views. Oh and there is less chance of death threats in the comments section. I assume.
So what about the Ms Quince? What is she like? Is she some crazy radical that wants to throw away all of our traditions in an avalanche of woke nonsense?
Since we’ve had a taste of Gary the KC’s Covid views lets check out an interview with Khylee Quince. It’s a longish clip so maybe just give it a few minutes to get the gist. She seems to offer quite a responsible, level headed, voice to me - see what you think:
There are plenty of clips on YouTube of Gary, but I think I’ll pass on including those.
If you’re interested you could check him out speaking on The Platform yesterday on His Complaint Against Compulsory Tikanga Training at Universities. Or a month ago on New Tikanga Māori Requirements for Law Students. Or three months ago on the Treaty of Waitangi & the Prospect of a Referendum. Or eleven months ago on new Treaty compliance changes for lawyers.
You get the idea.
There are others who also disagree with Gary, like emeritus professor of law at University of Auckland Jane Kelsey. She said:
“Mr Judd is about the same vintage as me. The Treaty warranted one class in my entire law degree, and that was the English version. Thankfully, we now have a more informed curriculum that reflects our history, colonial and Māori, which has fed through into a more informed jurisprudence.”
I found my students embraced the richness of that approach. It is now reflected in our courts as well, recognising that tikanga is not just another system of law but one that Te Tiriti said would continue to operate alongside the common law.”
People like Gary Judd do not want to see changes to a world that gives them positions of privilege.
They dress up their views as being about protecting principles. Although many of us, like Khylee Quince, would regard them as simply being anti Māori and driven by an ideology that we do not subscribe too.
There are inevitably different views from the left and the right. Some will advocate for the status quo, while others seek a more inclusive Aotearoa.
What is really concerning is that we have a Deputy Prime Minister, who is supposed to represent all of us, wading in and backing one side, while maligning the other.
It seems to me that the views and attitudes of people like Judd and Peters, learned lawyers no doubt, are exactly the reason why teaching tikanga is important.
How about you?
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On this day in 1970 The Beatles twelfth and final album, Let It Be was released, (it was recorded before the Abbey Road album, and was originally to be called 'Get Back'). The album came in a deluxe-boxed edition with a 'Get Back' book.
This track captures the feeling of our present time for me. It’s worth checking out, the remastered video is fantastic.
Absolutely ❤️this summary Nick. The Jacinda/Boris clip demonstrates the wildly differing approach towards Covid 19. Looking back it’s hard to believe that dangerous buffoon was ever allowed to prevail with his outrageous strategy. I feel quite teary reflecting on the amount of crap that was fired Jacinda’s way.
Also, Winnie needs to give himself an uppercut, racist old bastard that he is.