Last night I watched a speech from Nanaia Mahuta, New Zealand’s first female Foreign Affairs Minister. It was on division, long standing injustice, bigotry and the sad ignorance of those that want to carry it on today.
It wasn’t about Israel, or the Ukraine, it wasn’t about the southern states in the US or even across the ditch in Australia. It was about Aotearoa. A protest in the north opposing the Treaty and co-governance.
“I’ve just been reading some reports about a public meeting up in Kaipara, challenging the treaty, questions of co-governance, and the way this country is evolving.
Just remember we’re better than that and we know the benefits of working together. It’s been shown time and time again. In the response to natural disasters marae have opened their door to everybody, and they’ve shown what manaakitanga looks like.
And we’ve got to remember that we have come a long way as a country because we have tried to overcome some of the harshest of our differences and that has not been easy. But we cannot give in to views that are designed to create division and they are designed to bring out the worst in people.
New Zealand’s better than that, Māori are better than that. That’s why we can do this, we can win the argument around evolving our country to be the place where all our kids deserve the very best opportunities.”
Good words. I have so much admiration for Nanaia speaking like this after all the hatred and vitriol that has been directed her way.
So who are the people organising these public meetings? It’s a group called Stop Co-Governance. Here is a sample of the lies and propaganda they are feeding people, along with the mandatory collection of odious cartoons from Garrick Tremain:
They have scheduled a number of events on what they call their 2023 Stop Co-Governance Tour of NZ. Starting in Northland before hitting multiple venues in Auckland from next weekend, and then working their way down the country, all the way to Queenstown and Te Anau by mid July.
Here is a subset showing events this fortnight:
You might note there was one as recently as Thursday night. It did not go smoothly, as you can read here:
Police had to break up arguments and eventually ask people to leave an anti-co-governance event in Dargaville last night.
Organiser Julian Batchelor, who is a Christian evangelist, tried to give a one-hour talk - opposing Māori MPs, Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and iwi organisations. But he was mostly drowned out by people who were upset by his words.
About half of the 150 attendees came to stick up for Māoridom - upholding their mana from the moment they stepped in the door of the Kaipara Community Hall, welcoming visitors in te reo Māori.
How long should Māori, the first people of our land, have to put up with this BS? How long do they have to wait for a fair deal in their own country?
These protests, like other claims of Māori Privilege from those who oppose co-governance - Hobson’s Pledge, National, ACT, etc are garbage. And it stinks.
We want to take people with us, we want to overcome ignorance with patience and understanding. Ironically we want these people to take a seat at the table and join us. But at some point do we not say - that’s enough now? You’ve had decades of slow progress to acclimatise to the idea that Māori deserve the same respect and opportunities as everyone else in this country.
At some point, and I feel like this isn’t a bad one, we need to say - nah, it’s too slow. No more. You aren’t coming with us and we’ve had a guts full of your BS.
This from Maungaturoto - Heart of the Kaipara:
One has to wonder how this kind of bigotry can even be tolerated in our district. But it is. We're sharing this because Mr Bachelor is a racist. His racist statements based on ignorance and the parroting of the political and racist lobby group Hobson's Pledge. Bachelor's organisation was supported by Kaipara Mayor Craig Jepson when it was denied space at a Sport Northland venue. What does that tell you? That Kaipara's mayor advocates racism.
First of all it is Maori being targeted. Who will be next? Who else's culture and heritage will be attacked to the degree that erasure is advocated. Bachelor advocates the erasure of te reo, only the use of English, the erasure of any recognition of Treaty Partnerships in any form whatsoever and so it goes on…
Supposedly this country will have, and we quote 'a Maori dictatorship'. What racist, scare-mongering rubbish. This meeting certainly showed who were the racists at that meeting and it was not iwi.
We need zero tolerance against this racist disinformation. No turning a blind eye to it, lets call it what it is and expose those involved for what they are. If there is an event against treating Māori fairly, which is what these meetings are, lets make sure there are more people there saying “you do not talk for me”.
It might seem that Stop Co-Governance are just a bunch of fringe lunatics spouting nonsense, but that nonsense is shaping the next few years of our country. ACT and National are playing to it for all they are worth and Labour are wary of providing more fuel for the fire in their election year commitments.
We are better than that, most of us. But I think maybe it’s time to acknowledge that some of us just aren’t. They are not all funny old duffers on talkback radio that time forgot, spouting the bigotry of another age. They are actively trying to expand the number of people that think like them, spreading their racism for the future.
So maybe when this little roadshow turns up in your town go along. You don’t have to get in an argument or confront anyone but let your presence and protest against these lies and racism be seen. Maybe don’t choose the event this Wednesday at the Kaiwaka Sports Association though - I hear that one has been cancelled already :)
But regardless of that, Nanaia is right. Aotearoa - we are better than this.
Amazingly, Batchelor claims to be a Christian. I wonder what Jesus would think of him.
I sometimes think bigots like him and all those who espouse his toxic creed are secretly disappointed that their parents/grandparents didn't turn A-NZ into the Kenya of the South. They must long for the days of white mastery with tea and cucumber sandwiches served on the lawn by a liveried "house-nigger" dutifully bowing and scraping and calling him bwana.
These vile people need to be gone so that we can ALL move forward together. Co-governance is that way forward.
PS. I'm a 63 yo white man and I do not feel threatened by co-governance.
Thanks, Nick. I've forwarded this to a few folk. I'm sick of the bigotry and all for standing against the hatred, and even kindly and lovingly pushing the hell back!