Latest news with #TeTiritiOWaitangi
RNZ News
08-07-2025
- Politics
- RNZ News
Watch live: Submitters speak at Regulatory Standards Bill hearing day 3
The Regulatory Standards Bill is up for its third day of hearings at select committee. Among the prominent submitters are the Parliamentary Commmissioner for the Environment, the Deputy Clerk of the House of Representatives, the Rail and Maritime and PSA unions, and former MPs Jan Logie and Marian Hobbs. ACT leader and Deputy Prime Minister David Seymour says the bill aims to improve lawmaking and regulation, but its critics - who make up the majority of submitters - argue it does the opposite, and ignores Te Tiriti o Waitangi. The process concludes on Thursday, with the select committee public hearings packed into a single week during recess, when Parliament is not sitting and most politicians return to their electorates. Watch today's submissions in the livestream above at the top of this page. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
07-07-2025
- Politics
- RNZ News
Watch live: Opponents of Regulatory Standards Bill dominate first morning of hearings
Watch live: Opponents dominate early hearings on Seymour's bill Opponents of the Regulatory Standards Bill are saying it is unconstitutional, ignores Te Tiriti o Waitangi and will do the opposite of what it claims. The bill is facing scrutiny at select committee this week , with about 30 hours of hearings packed into four days. ACT leader and Deputy Prime Minister David Seymour says it aims to improve lawmaking and regulation, but its critics - who make up the majority of submitters - argue it does the opposite. None of the MPs who make up the committee actually showed up in person - all appearing via teleconferencing - so it was just submitters, media and staff from the clerk's office actually in the room on Monday morning. Submitters were given five minutes for individuals and 10 minutes for groups, leaving little time for questions. Chair Ryan Hamilton said that was standard practice, but has received some pushback from some of the submitters. ACT leader and Deputy Prime Minister David Seymour. Photo: VNP/Phil Smith Multiple submitters on Monday called the bill "constitutionally unsound". Māori lawyer and legal academic Ani Mikaere said it had nothing to do with its proclaimed objective of improving regulation, and "its true goal is to further embed neoliberalism". She said it would create a default non-compliance with Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and the Regulatory Standards Board it created would be "unqualified, unrepresentative, and unaccountable" - serving the interests of corporate elites. She said ACT had gained disproportionate influence over the government, and National and New Zealand First lacked a backbone and were being completely upstaged and "reduced to the role of chorus line in the ACT pantomime". She also targeted Seymour's claim made in an RNZ interview that bots were behind the overwhelming opposition in submissions , calling it a "frankly childish tirade" with no evidence to back it up. Former Prime Minister Sir Geoffrey Palmer told the committee the bill was "the strangest piece of New Zealand legislation I have ever seen". Former Prime Minister Sir Geoffrey Palmer. Photo: VNP / Phil Smith "It is quite bizarre, and it will not work," he told MPs. "And the idea that anything good could come from it is idle." Sir Geoffrey said the legislation would produce "a terrific amount of extra work" and hinder ministers' objectives, all based on an "unproven ideology" that the country was over-regulated. Appearing for the Iwi Chairs Forum, Rahui Papa said the bill amounted to a "power grab for the few, a power grab that will support the old boys' network". He said the bill had intentionally sidelined Te Tiriti o Waitangi and was "all about money over manaakitanga". He argued the bill would negatively affect environmental and social protections. Natalie Coates spoke for the Māori law society Te Hunga Rōia Māori o Aotearoa, and opposed it in its entirety, saying it should be "thrown in the bin, or at the very least gutted and completely rebuilt from scratch". Natalie Coates. Photo: supplied She said it was constitutionally unsound, flagrantly breached and ignored Te Tiriti o Waitangi, prioritised neoliberal values and economic liberty over collective wellbeing, and - if passed - would proceed despite significant public opposition and against official advice. "That is not good lawmaking built with the whole country in mind. It is a minor party pushing their political waka against the tide, blind to the current beneath. Strengthening our regulatory system is of course a good aim, but the bill as currently framed doesn't do that and in fact would destabilise it - privileging some interests, sidelining others that have been longstanding legal tradition in Aotearoa." People appearing in support of the bill were relatively few and far between by comparison. Seymour himself did not make a submission, but argued the bill was all about supporting better lawmaking and limiting the amount of poor regulation - ultimately saving the government, and therefore the taxpayer, money. He said it forced the government to explain where it had breached principles of the bill, though critics said those principles were narrow and in support of a neoliberal viewpoint. Seymour argued opposition to the bill was just alarmism grounded in misinformation, and that its opponents did not really understand it . Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
01-07-2025
- Politics
- RNZ News
Māori landowners take Crown to High court over freshwater rights
The claimants argue this legal challenge follows more than a decade of "broken promises" and "Crown inaction". Photo: RNZ / Rebekah Parsons-King Māori groups are calling on the Crown to urgently honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi and take action to restore the health of freshwater across Aotearoa. On 26 June, 32 Māori Land Trusts representing more than 150,000 landowners, hapū and iwi filed proceedings in the High Court. The number of claimant groups have since grown to around 60 Māori Land Trusts, along with several iwi and hapū from across the North Island. The case cites what the group describes as the Crown's "repeated failure to uphold the tikanga-based and Tiriti-guaranteed rights, interests and responsibilities of Māori in relation to freshwater". The claimants are seeking: The claimants argue this legal challenge follows more than a decade of "broken promises" and "Crown inaction", despite obligations under Articles 1 and 2 of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and repeated Tribunal and court findings affirming Māori proprietary and kaitiaki rights. "Successive governments have refused to establish a fair and durable water allocation system that enables Māori to exercise their rangatiratanga rights and their role as kaitiaki," the claimaints said. "Even as both water quality deteriorates, and water quantity diminishes across the country." In 2012, then Deputy Prime Minister Bill English acknowledged Māori rights and interests in freshwater and geothermal resources in an affidavit to the High Court. That position was recorded by the Supreme Court in 2013, alongside the Crown's assurance that it would develop mechanisms for recognising these interests. Claimants say little has changed. "The Crown continues to allocate water on a "first-in, first-served" basis, ignoring the deep spiritual, cultural, and practical responsibilities of Māori as kaitiaki, and depriving Māori landowners and communities of the water rights they need to thrive." Kingi Smiler, Wairarapa Moana ki Pouākani chair, says the dismantling of Te Mana o Te Wai and changes to the Resource Management Act will have a detrimental effect on New Zealands waterways. Photo: John Cowpland / alphapix Kingi Smiler, Wairarapa Moana ki Pouākani chairperson, speaking on behalf of the claimant group, said under the Crown's watch their waterways have become "degraded, over-allocated and increasingly vulnerable". "This is about restoring balance. It's about acknowledging that Māori have never relinquished our relationship with water. We are doing what we've always done: standing up for the health of our water, our whenua, and generations to come," Smiler said. "There were specific guarantees and assurances the Crown gave back in 2012. They haven't honoured those. So Māori are saying, we need to act now - before our rights are diminished even further." The timing of the claim follows the government's move to restructure the Resource Management Act (RMA) and roll back Te Mana o te Wai, a water protection framework that prioritised the health and well-being of water bodies and freshwater ecosystems above all other uses of water. "The dismantling of Te Mana o te Wai and the hierarchy of obligations that come under it is a reason for concern about the health of the waterways," Smiler told RNZ. Smiler said degradation continues across many rohe, and it was extremely concerning. "There's clear knowledge that there continues to be degradation of our waterways - generally speaking - and some catchments are worse than others. And at the moment, there's certainly not enough action being taken." "We are concerned that with the dismantling of Te Mana o te Wai, that could accelerate degradation further." The claimants also point to the failure of the current allocation system to deliver equity. "There is still no proper recognition of Māori proprietary rights, even though they've been acknowledged by the Waitangi Tribunal," Smiler said. "This is not about Māori trying to own the water. It's about resolving the obligations and being inclusive so that we can all participate in the process." Smiler said there are rights guaranteed under Te Tiriti o Waitangi. "And it needs to acknowledge those kaitiakitanga and tikanga Treaty rights we have for the control and use of water, with everybody else." Smiler said, at the moment, they were not part of that system. "And in some catchments, our people have been locked out and don't have the opportunity to develop their whenua, even though they've been kaitiaki and had continuous ownership of their lands since 1840." Chairperson Ahuwhenua Committee Kingi Smiler. Photo: Smiler (Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa, Te Ati Awa, Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki, Rongowhakaata) is a respected Māori agribusiness leader. He founded Miraka, the first Māori-owned dairy company, and was inducted into the NZ Business Hall of Fame in 2023. His incorporation (Wairarapa Moana ki Pouākani Incorporation) also won the 2024 Ahuwhenua Trophy for the top Māori dairy farm. He encouraged wider public awareness and support for the kaupapa and said the health of Aotearoa's waterways affects everyone - the time to act is now. "For the whole community's sake, it's about ensuring we have healthy waterways for all of us, and that there's a fair system and a fair sharing in the development and use of those waters." The legal process is now underway, with the case filed in the High Court. It is expected to pass through the Court of Appeal and potentially the Supreme Court - a process that could take two to three years. Despite the complexity and length of the court process, Smiler said the level of unity has been overwhelming. "There's a recognition by people now that this needs to be done. Otherwise, it will continue to be invisiblised and diminished over time." "It's a long road, but we're committed," he said. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone RNZ approached the government for comment, in response, National MP Chris Bishop, the Minister responsible for RMA Reform said: "I am aware of proceedings brought by a group of individuals and the Pouakani Claims Trust against the Attorney-General. The proceedings were filed on Thursday 26 June." "As this is a matter before the courts, I do not make any comments."
RNZ News
24-06-2025
- Politics
- RNZ News
Oral Answers for 24 June 2025
TAKUTA FERRIS to the Minister for Maori Development: Does he stand by the Government's track record in upholding its Te Tiriti o Waitangi obligations? Hon MARAMA DAVIDSON to the Minister of Foreign Affairs: Does the Government condemn the United States' strikes on Iran; if not, why not? Rt Hon CHRIS HIPKINS to the Acting Prime Minister: Does he stand by all the Government's statements and actions? DAN BIDOIS to the Minister of Finance: What recent reports has she seen on the economy? CHLÖE SWARBRICK to the Minister for Trade and Investment: How does the Government's $200 million fund for the fossil fuel sector impact the Agreement on Climate Change, Trade and Sustainability? CAMERON BREWER to the Minister of Immigration: What update can she provide on the Active Investor Plus visa? Hon BARBARA EDMONDS to the Minister of Finance: Does she stand by her statement that "A number of Budget 2025 initiatives deliver targeted cost of living support"; if so, what were those Budget 2025 initiatives? Dr VANESSA WEENINK to the Minister of Health: What recent announcements has the Government made about supporting general practices? TODD STEPHENSON to the Associate Minister of Justice: What recent announcements has she made regarding the Three Strikes law? Hon Dr AYESHA VERRALL to the Minister of Health: Is it his goal to provide "greater certainty for the private health sector"; if so, why? ANDY FOSTER to the Minister for Oceans and Fisheries: What reports has he seen regarding the sustainability of New Zealand's fisheries? Hon GINNY ANDERSEN to the Minister for Social Development and Employment: How many people are employed now, and how does that compare to when the Government took office? To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following: See terms of use.
RNZ News
18-06-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
'By Seymour, for Māori?' - Tama Potaka defends Māori targeted funding cut
Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka says the government has serious fiscal issues and most agencies have had to cut back. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone The Māori Development Minister has defended attacks by the opposition arguing he allowed targeted Māori funding to disappear under his watch. Speaking in the Māori Affairs select committee for scrutiny week, Labour MP and former Māori development minister Willie Jackson said specific funding for Māori initiatives had fallen significantly since Tama Potaka took over. He also questioned whether Potaka was being influenced by Deputy Prime Minister David Seymour , who disagrees with targeted funds based on race. Jackson said while he did not doubt "for one second" that Potaka was committed to pushing kaupapa Māori, he was "failing" in terms of Māori-specific funding. "You've had this decrease in terms of Māori funding, targeted funding, across the portfolio, and you have a deputy prime minister who believes funding us is racist... so how are you dealing with that?" Jackson asked. Potaka said he did not share that view and encouraged others in the room to "amplify" that. "What often happens is that certain views are given some really enhanced coverage, and others that I think are just as legitimate are not." "We have a very important series of commitments emanating out of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and the Treaty of Waitangi... good kāwanatanga or rangatiratanga or ōritetanga, however many tangas we might want to refer to and that provides a very constitutional bedrock for our existence as a country. It amplifies and reflects some things that were already existing," Potaka said. Potaka said funding allocated to the Māori Women's Welfare League was an example of the government's commitment to Māori funding. Pushed again by Jackson on what "confidence" Potaka could give that Māori initiatives would be prioritised, Potaka said some of those initiatives "did not sync" with the government's current direction. "This government, and I as the minister, are in a space where we've got serious fiscal issues, and I don't need to belabour that, but taking the debt up from $5 billion to $100 billion did not help, over five or six years, prior to us coming in. "All agencies have basically cut back, except for Health, Education, Defence and Police, all agencies have had to take a haircut. That includes my agencies... the view that 'we don't have confidence because your agency has less money than last year', I think is misplaced given the fiscal context." The government was focused on tilting the support towards economic development, rather than bits and bobs all over the place, Potaka said. Budget 2025 saw the end of the Whai Kāinga , Whai Oranga housing fund which saw the government allocate over $700 million to help iwi build thousands of homes in 2021. That money has been redirected to the government's broader Flexible Housing fund, a move which Jackson said "betrayed" the kaupapa. "[Māori] can't get their heads around it, that you would betray a kaupapa and open up competition, now that Māori providers have to compete with mainstream providers, very unfair. Former Māori development minister Willie Jackson said said specific funding for Māori initiatives had fallen significantly since Tama Potaka took over. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone "You're the minister responsible for the biggest transfer of money from Māori to mainstream in the history of ministers," Jackson said. Potaka gave a mihi to the "architects" of the scheme and said their work was "absolutely outstanding". "In terms of the Whai Kāinga, Whai Oranga budget that has effectively been centralised and reallocated," Potaka said. "Some of that was the $200 million announced for 400 or more new homes, I announced in Waitangi week, that includes the 150 homes that are being built right now... in Gisborne, and a whole range of other homes. A whole range of other homes and sites across the motu, including up in Kaitaia and Rotorua and central North Island and other places." Jackson said that figure showed how Potaka had "failed miserably" in the housing area. "That's a far cry from what we talked about when we set Whai Kāinga, Whai Oranga up. "So basically, it's 'By Seymour, for Māori' now, isn't it? Not 'By Māori, for Māori'," Jackson said. "I reject that opinion presented as a question," Potaka said. "What has happened is that the commitment over Whai Kāinga, Whai Oranga, a lot of that was consumed in the 1000 homes [built] through the Labour-led government and the 1000 homes that have been approved in 18 months - by the way, we didn't take five years - through this government. "Those homes are on the go. Some have been delivered, and some are yet to be delivered, and actually, the capacity of Māori housing developers to deliver massively is evolving," Potaka said. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
