OPINION
Hello, it’s John Porter on Bay FM and today I’m talking about Prime Minister Luxon’s meeting with the powerful Iwi Chairs Group at the annual Iwi Chairs Forum.
On February 2nd in Kerikeri, Prime Minister Luxon, along with a collection of National Cabinet ministers, ACT leader David Seymour, and NZ First Minister Shane Jones, met with some fifty chairpersons of organisations representing seventy-seven tribes.
Some reports suggest the Prime Minister went into the meeting fired up. Apparently, he had foreshadowed his stern mood and tone by telling tribal leaders he’d be quite forthright.
Well, the only stern talk from Mr Luxon I’ve seen reported is where he stated:
And frankly, when two thirds of Maori kids are not at school regularly, that is a responsibility for both iwi leaders and also the Government to work on. It’s a responsibility for people to step up and take responsibility and get their kids to school. Because if we don’t, the consequences for all of us are not great.
Doesn’t it seem like, however correct, this is the only issue Mr Luxon is prepared to hold Maori to account for?
Equally as strongly, the Iwi Chairs Forum declared it would fight the Government’s “sustained attack” on Maori, fight ACT’s proposed bill to rewrite and codify the Government’s “Treaty principles”, fight NZ First’s desire to reform the Waitangi Tribunal, the disestablishment of the Maori Health Authority, and seabed and offshore sand mining.
So, who are – what is – The National Iwi Chairs Forum?
Well, here is a little background on this little-known group that maintains a stance of keeping a low profile in the media. Mmmm…I wonder why?
The National Iwi Chairs Forum was formed in 2005, made up of the chairpersons of seventy-one tribal groups with the aim of increasing Maori autonomy and self-governance.
It was the brainchild of Mark Solomon, leader of New Zealand’s wealthiest tribe, Ngai Tahu. To look after their people’s best interests or just the wealthy elite aiming to get wealthier?
They held their first meeting in Kaikoura in November 2005.
The National Government under John Key and later, Bill English, appear to have had a very cosy relationship with this group.
Is this a pointer to Mr Luxon’s “stern” approach to this group?
In National’s nine years in office from 2008 to 2017, they met with the tribal group forty-four times!
Five times a year! For what purpose? You may well ask.
Don’t forget: National’s coalition partner was the Maori Party.
But get this! Only fifteen of the forty-four meetings published a discussion topic. Topics at the other twenty-nine meetings remain shrouded in mystery.
Is this dubious or what? Again, you have to ask why.
Could it be that tribal leaders in this group found they were able to pressure senior National Government Ministers to do their bidding?
Or worse, were National on board with the aims and sovereignty agenda of the tribal group?
Hobson’s Pledge, in 2017, wrote that Mark Solomon floated the idea of Crown asset sales. Presumably at one of the “hidden agenda” meetings.
Listen to this! Apparently Key and/or other National ministers indicated their willingness to explore the Crown asset sales concept, but not until their second term. So it appears that tribal interests were involved in or even introduced the notion of Crown asset sales before the idea was floated to the public!
Solomon believed that tribes as a combined group could become major players. He contended tribes could obtain between 10–15% of any crown assets.
I cannot help but wonder what influence the Prime Minister’s mentor, John Key, is exerting in Mr Luxon’s approach to co-governance and Maori sovereignty.
Did he influence Luxon’s refusal to support David Seymour’s Treaty Principles Bill?
Can a groundswell of public opinion induce a change of heart or is he firmly in step with the Maori sovereignty agenda?
Not surprisingly, it is very difficult to find out who actually funds the Iwi Chairs Group.
You would expect it to be self-funded from the billions of dollars of tribal money, wouldn’t you? Maybe not though.
I was able to find an online response from the Ministry of Environment to an Official Information Request regarding Iwi Chairs Group funding where the Ministry responded with “…indirectly paid ICG around $3.8m in the 5 years 2012–17…” Note “indirectly”
I wonder just how many other government departments “indirectly” fund the ICG?
Winston Peters seemed to have similar concerns over the group’s funding. Some time back he claimed it received $3 million to prepare an application to become a “commissioning agency” responsible for allocating millions of dollars in Whanau Ora funding.
You know what: we shouldn’t be surprised if taxpayers were either directly or indirectly funding this group to a substantial level.
And this is a group that is fully supportive of Maori activists’ goal of Maori sovereignty by 2040!
Following the Prime Minister’s “forthright” meeting with the Iwi Chairs Forum, I have the following questions for him:
“Prime Minister, did you remind the Iwi Chairs Forum of the numerous benefits to Maori, accrued by way of colonisation? If not, why not?”
“Prime Minister, did you emphasise to the Iwi Chairs Forum that one person, one vote is the only way forward for New Zealand? If not, why not?”
“Prime Minister, did you draw attention to the Iwi Chairs Forum that tribalism is an institution of the past and its only place in New Zealand is on the marae? If not, why not?”
“Prime Minister, did you ask the Iwi Chairs Forum what He Puapua steps have been confirmed in their joint action plan with the Human Rights Commission and Te Puni Kokere? If not, why not?”
“Prime Minister, did you enquire of the Iwi Chairs Forum if they still demand that tribal rights and interests must be appropriately recognised and provided for in Three Waters and that tribal power of veto is to remain? If not, why not?”
And lastly, Prime Minister, forget inflation, forget law and order and forget sub-optimal education levels; The issue that is going to create the utmost damage and devastation to our country and quite possibly cause the destruction of New Zealand society as we know it, is Maori sovereignty!
So, “Prime Minister, did you ask the Iwi Chairs Forum if they still endorse and champion the ‘Maori sovereignty by 2040’ agenda? If not, why the bloody hell not?”
Are we actually funding the white-anting of our democracy???
Sorry, a final question for you: “Prime Minister, are you prepared to categorically state you do not and will not support Maori sovereignty in any shape or form? If not, why not?”