When is consultation a joke? When Maori are concerned

Photo Credit: Gettyimages

When is consultation a joke? When Maori are concerned
MARTYN BRABURY

Speaking with the co-leader of the Maori Party, Marama Fox last week on what the supposed comprehensive consultation with Maori that John Key offered up in defence of criticism that National have rammed through the TPPA with little if any negotiation with Maori looked like in practise, she said,

"What that consultation looks like is someone coming to tell us -this is what we are doing".

Look beyond the outright deception of Key's reality of 'comprehensive consultation' and look at how that manifests for Maori.The very same level of deceitful 'consultation' has occurred with the proposed changes to the 1993 Ture Whenua Maori Act. In this instance the Government are trying to reform communal land decisions to make the percentage of agreement far lower so that they and their land developer mates can carve up the supposed $7billion in 'value' they believe resides in Maori land.

The Waitangi Tribunal have strongly criticised the consultation review process saying that there simply had not been enough consultation or concuss with Maori over the changes.

Key's 'consultation' process over the TPPA and the 1993 Ture Whenua Maori Act are a facade behind which the real commercial motives and aims are hidden from public debate.

Compare this form of consultation with the decision last week by the Auckland City Council to cave into the demands of 30 000 wealthy, privileged and predominantly white baby boomers who denied 206 000 poor, voiceless and predominantly brown young Aucklander's living in over crowded housing the same opportunities as every other NZer to own a home.

Consultation to get your way seems determined far more on the colour of your skin and size of your wallet than it should in Aotearoa.

Martyn Bradbury

Editor – TheDailyBlog.co.nz

Waatea 5th Estate

Facebook/CitizenBomber

twitter.com/CitizenBomber

Copyright © 2016, UMA Broadcasting Ltd: www.waateanews.com

RELATED NEWS

Dear Labour – keep the Police on a short leash or the people will turn on Jacinda Have the Maori Party made the right decision to the wrong question? What is going on at Radio NZ?