May 23, 2016
New Plymouth, Old Hate – how to really change the flag
New Plymouth, Old Hate – how to really change the flag
MARTYN BRADBURY OPINION
The story of Andrew Judd standing down from the New Plymouth Mayoralty re-election because of the virulent hill billy bigotry thrown at him and his family for seeking Maori representation on the Local Council should make us all pause.
Being spat at, Nazi dressed protestors and being abused in public are as ugly as it gets. When real power is threatened, white privilege gets violent.
The simple truth is that there are large pockets of our fellow citizens whose identity is so fragile they perceive sharing power with the indigenous culture as discrimination.
The challenge is to explain to people that this is the 'New Zealand way'. That it is a solution that makes us stronger.That we discuss and bring people with our plans rather than simply stamp force on decisions makes the decisions themselves better.
If we want to live the Treaty in NZ, then we have to be conscious of it. You reach out to all members of the community and the first one on that list are the indigenous peoples. You also reach out to women's rights activists, migrant communities, the LGBT community, the unions, the churches and business. You bring people together through genuine collaboration rather than from a position of unbalanced power protected by angry and ugly emotion.
Ultimately however there comes a moment when that recognition of power imbalance demands a structural response from Government because the New Plymouths in NZ won't change without the Government spelling out its obligations to both Treaty Partners.
I believe we need an upper chamber to our single chamber Parliament. NZers don't appreciate how incredibly powerful our version of the Westminster system is. With one chamber a Government can pass law with just one vote, hardly a recipe for inclusive decision making.
I believe we should have an upper chamber that is split 50%-50% between Maori and Pakeha and this Upper Chamber has the ability to force legislation that falls under Treaty challenges back to the lower chamber.
With such a powerful realignment of the relationship, all NZers could feel confident in stepping towards a Republic by severing ties to the UK. The Upper Chamber would elect the President and we could call for a new flag design then.
The old hate in New Plymouth will only completely go when we realign the power dynamics between Maori and Pakeha. Only then can we step forward with pride at the 'New Zealand way' rather than fear collaboration.
Martyn Bradbury
Editor – TheDailyBlog.co.nz
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