Elliot Ikilei: Hobson’s Pledge team member on the group claiming they were left off the Treaty Principles Bill submission list

A war of words has erupted over the logistics of speaking slots during submission on the Treaty Principles Bill.

The pro-bill lobby group Hobson's Pledge claimed they were left off the list of those allowed to front up to the committee of MPs considering the bill in person.

Hobson's Pledge spokesman Elliot Iklei was quick to explain the group did request a speaking slot.

"So whatever you've been hearing from over there is utterly inaccurate. It is incorrect." 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Having a free society where everyone's equal before the law,
where you can get a resource of consent to build
a home for someone or start a business that is prosperity,
that is good for all people.

Speaker 2 (00:10):
It perpetuates racism, white supremist views and inequities that colonization
has entrenched.

Speaker 3 (00:18):
We have seen polls showing increased social discontent.

Speaker 2 (00:22):
It is doing harm.

Speaker 3 (00:23):
Parliament can legislate to provide that the earth is flat
and so on. It doesn't make it flat. It is
arguably beyond the competence of Parliament's start interfering with the
Treaty which was signed between the Crown and Mari in
eighteen forty.

Speaker 2 (00:36):
Co governance in central and local governments or privileged access
to power through consultation obligations are said to be justified
by the Treaty.

Speaker 3 (00:45):
This violates the principle of equality.

Speaker 1 (00:48):
Yes, submissions are finally underway for the much talked about
Treaty Principles Bill. It happened today three hundred thousand submitters
thirty four Today we're invited to present to the Justice
Selectivity in Person nobby group is upset that it was
not asked to speak on the first day and that
is Hobson's pledge. So Elliot Iquila from Hobson's pledge joins you, now,
hello Elliott Andrew, how I'm good? Why are you upset?

Speaker 2 (01:13):
No, we're not saying we're calling it out. That's I
think something important in our democracy. We've got to be
able to call out these things, and especially if it
extends out from the House of Power. So we One
thing about us is that we had a swap with
an awesome group called Democracy Action and that was just
by happenstance, because we found out this morning that we
had not had a slot at all given to us

(01:34):
either today or on Thursday, which is extraordinary when you
think we were one hundred and forty thousand members strong.
We speak on all these issues all the time. We're
known as educators in it, and we've been throughout New
Zealand a lot speaking about this. So extraordinary to find
that out. And of course there was a little bit
of ruckus at the end of that when the chairperson

(01:54):
stated that that indeed was not the case. Well, we've
gone back and we found it that no was the case.
Just to be clear, we're not saying that he's lying,
but that system somewhere in that system.

Speaker 1 (02:04):
It did not go through, just to be clear, because
we asked committee what was that about, and they said
that you were invited in the first emails it went
out to make a submission, but unfortunately you were not
able to respond by the deadline, so those slots were
filled up by the submitters who did. What do you
say to that?

Speaker 2 (02:22):
I can say that we've got the records, we've got
the system, we've got our replies, and then we've got
our email that we sent out in there. We have
done everything we've got We've got them, we've got the
evidence of right way, we've got it. There's no way
that it could be denied simply because we've got the
records timestamped and everything.

Speaker 1 (02:41):
Why would they do that though, I mean they are
a select committee where they are they held, they listened
to pro concerns, they listened to con concerns, they listened
to everybody. They've turned around and said you didn't make
it by deadline, and you say they don't.

Speaker 2 (02:56):
Well, absolutely well, we've we've got the receipts. So whatever
you'll be hearing from over there is utterly inaccurate. It
is incorrect. We've got the receipts, and we were on
top of this, as you know we would be. So
I'm not sure what they're doing over there, or if
whether this was mischief or whether it was an honest
mistake from some staff member. We don't know. But what

(03:18):
we do know is that it was extraordinary that Hobson's
pledge of all the civil rights advocacy groups did not
get a speaking slot. So we are grateful to Democracy
Action and we're grateful for those supporting us.

Speaker 1 (03:31):
Well, you were claiming, you were claiming, of course, that
you'd be muzzled. You've been claiming that you'd been censored
as well. But as you swap the spots with Democracy
Action New Zealand and then you got to talk in
front of the committee and so you talked to it,
they did not muzzle or stop you from talking at
this stage, after you've fulfilled it under under a thing
that is allowed under the laws. So that they're not
doing very well if they are actually censoring you.

Speaker 2 (03:53):
Well, I don't believe we ever mentioned the weird sense of
all muzzled, So somewhere along the line we have been
left out there. I think that's where some very big
questions need to be raised. What was the process, who
was involved in all of that?

Speaker 1 (04:04):
All right, well that will out and you'll publish that,
and we'll find out who tells the truth. That is
an important thing to do. Meanwhile, you did have it,
you say, other people had this, we say today, So
what did you make of it? Do you feel that
the issue is actually being debated?

Speaker 2 (04:20):
I think that, Well, we had a great time. We
put forward our positions very strongly in it. The politicians,
some of those politicians are spotted quite negatively towards it,
and that was a great part. I think that's that's
exactly how democracy is supposed to operate. So we did
have a great time. We only had ten minutes to speak,
so unfortunately we couldn't take too many questions on that.
In terms of it was interesting some of the responses

(04:43):
that we're hearing in some of the other submissions. And
this is where I get quite a little bit irritated,
because there's a real strong sense that those who are
supporting it, they many not all, tend to float from
white guilt to a type of victimhood, and that does
not help our people or our nation at all. That

(05:04):
there's something that we need to get rid of. So
it's one of the things that we that we faced
up and confronted as well.

Speaker 1 (05:09):
Kula from Hubson Spaces, thank you.

Speaker 2 (05:11):
For you, sir. For more from Hither Duplessy, Allen Drive,
listen live to news Talks it'd be from four pm weekdays,
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