John MacDonald: No Minister, this is not a win for democracy

How do you think I’m feeling about the Government's Māori wards bill passing its third reading in Parliament?  

Which means any local councils which established Māori wards without asking residents first will have to hold a referendum if they want to keep them. The same for any other councils that might want to in the future, as well.  

How do you think I’m feeling about that? I’m not feeling how Local Government Minister Simeon Brown is feeling. He’s saying today that it’s “a great day for democracy”. 

I don’t think that at all. I think he’s over-cooking that one, big time.  

I don’t feel the same way about it as Labour leader Chris Hipkins, either, who is saying that it’s “embarrassing”. 

But I am despairing, because this is a piece of legislation dealing with something that hurts no one. Having a Māori ward causes no harm to anyone. 

Now I know that some people think having a separate ward for Māori voters does cause some sort of harm. And normally they claim that it causes racial division. 

And, if they want to think that, then I can’t stop them. But I would ask anyone who thinks that: what harm does it do to you, personally? Does it make your life any worse? Does the idea of Māori wards make you less likely to get ahead in life? 

Does a Māori ward somewhere make the groceries, or the power, or registering the car more expensive? Does it make you more likely to get crook with a serious illness?  

The answer to all of those questions is “no”. But, somehow, some people think Māori wards are a threat to democracy. Which is nonsense.  

Because how can a constituency of people electing someone to be their representative on a council somewhere possibly be undemocratic? It’s not. 

Local Government Minister Simeon Brown is talking nonsense saying that forcing councils to have referendums before they can keep their Māori wards is a great day for democracy. 

It’s not about democracy, at all. In the Minister’s own words on radio this morning, it’s about being anti-woke. Whatever that is. 

It’s ideology and nothing else. Because Māori wards make no one’s life any worse - and getting rid of them won’t make anyone’s life any better. 

And they will fade out because we know who the people are who bother voting in local body elections - because these referendums are going to be done at the same time as local body elections. 

We know already, don’t we, what the results of these referendums are going to be because —generally— the people who can be bothered voting in their local council elections tend to sing from the same anti-woke songsheet as Simeon Brown. 

What’s more, if the Government is going to sell its Māori ward legislation as a win for democracy, and if councils are now going to have to ask ratepayers for permission before they can keep or set-up a Māori ward, then they should also have to ask for public permission to do anything else they want to do, as well. 

Now that would be democracy. But that’s not happening. Which is why it’s complete nonsense for the Government to claim that its crackdown on councils setting up Māori wards without asking for public approval first is a win for democracy. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Canterbury Morning's Podcast with John McDonald
from Newstalk ZB.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
Got a question for you. How do you think I'm
feeling this morning about the Government's Mary Ward's Bill passing
its third reading in Parliament, which means any local councils
which brought in Marty Wards without asking residents first, I'm
going to have to have a referendum if they want
to keep them. The same for any other councils that

(00:34):
might want to win the future as well. How do
you think I'm feeling about that? Well, I'm not feeling
how Local Government Minister Simeon Brown is feeling. He's saying
today that it's quote a great day for democracy. I
don't think that at all. I think he's overcooking that
one big time. And I will tell you why. I

(00:54):
don't feel the same way either as Labor leader Chris Hopkins,
who was saying that it is quote embarrassing. I'm certainly
not embarrassed by it either. So how am I feeling? Well,
I'm despairing. I am despairing about this because what this

(01:18):
is is just a stupid piece of legislation dealing with
something that hurts no one It's a key point. Having
a Maori ward causes no harm to anyone. Now, I
know that some people think having a separate ward from
Marti voters does cause some sort of harm, and normally
they claim, oh, it causes racial division. And if they

(01:42):
want to think that, well I can't stop them, can I?
But I would ask anyone who thinks that, what harm
does it do to you personally? Does it make your
life any worse? Does the idea of mighty wards make
you less likely to get ahead in life? Does a

(02:04):
Madi ward somewhere make the groceries or the power or
register in the car more expensive? Does it make you
more likely to get crook with a serious illness? The
answers to all those questions is no. But somehow some
people think marty wards are some sort of threat to democracy,
which is absolute nonsense, because how can a constituency of

(02:28):
people electing someone to be their representative on a council somewhere,
How can that possibly be undemocratic as not, which is
why Local government Minister sim And Browne's talking nonsense, saying
that forcing councils to have referendums before they can keep
their mary wards or set them up. It's nonsense to

(02:51):
say it's a great day for democracy. You might hurt them.
On the radio this morning, Mike asked him what he
thought about councils and the organization that represents them, local
Government New Zealand, telling the government to bud out and
to let them decide if they're going to have Mary
Wards or or not. Here's a bit of what he said.

Speaker 3 (03:07):
They call himselves local government New Zealand. Life think the
most local form of local government is letting local communities
individuals make decisions through the ballot box. They are opposed
to that, and so they're opposed to actual what we
believe in is localism. And so they've literally lost touch
to meent Auckland's not a member christ Which is not
a member. A bunch of other councilors have left local

(03:29):
government New Zealand. They've gone woke on a number of issues.
They actually need to reflect the priorities of New Zealanders,
focusing on core business rather than simply just trying to
advocate the left wing agenda of the last government.

Speaker 2 (03:41):
So there we go, there we go. It's not about
democracy at all, it's about being anti woke, whatever the
hell that is. It's ideology and nothing else, because as
I said before, Marty, wards make no one's life any worse,
and getting rid of them won't make anyone's life any
better either, And they will fade out, they'll go because

(04:02):
we know who the people are who bother voting in
local body elections, because these referendums to see, they're going
to be done at the same time as local body elections,
and we know already done what the results of these
referendums are going to be because generally the people who
can be bothered voting in their local council elections tend
to sing from the same anti work songsheet as Simeon Brown.

(04:24):
And what's more, if the government's going to go in
to sell its Maori ward legislation as a win for democracy,
and if councils are now going to have to ask
rate pays for permission before they can keep or set
up a Maori ward, then they should also have to
ask for public permission to do anything else they want
to do as well. Now that would be democracy, but

(04:48):
that's not happening, which is why it's complete nonsense for
the government to claim that it's cracked down on these
wayward councils setting up maor wards without asking for public
approval first. It is nonsense to say that this crackdown
is a win for democracy.

Speaker 1 (05:05):
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