POLITICAL PROBLEMS, SOVEREIGN SOLUTIONS

Poly-poly-poly-politician,
Can you make the right decision?
For all of us?

During the holidays this 2002 song by Kora was a question I asked almost everyone I met, and the vast majority answered, “Nah. They can and should, but they won’t.”

Their pessimism is borne out by the current government’s push on all fronts to make it easier for our natural resources and the “state-owned assets” that we have built together over the past 172 years to be sold, bought, used and exploited.

Yet, in spite of the fact that the overwhelming majority of New Zealanders see our infrastructure as important to our sovereignty and are against selling any part of it, we still voted National in knowing they would do exactly what they are now doing; sell the power companies. And that’s just for starters.

How is this government getting away with it? By distraction.


In the week leading up to the annual flashpoint that marks Waitangi Day, without consulting its partners in the Māori Party, SoE Minister Tony Ryall publicly confirmed government’s intention to fool around with section 9 of the State-owned Enterprise Act (aka the Treaty clause).

In its entirety, section 9 reads: “Nothing in this Act shall permit the Crown to act in a manner that is inconsistent with the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi.” But, said Ryall, that “might not apply to the companies under the mixed ownership model” that government intends to sell our assets to.

The resultant backlash saw the Māori Party threaten to walk out on its relationship with National, and the Mana Party grab the issue as a stick with which to bash them both. It also drew the public ire of “big hitters” on the New Zealand Māori Council and the national Iwi Leaders Forum (whose “constituencies” include some of the strongest voices of activism in the country).

While it’s true that the clause might put off some potential buyers, why would National choose to deal with it in that way and at that time? The answer is, in order to provoke exactly the response it has gotten. Loud, angry protest is offputting to most of our conservative natures; we don’t hear the message because we don’t like the messenger or his means.

But the real victory for National is that the actual sale of our assets is largely going ahead unnoticed and unchallenged. Even the Māori Party, able to deny culpability because it wasn’t consulted by National, is playing its part perfectly by focusing on section 9. So too are the protest movement, the NZMC and the ILF.

If New Zealanders are to retain sovereignty in any shape or form over this country, we cannot rely on political solutions to sovereign issues. Instead, the reverse will be shown to be true.