“The Government’s review into the future of local government proposes ‘differentiated liberal citizenships’, where people get different rights based on their cultural and ethnic background. Is this what Willie Jackson meant when he said, ‘democracy has changed’?” Asks ACT’s Local Government spokesperson Simon Court.
“The Government’s review into the future of local government proposes ‘differentiated liberal citizenships’, where people get different rights based on their cultural and ethnic background. Is this what Willie Jackson meant when he said, ‘democracy has changed’?” Asks ACT’s Local Government spokesperson Simon Court.
“The suggestion that people should get different rights because of who their grandparents are is anti-democratic. Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta needs to front up and tell ratepayers if she believes in this concept and if so, how is it consistent with the Bill of Rights?
“The draft report states: “Differentiated liberal citizenships is a key part of the future state for local governance…. culture influences how people set political priorities and form views on what local government should do, and that Māori citizens are therefore entitled to make culturally distinctive contributions to council decisions or activities.”
“Are they seriously suggesting that influence should be attributed more to people because of their political priorities?
“No society in history has succeeded by having different political rights based on birth. Many New Zealanders came here to escape class and caste and apartheid.
“All of the good political movements of the past four hundred years have been about ending discrimination on the basis of race, religion, sex and sexuality to treat each person with the same dignity. We are the first country in history that’s achieved equal rights and has division as its official policy.
“The emphasis should be on getting value for every dollar and fitting services to every New Zealander. Our population is more diverse than just Māori and non-Māori. ACT believes that all humans should be treated with equal dignity and have the opportunity for an equal say.
“This report is an extension of Labour’s divisive co-government agenda. “Co-governance” is mentioned 37 times in the report. “Ratepayers”, the people who should be central in local government’s thinking, are mentioned only nine times.
“The Government must reject these proposals. By ending the obsession with co-government and ideologically driven policy, we could get stuck into the real problems in education, housing, welfare and crime that Māori get the worst end of. We would use innovative and practical solutions that change real peoples’ lives for the better.”