Māori wards: Mayoral candidates in three biggest New Zealand cities have differing views
Thirty-seven local councils and five regional councils will need to hold referendums on Māori wards in the upcoming local elections next month, including Wellington City Council.
Wellington mayoral candidate Andrew Little wants to see his council's
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UN letter: PM firm with ministers on who should be sending responses
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says he has made it "pretty clear" to his ministers how they should handle correspondence with the United Nations, as the coalition's letter-writing saga drags on. Appearing at his post-Cabinet media conference on Monday, Luxon was pressed on RNZ's revelations that Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith had been consulted before David Seymour issued a forthright reply to the UN in July. "I'm not going to get into that," Luxon told RNZ. "We've canvassed that before." Luxon reiterated his "very clear position" that Winston Peters, as foreign minister, was responsible for coordinating all responses to the UN. Asked what it said about his Cabinet that multiple ministers appeared to misunderstand that process, Luxon was blunt. "It's pretty clear to them now," he said. "I've made it pretty clear." Prime Minister Christopher Luxon. Photo: RNZ / Mark Papalii However, new correspondence - as reported by RNZ on Saturday - show Seymour's staff stated that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade's preferred approach was actually for a joint reply from "relevant ministers" Seymour, Goldsmith and Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka. The controversy stems from a June letter from UN special rapporteur on Indigenous Peoples Albert K Barume, who flagged concerns that Seymour's Regulatory Standards Bill excluded Māori traditions and failed to uphold Treaty of Waitangi principles. Seymour, writing as regulations minister, fired back a response in early July, describing the critique as "presumptive, condescending and wholly misplaced" and "an affront to New Zealand's sovereignty". That letter was later withdrawn and both Luxon and Peters publicly rebuked Seymour for bypassing proper process. Peters eventually sent a government-wide response in August , striking a softer tone and expressing regret for the "breakdown in protocol". On Saturday, RNZ revealed new documents, obtained under the Official Information Act, which showed Seymour had run his draft past Goldsmith beforehand and been told his colleague was "happy for us to send it". Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
an hour ago
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Should Māori born overseas automatically be NZ citizens?
Should all Māori born overseas automatically be New Zealand citizens? Currently, that is not how things work, and a father of three is fighting to change that. John Bryers Ruddock, who is Ngāpuhi, recently returned to Aotearoa with his three children. Currently his children are illegal overstayers here, meaning they can't even go to school. He is now navigating an expensive and bureaucratic process to get his tamariki Māori recognised as New Zealand citizens, complicated by the fact they were born in Hawaii, and John, a New Zealand citizen was born in Australia. John Bryers Ruddock spoke to Lisa Owen. To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following: See terms of use.
RNZ News
6 hours ago
- RNZ News
Ministers urged to visit troubled Wellington suburb of Newtown
Housing Minister Chris Bishop and Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka. Photo: Louis Collins Residents, business-owners and social agencies are calling on government ministers to walk the streets of a Wellington suburb affected by a rise in homelessness and antisocial behaviour . The open letter, signed by 35 people, calls on Housing Minister Chris Bishop, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka and Wellington City Council representatives to visit Newtown and work with the community on solutions. Community leaders and residents in the suburb have told RNZ the situation on the streets is reaching desperate levels . The letter also said social services in the suburb were stretched to the brink, calling on greater investment in wraparound support services, accelerated housing solutions, and developing a cross-agency response to an increase in rough sleepers, drug-taking and mental health needs. "Right now demand is outpacing resources available, and our local support services, while dedicated and experienced, are stretched thin." Salvation Army Newtown Captain Andrew Wilson said the community was expressing a growing concern about safety in public areas. "There is a level of seriousness behind this. Even after we submitted this open letter, there was another assault on the main street of Newtown. "Honestly, I don't think it is too much of a stretch of the imagination to believe that it's not too long in Newtown's future before something even worse happens if nothing is actively done to both support our street community, but also find the long-term solutions for housing and mental health support." Rongotai MP Julie-Anne Genter said residents had been telling her the environment had been deteriorating in the past year, and ministers needed to see the challenges first hand. "I think first that ministers Potaka and Bishop should come walk the streets, meet with the community, so that they can see this is a real problem that needs addressing. "It is harder to make excuses and rely on big-picture statistics when you are right there in the heart of the community seeing the human impact of people not being able to access housing." Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau said the council had made a significant investment in the City Safety Plan in the inner-city this year, and councillors had now asked officers to urgently provide advice on what initiatives could be expanded to support Newtown. Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone "I expect to get that advice next week." She said tackling the highlighted issues required a collaborative approach with central government and local government working with communities. The housing ministers have been approached for comment. Potaka previously told RNZ homelessness was a complex problem New Zealand had been "grappling with for decades" . "Homelessness is not just about housing. The government is backing actual support services with more than $500 million a year, while fixing the broken housing system to deliver the right homes, in the right places, with the right support." He said ministers had recently requested recommendations from agencies about how existing programmes and services, including transitional housing, could be better applied. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
