Latest news with #Māorification
Newsroom
28-05-2025
- Politics
- Newsroom
Reclaiming the language of ‘Māorification' from the gutter
Comment: Somewhere between the polar extremes of re-indigenisation not having gone nearly far enough and conspiracies of a 'Māori elite' preparing to take over, the dubious term Māorification has found a new niche. Last month a primary teacher's disparaging social media use of the term, criticising a NZ Teaching Council submission opposing the Government's failed Treaty Principles Bill, resulted in threats of deregistration. The context was that the council made a submission on the bill on behalf of teachers, but it did not represent her view. She was 'fed up with the indoctrination going on in the education sector. The Māorification of school life is going too far.'
The Spinoff
21-05-2025
- Politics
- The Spinoff
Echo Chamber: Te Pāti Māori gets the last laugh
Te Pāti Māori rises from the ashes of the government's pride to get its say in the budget debates – before having to go back to the dog box. Echo Chamber is The Spinoff's dispatch from the press gallery, recapping sessions in the House. Columns are written by politics reporter Lyric Waiwiri-Smith and Wellington editor Joel MacManus. The public gallery was closed for Tuesday's question time. All this talk of filibustering and Te Pāti Māori must have sent a chill down the speaker's spine, keeping him awake all hours of the night with a dreadful anxiety over the decorum in the chambers. Were those Māori plotting against him? Hath none any respect for this institution? It's easier to close the door on the possibility of a haka in the public gallery than risk being turned into the butt of the joke simply for saying 'no, don't do that'. But the privacy did work out nicely for one senior minister, who needed only worry about the vultures circling above in the press gallery benches – but he tries his best to act like he doesn't care what they think of him, anyway. Winston Peters, as the MPs milled around and took their seats, scrolled his X account in silence, and watched the video of himself that went viral earlier that day, in which he met a fellow geezer who likes saying naff and bollocks just as much as he does, and realised there are still people out there who can match his freak. View this post on Instagram A post shared by RNZ (@radionewzealand) If a closed gallery wasn't enough of a flashing red warning sign of Gerry Brownlee's lack of patience, his interruptions during oral questions as an attempt to defuse any landmines along the way should have been enough of a hint. Finance minister Nicola Willis kicked off oral questions with patsies from National MP Cameron Brewer, and as she was laying it on thick, her mind naturally wandered to the MPs on the opposition benches and their failures. In not so many words, Brownlee basically said: 'no, don't do that.' When Peters, minister for rail, fielded questions from his NZ First colleague Jenny Marcroft, it gave him an opportunity both to promote a $600m investment from the upcoming budget to rail upgrades, and slam the Green Party's alternative budget. It was alarming, Peters declared, to see a proposal to build light rail in Christchurch, Auckland and Wellington to the tune of $11bn – only for Brownlee to remind the deputy prime minister that a supplementary question cannot be used as ammo against another party. Peters, well aware of the rules of parliament as he had just last week described it as a 'House of Chaos', returned to his notes with a lack of sincerity, but appeared to get a kick out of the charade: 'If they want an education, pull into the station,' he finished. Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa Packer was ninth up in oral questions, asking the prime minister about recent comments made about Māorification with Newstalk ZB's Mike Hosking, and his sentiment that 'where we see it, we call it out'. Well, Luxon replied, that isn't quite what I said, and said media outlet has since corrected my comments – but I do still have issues with a stop-go sign being in te reo Māori. They bickered and Luxon ummed, ahhed and stuttered, until Rangatira Peters (that's what Matua Shane Jones calls him) rose for a supplementary to save the day. 'In the question on the issue of 'Māorification,'' he asked the prime minister, 'would it be 'Māorification' if every Thursday I went down and got myself a suntan?' It was equal parts cringe, offensive and hilarious to the opposition benches. 'You're embarrassing yourself, geez,' Te Pāti Māori MP Mariameno Kapa Kingi called. 'It would help,' Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi joked. It was enough to get Peters booted out of the House altogether. 'I'll be back, don't you worry,' he warned the speaker. 'That's something everyone has noticed through your whole career,' Brownlee replied. Following question time, the MPs (Peters included) were straight into the debate over Te Pāti Māori's suspension, delivered by the privileges committee. The chair of that committee, minister Judith Collins, told the House that never in her 23 years in parliament had she seen such a 'serious incident'. There were plenty of cutting remarks, but the only interjections from Te Pāti Māori's benches were corrections to Collins' pronunciation of their names. The day's circus was all for nothing. After Labour leader Chris Hipkins left his left bloc allies in the lurch with no plans of filibustering but a whole lot to say about democracy hanging by a thread, minister Chris Bishop – after his party had promised there would be no concessions for Te Pāti Māori – set an adjournment motion until June 5. The mythological filibuster never came to fruition. Speaker Gerry Brownlee will have to close the public gallery again in a few weeks. But, the silver lining: it all ended just in time for Te Pāti Māori to walk outside, see their few hundred supporters perform a haka, and relish in having – at least for now – the last laugh.
The Spinoff
20-05-2025
- Politics
- The Spinoff
From tikanga to ‘protocol': Luxon's war on the Māorification of Aotearoa
The prime minister insists his government is clamping down on the spread of Māori language and culture in the public sector. But beneath the tough talk, what's really changing – and who is he trying to win over? Our government is halting the Māorification of Aotearoa. This isn't an opinion, but rather a proud declaration made by Christopher Luxon in his usual Monday morning interview with Newstalk ZB broadcaster Mike Hosking earlier this week. 'How do senior bureaucrats not understand that they're working for a government that have spoken very clearly on the Māorification of this county?' asked Hosking. 'Where we see it, we call it out,' Luxon gloated in response. The duo were talking about a job advertised in March by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Mfat), searching for a tikanga lead. At around the same time, the minister of foreign affairs and trade (Winston Peters) was trumpeting his party's bill to remove diversity, equity, and inclusion targets from the public sector – with the backing of Luxon. The tikanga lead role quickly became the example, sort of. The fix for Peters' concerns was seemingly simple – replace any mention of 'tikanga' with 'protocol'. 'The minister's opposition to the politically loaded and inaccurate use of the term 'tikanga' is well known. However, protocol has always been important,' a New Zealand First party spokesperson said following the change in terminology. Following the furore, several requests were made under the Official Information Act in an attempt to unveil what was happening within the ministry during the kerfuffle. Evidently, it appeared top officials within Mfat were caught off guard by Peters' criticism of the role. Understandably, the likes of Hosking were dumbfounded as to how the country's top bureaucrats could have missed the agenda clearly set out by this government. Nevertheless, Luxon is quick to point out that his government is laser-focused on stopping the 'Māorification' of the country. His most recent example? The removal of traffic control stop-go signs in te reo Māori in Te Matau a Māui. 'We need the stop-go signs to be very unambiguous,' Luxon said. Hosking went on to say that the production of Māori road signs is 'taking the piss', drawing a chuckle from Luxon as he reiterated his coalition government's intent on 'running things differently'. 'We want everybody in the public service focused on delivery, focused on results, and not lots of resources tied up in things that isn't core business,' Luxon said. 'Where it comes out and they get it wrong, we're very quick to clamp down on it.' This is strong, authoritative language from Luxon. It shows a switch in his political demeanour from a centrist to a more explicitly right wing politician, at least on this issue. The shift towards 'a tough guy approach', as Willie Jackson called it during the Labour caucus run on Tuesday morning, appears to be an attempt to pull voters from its more right wing coalition partners, draining them of their overall influence on the make up of government. It's the dog trying to take back control of its tail – but this approach also has its risks. The thing with the authoritative approach from Luxon is that you must walk your talk if you want to appear authentic in your belief – lest those you are trying to win over see through the charade. With the case of the Mfat job, it appears that all that was changed was the use of the word 'tikanga' in the job title. Everything else stayed the same and presumably, someone was still hired for the role and is currently employed at the ministry, providing expert advice and support to ensure Māori cultural 'protocols' are understood, upheld, and appropriately applied across the ministry's work and foreign policy priorities. So what was really achieved and is it enough to convince the voters you are trying to win over? Similarly, te reo Māori road signs aren't really an important issue to everyday New Zealanders. Most people would understand that green means go and red means stop. 'This isn't about rules – it's about racism,' said Ngāti Kahungungu chair Bayden Barber. The language being used on a road sign is likely not something that shifts a swing voter. But seeing your prime minister getting giddy about Fonterra's ambient cream being sold in Korea, yet livid about the inclusion of te reo Māori in roadworks signage? That might be a deterrent for someone sitting in the middle. The more you take the hard line approach, the more you risk alienating the always-important centre bloc voters who may feel uncomfortable with such an attitude on diversity, equity, inclusion and race relations. Luxon risks sending National further to the right and competing for a share of the same culture war voter base that New Zealand First and Act already tussle over while leaving voters abandoned in the middle. I won't venture into how te reo Māori is an official language of this country, or how the likes of Wales and Ireland have effortlessly adopted dual-language signage across their roading networks, aiding the revitalisation of their indigenous languages. However, what's clear from all of this is that if it isn't a part of the government's 'core business' of turning a profit, then it's not a priority. The issue around the use of te reo Māori is like the latest haka debacle – Māori culture is great, but only on certain terms and when it suits the wider agenda. We love to parade the culture overseas as being our point of difference, our unique selling-point. Why? Because it helps turn a profit. That is the government's core business. But when it comes to the normalisation of te ao Māori in its rightful home, we are quick to condemn. Not right. Not core business. Not helping us make money. The window dressing and pandering to casual racists will only get National so far. With a turn right coming at a time of already fragile race relations in Aotearoa, the coalition government appears to be throwing caution to the wind. Luxon will be keeping an eye on how his latest gamble plays out with voters. If it goes well, we may be in for a fight for the right in 2026, with Labour left alone in the centre.
RNZ News
20-05-2025
- Politics
- RNZ News
Winston Peters ejected from House before Te Pāti Māori debate
NZ First leader Winston Peters has been removed from the House, before the debate surrounding Te Pāti Māori MPs' punishments has even begun. Peters was removed at the request of the Speaker Gerry Brownlee after Peters asked the prime minister if "Māorification" would be him getting a tan on Thursday, in response to questions by Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. The Speaker made several warnings to MPs for outbursts and questions not considered on topic, before reaching his limit with Peters' comment. The incident took place in the House during in Question Time, before the debate over the Te Pāti Māori MPs' punishments started about 3pm. Photo: RNZ / REECE BAKER Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
