Latest news with #Ngarewa-Packer
Scoop
6 days ago
- Health
- Scoop
Te Pāti Māori Call On Te Whatu Ora To Immediately Publish Gender Affirming Care Guidelines
Press Release – Te Pati Maori Guidelines for safe medical practice should be left to experts and practitioners, not politicians, said Te Pti Mori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. Te Pti Mori condemns any political manoeuvring that threatens the safety and wellbeing of marginalised … Te Pāti Māori join health professionals, medical bodies, and community organisations across Aotearoa in calling on Te Whatu Ora to immediately release the updated Guidelines for Gender Affirming Healthcare. The guidelines were developed by medical professionals with expertise in this form of care and approved by Te Whatu Ora's National Clinical Governance Group. They were due for release in March 2025 but have been indefinitely delayed due to political interference from the new Health Minister. 'Guidelines for safe medical practice should be left to experts and practitioners, not politicians' said Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. 'The delay of these guidelines is clear political interference by a government that has continually attacked the mana and hauora of our trans and non-binary whānau for votes' Te Pāti Māori condemns any political manoeuvring that threatens the safety and wellbeing of marginalised communities. 'It is extremely unsafe for politicians to interfere in decisions relating to life affirming care for children and adults'. 'These guidelines are essential for safe, evidence-based care. They reflect the lived realities and clinical needs of our trans and non-binary people. Holding them back only furthers harm. 'This is not just a healthcare issue – it's a human rights issue' said Ngarewa-Packer. Te Pāti Māori echoes the call of the Professional Association for Transgender Health Aotearoa in demanding the government allow Te Whatu Ora to publish the guidelines without further delay.
Scoop
6 days ago
- Health
- Scoop
Te Pāti Māori Call On Te Whatu Ora To Immediately Publish Gender Affirming Care Guidelines
Te Pāti Māori join health professionals, medical bodies, and community organisations across Aotearoa in calling on Te Whatu Ora to immediately release the updated Guidelines for Gender Affirming Healthcare. The guidelines were developed by medical professionals with expertise in this form of care and approved by Te Whatu Ora's National Clinical Governance Group. They were due for release in March 2025 but have been indefinitely delayed due to political interference from the new Health Minister. 'Guidelines for safe medical practice should be left to experts and practitioners, not politicians' said Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. 'The delay of these guidelines is clear political interference by a government that has continually attacked the mana and hauora of our trans and non-binary whānau for votes' Te Pāti Māori condemns any political manoeuvring that threatens the safety and wellbeing of marginalised communities. 'It is extremely unsafe for politicians to interfere in decisions relating to life affirming care for children and adults'. 'These guidelines are essential for safe, evidence-based care. They reflect the lived realities and clinical needs of our trans and non-binary people. Holding them back only furthers harm. 'This is not just a healthcare issue - it's a human rights issue' said Ngarewa-Packer. Te Pāti Māori echoes the call of the Professional Association for Transgender Health Aotearoa in demanding the government allow Te Whatu Ora to publish the guidelines without further delay.
Scoop
25-05-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Government Sacrificing Hapū, Iwi Tiriti Rights For Offshore Profits
Te Pāti Māori is demanding to know how the government can justify fast tracking a replica of a seabed mining application that was already rejected by the supreme court in 2021. 'Trans-Tasman Resources, a company with no operational experience, is back to the table with the same outdated and incomplete data the Supreme Court ruled against, but this time they're being waved through a political back door' said Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. 'The Fast-track panel is being asked to assess their application based on environmental assumptions that are nearly a decade old. There's no new seabed monitoring, no updated marine mammal data, and no clear understanding of cumulative risks to the moana.' In the application lodged on the EPA website last Friday, even TTR's own experts admit gaps in data on endangered species like whales and seabirds. Yet, the Government continues to promote this proposal as 'economic growth' while ignoring the real environmental cost. 'This is high-risk capital with low public return and what's worse will be signed off by three Ministers with no obligation to heed hapū, Iwi and whānau concerns. The government has trampled Te Tiriti and betrays all Zealanders, by sacrificing our coastal waters for offshore investors.' The 2025 Budget, announced on Thursday, saw an additional $200 million taxpayer funded hand out to offshore oil and gas companies. Ngarewa-Packer called out the Government's political gambling, 'We all want economic prosperity for our communities, but enabling unproven, speculative ventures to bypass environmental due process signals desperation not development .' Once the EPA expert panel is confirmed, the recognised Iwi and Councils have 20 working days to make a submission.
NZ Herald
23-05-2025
- Politics
- NZ Herald
Te Pāti Māori co-leaders Rawiri Waititi, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer miss key Budget 2025 debate, speeches
I'm so glad I bothered to adjourn the debate to allow the Maori Party to be in the House for the Budget. Oh wait… Posted by Chris Bishop on Thursday 22 May 2025 On Tuesday, the House was scheduled to debate the Privileges Committee's recommendations that Te Pāti Māori co-leaders Rawiri Waititi and Ngarewa-Packer and MP Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke be suspended for their involvement in a haka last year that disrupted a vote process on the Treaty Principles Bill. The committee recommended the co-leaders be suspended for 21 days and Maipi-Clarke for seven. Had the committee's recommendations been agreed to on Tuesday, it could have had the effect of meaning the threesome could not participate in Thursday's Budget debate. The potential for the MPs to miss the Budget debate raised some concerns. Labour lead Chris Hipkins said the penalties could prevent them from participating in a key opportunity for the Opposition to express a lack of confidence in the Government. He even suggested an amendment to delay any suspension until after the Budget debate. However, Bishop surprised the House by moving a motion for the debate to be adjourned to early June to allow Te Pāti Māori's co-leaders to attend the Budget debate. 'The Government has come to the view that given the centrality of the Budget process to Parliament, it would be appropriate for Te Pāti Māori members who may or may not be suspended following the conclusion of the consideration of the substantive motion to participate in the Budget,' Bishop said. 'There is no more important role for Parliament than scrutinising and debating the Budget. It is a confidence motion, by definition, in the Government; the Government cannot govern without the approval of the Parliament. Constitutionally, it is right that they participate.' But when it came to the Budget debate on Thursday afternoon, neither Waititi nor Ngarewa-Packer were present in the House as the Finance Minister delivered the Budget papers to each of the political parties represented in Parliament. Laughs rang out from a number of National MPs as Willis placed copies down on the absent desks of the co-leaders. While no one from Te Pāti Māori was initially present, three MPs – not including the co-leaders – did eventually turn up. MP Takuta Ferris went on to speak in the initial part of the debate on behalf of Te Pāti Māori. Bishop told the Herald it was 'very disappointing' that Waititi and Ngarewa-Packer 'didn't bother to show up for the Budget'. 'Sadly, it is a continuation of their contempt for Parliament. Their voters, and frankly all New Zealanders, deserve better.' The Herald has contacted Te Pāti Māori asking why the co-leaders were not present, particularly in light of the decision to delay the Privileges Committee debate. Ngarewa-Packer's social media post said her party was focused on showing up 'for our people' and she thought Ferris' speech 'was by far the best of the day'. Speaking to reporters, Ngarewa-Packer said her party was larger than just her and Waititi. 'Whether Rawiri is here or I am here, this party will still carry on. We have talent galore in our MPs, as [Ferris] just showed in his speech.' In his speech, Ferris said no Budget had ever sufficiently delivered for Māori. 'Not in the light of the Māori history in this country, nor in the light of the Māori future in this country. No Budget has ever taken into account the Māori-Crown relationship. No Budget has ever recognised the contribution that Māori will make to the future of this country and to invest in the one million-plus Māori of today.' Jamie Ensor is a political reporter in the N Z Herald Press Gallery team based at Parliament. He was previously a TV reporter and digital producer in the Newshub Press Gallery office. In 2025, he was a finalist for Political Journalist of the Year at the Voyager Media Awards.
NZ Herald
20-05-2025
- Politics
- NZ Herald
MPs dig in as Parliament fails to compromise on hefty punishment for Te Pāti Māori MPs
Sadly, in the case of Te Pāti Māori vs. The Privileges Committee, we have a case of the latter. The Committee was investigating a clear breach of Parliament's rules last year when co-leaders Debbie Ngarewa-Packer and Rawiri Waititi and MP Hana-Rāwhiti Maipi-Clarke left their seats to perform a haka during tallying of votes on the Treaty Principles Bill. Haka are allowed in the House in a number of circumstances, but in cases like this, the Speaker needs to be notified in advance, and it should take place after the tallying of votes. The haka came too soon and MPs came too close to the Act Party seats, an act of intimidation that should not be allowed. Act's MPs have the right to represent their voters without intimidation, the same as any other MPs. But that's all there is to this. A call to the Speaker, a few seconds later and a few steps away from Act, and the haka would be a vastly smaller issue — if it were an issue at all. The House planned on Tuesday to discuss recommendations of the Committee and to possibly confirm the recommendations of its majority to hand down an unprecedented 21-day suspension for Ngarewa-Packer and Waititi alongside a seven-day suspension for Maipi-Clarke. Leader of the House Chris Bishop's decision on Tuesday to delay the debate to June 5 has given Parliament some breathing space. A quick poll of MPs from across the House suggests most think a compromise should be found, but no one agrees what that compromise should be, how much compromise it should entail and from whom and, perhaps most importantly, who should be the one to pick up the phone. May 20, 2025. Privileges committee chair Judith Collins begins the debate to a full chamber and empty public gallery. New Zealand Herald photograph by Mark Mitchell Blame lies everywhere. Te Pāti Māori, including its two co-leaders Ngarewa-Packer and Waititi too often treat Parliament disrespectfully. As the Herald canvassed this weekend, that can take the form of not even bothering to learn basic House procedure to pushing the boat out in terms of what level of disruption the House is willing to tolerate. No party has an unblemished record when it comes to Parliamentary conduct. What frustrates other MPs - and not just those on the government side, but in Labour as well - is that Te Pāti Māori is the only party to use the House almost exclusively as a stage for social media. Everyone does it. No one does it quite as much or with quite as much disruption to everyone else. This is where the party's critics are right to be concerned — Te Pāti Māori seem to enjoy breaking rules in order to post about having broken them. MPs on the committee are within their right to be concerned about how to deal with this. The Government finds this disrespect shown to Parliament to be disrespectful to the voters that sent them to the Treasury benches. Its frustration runs even deeper than that, with Government Māori MPs taking great offence and hurt at some of Te Pāti Māori's attacks, particularly Maipi-Clarke's comments to NZ First leader Winston Peters last year that his 'Māori blood is wasted'. The frankly OTT punishment recommended by the Government side of the Privileges Committee should be seen in this context. While the committee was strictly investigating the events around haka, it seems fair to assume the harsh recommendation owes at least something to these aggravating factors. But it isn't just the Government that would be happy for Te Pāti Māori to get a bit of a flick. Some Labour MPs are quietly worried that Te Pāti Māori's outrageous campaigning style and impossible promises risk making the left side of politics impossibly unruly. The party takes little effort in Parliament, campaigns on outrageous and unrealistic promises in the knowledge that Labour will get the blame when they turn out to be undeliverable. Te Pāti Māori doesn't appear to care if Parliament is functional, but Labour does, knowing that in the not-too-distant future, it's going to need a functional Parliament to pass some legislation. Parliament's patience is wearing thin and a lot of the frustration MPs feel is quite justified. But whether Te Pāti Māori is a nuisance isn't the issue the House is being asked to decide. That issue is what to do with the recommendations of the Privileges Committee on the rules broken by the haka. There's a risk that MPs are projecting all of that angst about Te Pāti Māori onto the haka, when it might better be resolved via other means. David Seymour starts to drive a Land Rover up the steps of Parliament, in a screenshot from the Act Party's video of the event. Photo / Act Party The main point of contention is the severity of the punishment. Almost everyone (apart from Te Pāti Māori) agrees that under the current rules of the House, the timing of the haka and the way it was performed (going far too close to the Act benches) was a breach of the rules. The co-leaders' lack of contrition hasn't helped things. The problem is the penalties that the committee recommended, which, if they were adopted, would be the most severe punishments by far doled out by the House by quite a way — the next most severe suspension was just three days. Even if people consider the actions of Te Pāti Māori merit a more severe punishment, they probably do not merit a punishment seven times as severe as that. From where could a compromise emerge? Labour leader Chris Hipkins offered to amend the punishment to a single day's suspension for the co-leaders and nothing for Maipi-Clarke, after meeting with his party's caucus this morning. On his way into that caucus meeting Hipkins was hesitant to use a filibuster to drag out proceedings (the arcane rules around this debate allow for something closer to an American-style filibuster than is usually allowed), probably sensing such silly tactics would go down poorly with voters who might see them as self-centred. The chair of Labour's Māori caucus, Willie Jackson, a strong ally of Hipkins who is also close to Te Pāti Māori's president John Tamihere, seemed more keen to keep all options on the table. Labour might have been willing to go up to three days' suspension as a compromise, perhaps even five days, but that doesn't appear to be enough for the Government. Even five days is a long, long, way from the 21 days the governing parties are seeking. The problem is that the Government's MPs on the committee have started the bidding at 21 days' suspension, making it very difficult to find a sensible compromise without losing face. If the Government agreed to discount the penalty down to three days, it would look like a pretty serious vote of no confidence in its MPs on the Privileges Committee, which includes not just senior National MP Collins, but Peters as well. But National is - as it so often likes to remind voters - a broad church, and not everyone inside the party is as onside with the recommendation from the committee. Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka went over to Ngarewa-Packer's seat and kissed her on the cheek earlier in the day, an obvious sign of sympathy. And at least some in the Government quietly wonder whether it's fair to throw the book at Te Pāti Māori when David Seymour and Brooke van Velden got off with nothing for driving a vehicle up Parliament's steps and dropping the c-word in Parliament. Potaka isn't the only one with affection for Te Pāti Māori's MPs. Many other Nats feel the same. Parliament's a fairly social place. Te Pāti Māori's MPs are good fun. Away from the Parliamentary livestream, the MPs get on fairly well. Ngarewa-Packer is kind and Waititi is a good laugh - evinced today by his chuckle during Peters' off-colour joke about 'Māorification'. Winston Peters has voiced concern about Parliamentary standards. Photo / NZ Herald Ngarewa-Packer and Waititi could make things easier for themselves by simply apologising. That would clearly open the door to a compromise by allowing the Government to discount the punishment to a level the opposition might agree to. Former Speaker Adrian Rurawhe is meant to be looking at the issue of tikanga in the House. Apparently not every party has been enthusiastically engaging with his work, perhaps because many MPs see there's more to be gained digging in on both sides of this issue than there is in finding compromise. All of this angst is being projected onto what is really quite a pedestrian issue. The Herald's rough poll of MPs would suggest that most agree on an approximation of the following: Haka are already allowed in the House. The rules around when and how they are allowed are fairly liberal at the moment, but could be liberalised further to allow some impromptu haka. They should not involve crossing the floor to other MPs' seats, but could maybe be liberalised to allow some movement. involve crossing the floor to other MPs' seats, but could be liberalised to allow some movement. Votes should not be interrupted at any point, but haka could be allowed after voting is tallied. That's all there is in this - the same haka, a few seconds later, and a few steps away from Act's seats, might have generated a fraction, if any, of the uproar it did. In future a haka of this kind might even be within the rules. There's no denying Te Pāti Māori's general contempt for Parliament and some of the people represented within it pose a very serious challenge to the place. The fact that no one in the chamber can admit that in the specific case of the haka, the transgression is really one of seconds and centimetres bodes ill for Parliament's ability to address it. Thomas Coughlan, Political Editor at the New Zealand Herald, loves applying a political lens to people's stories and explaining the way things like transport and finance touch our lives.
