Latest news with #ToitūteTiriti
The Spinoff
20 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Spinoff
The worst things that can happen to you as a New Zealander, ranked
Chris Bishop was told to 'shut up you dickhead' by Don McGlashan. But how does that compare to being called an egg by Judy Bailey or driving Jason Gunn to profanity? National minister Chris Bishop's night at the Aotearoa Music Awards started off so well. He grinned on the red carpet in a Fur Patrol T-shirt. He partook in some free refreshments. He escaped being booed by the hordes of pinko artists swarming the Viaduct Events Centre thanks to Jesse Mulligan sandwiching his name between Jenny Salesa's and Kahurangi Carter's during the introductions. He would have got away unscathed if it wasn't for Stan Walker and his pesky flags. The singer brought out banners reading Toitū te Tiriti during his rendition of 'Māori Ki Te Ao'. During the performance, the minister was caught on video saying, 'What a load of crap', and something about 'performative acclaim'. Reports vary on why he was so upset. But one thing's for certain: his negative review caught the ear of The Mutton Birds lead singer and venerated musical elder statesman Don McGlashan, who turned around and said 'ah, shut up you dickhead'. The moment appears to have instantly short-circuited Bishop's brain. 'I could say the same to you,' he retorted, confusingly. It's possible the minister was knocked off balance by the sheer magnitude of what had just taken place. Being told to 'shut up you dickhead' by Don McGlashan is the kind of thing that only happens in nightmares. Bishop must have felt like he was back in the aftermath of the 2020 general election, when he received the vision of hell. The exchange has sparked a national debate. Should cabinet ministers be allowed to give their opinions on official business? Should you wear a Fur Patrol T-shirt while saying things Fur Patrol hates? But most importantly, is being told to 'shut up you dickhead' by Don McGlashan the worst thing that could happen to you as a New Zealander? Some commentators believe so. But do those commentators have turnips where their brains should be? The only way to find out is by scientifically assessing every horrendous potential Kiwi trauma and ranking them in order. 10. The Topp Twins exhorting a crowd to tell you to 'fuck off' Mike Hosking went through all the stages of grief after Lynda and Jools Topp led a chant of 'fuck off Mike Hosking, we have the power' during a protest at parliament over RNZ stripping back Concert FM. 'What the hell's that about?' he asked. 'What have I got to do with Concert FM?' Classic denial. Next, anger and bargaining. 'Do they have queen's honours? What I am going to do today is start a petition to have their queen's honours stripped from them for behaviour unbecoming to royalty,' he resolved. From there the Newstalk ZB host lapsed into depression, clicking on a blog post from Lindsay Perigo. Finally came acceptance, with Hosking conceding that chanting 'fuck Mike Hosking' is actually fun. 'I know what I'm doing this Saturday night.' 9. Being called an egg by Judy Bailey There is no evidence of Judy Bailey (nee Mother of the Nation) calling anyone an egg. To assert she's called people eggs would put you in danger of defamation action. However, if she did, hypothetically, call someone an egg, it would inflict an emotional toll so high that person would likely have to lather themself in Kiwi onion dip and retire to a monastic life at the Tui Brewery. 8. A former prime minister telling the current prime minister to tell you to shut up 7. Saying something so sexist the soon-to-be prime minister rebukes you on live TV When Mark Richardson arrived for his shift at The AM Show on August 2, 2017, he had almost every job in New Zealand media. He was the host of The Block NZ. He was on the radio. The Project. The cricket. Then he proceeded to say employers 'need to know' whether the women they're hiring plan to get pregnant. 'No, no, no,' intoned his despairing co-host. 'You,' said the new Labour leader, fixing him with a point and look so stern Richardson must have thought she was going to put him into lockdown three years early. 'It is totally unacceptable in 2017 to say that women should have to answer that question in the workplace. That is unacceptable in 2017.' Richardson is now an investment adviser. 6. Getting shoved by Sir Richard Hadlee This really happened to Black Caps supporter and The Spinoff production editor, Calum Henderson. It left a lifelong scar. 'It was near the end of a one day international at Carisbrook, he had post-match presentations to make and I was in his way,' he explains. 'Now that I think about it, being shoved by such a godlike figure as a child could be the source of my low self-esteem.' 5. Being called a drongo by Sam Neill There is no evidence of Sam Neill calling anyone an drongo. To assert that he's called someone a drongo would put you in danger of being murdered and fed to his pigs. But being called a drongo by Sam Neill would be almost as terrible as being murdered and fed to Sam Neill's pigs. 4. Writing a Facebook post so bad it makes Jason Gunn say 'shit' It's almost impossible to make Jason Gunn mad but Laraine found a way. 3. Being told to 'shut up you dickhead' by Don McGlashan 'Shut up you dickhead' is one of the worst things you can say to a New Zealander. First, it implies the person on the receiving end purposely drew attention to themselves – a cultural faux pas roughly equivalent to smearing Marmite on a croissant in the middle of the Avenue des Champs-Élysées. But worse, what they were saying wasn't even that good. Having this phrase levelled at you by a random drunk? Bad. By Don McGlashan? Sir, will you serve as my second? 2. Being called a c*nt by Suzy Cato There is no evidence that Suzy Cato has ever called someone a c*nt. To say she's called someone a c*nt would put you in danger of being fed into a blender while the Suzy's World host sings 'see ya, see ya later, it's time to say goodbye'. Cato's friend, Auckland councillor Richard Hills, says she would be physically incapable of calling someone a c*nt. In fact, Hills made me star the word c*nt because Cato would be 'shocked' seeing it in print. I've honoured that request as nothing fills me with more dread than the possibility of Suzy Cato thinking I'm a cunt. 1. Dave Dobbyn failing to get the Big Fresh animatronic fruit and veges into Te Papa for you You know what isn't a slice of heaven? Having a dream of getting the Big Fresh animatronic fruit and veges into Te Papa, convincing Dave Dobbyn to help you achieve that dream, and still somehow failing. This actually happened to someone I know, and it inflicted such trauma they're still writing about it in the third person because describing it in the first person would be to accept that the events actually took place. Look, you can see the moment his heart breaks.
The Spinoff
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Spinoff
The Friday Poem: ‘Haere Rā, Department Store' by Nicola Andrews
A new poem by Nicola Andrews (Ngāti Paoa, Pākehā), from their debut poetry collection Overseas Experience, published by Āporo Press in early June. Haere Rā, Department Store It is an institution. Just about as old as a treaty, and around the corner from that stationers, that isn't there anymore. Consider it, on opening day: Registers cracking open like laughter, dutiful recording of new accounts, brass warming, herringbone settling. How will you use our reo? Our reo will be used as an introduction to the latest textures of luxury: washcloths, women's hats in blackened straw, gowns of suppression and coverings for sleep, worsted socks, men's suits in a deep blue weave, stiffened shirts to be broken in with hard work, yards of staunch calico in overcast grey, and always with the blankets, as if our moni could buy your refinement, as if we couldn't keep our people warm. How will we tend our reo? Our reo will be cared for like a final blazing fingernail summoning us up the maunga: from Mā is White and Kia Ora Shortland Street, to searing letters to the editor, transcribed in triplicate, kura kaupapa kids coaching their parents through self-checkout, Whaea Pahi chiming, ā tērā tūnga pahi Tiriti o Kuīni as kaumatua and mokopuna stream outwards, marching proudly: Toitū te Tiriti, From the Awa to the Moana, Not One Acre More each kupu, karakia, kōrero, a seedling in the forest, each utterance a sonic hīkoi, a devotion Does anyone know the reo for Chanel? Āue. When the chandeliers darken, and the bouquets greet the compost, the Numakete outpost thanks its loyal patrons in English When Te Waka o Rangi departs, Animatronic cherubs in grass skirts bob gently, paddling their canoe under a single flag. Haere Rā.
NZ Herald
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- NZ Herald
Kiingi Tuheitia Portraiture Award: Winning photo ‘reclaims narrative' for Māori amid cultural unrest
Her photo, part of a series called Taniwha Chasers, was chosen from 41 finalists and was announced in the presence of the Māori Queen, Kuini Ngā Wai hono i te pō, at Pipitea Marae in Wellington on Wednesday night. 'Ōpōtiki hasn't always had the most positive stories told about them to the media and I think it's really important for us Māori digital artists or people who work in this media-type space ... to be reclaiming those stories and reclaiming our narrative and telling them the way we want them to be told, and capturing the beauty of our small towns and our communities,' Paget-Knebel told the Herald. She said Taniwha Chasers was about representing her community 'and their resilience and us as a people'. 'Really embracing mana motuhake [self-determination, independence and sovereignty] and our strength.' Paget-Knebel said she wanted to focus on a Māori perspective for her photo. 'Our time is non-linear, so to photograph a rangatahi, it just shows that real deep connection with our tūpuna [ancestors] and to see our tūpuna in them.' She felt the picture was a 'timely piece with everything that's happening with this Government and the Toitū te Tiriti movement. I think it's a really great symbol of hope for our rangatahi. There's so much power within all aspects of our community.' Speaking on why she chose to enter that particular picture out of the others in the series, she said: 'There's just something about that photo, eh? 'The rangatahi's expression, it's so pure, and just the movement, this feeling of excitement but complete stillness. Yeah, it just fit the brief for me.' In her entry to the awards, she wrote that the photo also referred to an intimate connection shared between tangata, hōiho (horses) and their whenua. 'Māori have held a long and historic connection to horses as they were used as a tool to colonise Aotearoa but have since been reclaimed as part of our whakapapa. This image captures the intimate connection rangatahi Māori share with the wild horses of Ōpōtiki and how they are being used to uplift the mana of our community.' Paget-Knebel was born and raised in Ōmaio, a small coastal town near Ōpōtiki. She began taking photographs at the age of 12, and her interest in photography deepened after attending a five-day National Geographic photo camp in Murupara, where she learned alongside world-renowned photographers. She moved to Wellington four years ago to study photography at Massey University, and will complete her honours degree this year. She photographed the 2023 Kiingi Tuheitia Portraiture Award and was later invited by the New Zealand Portrait Gallery to photograph the 2025 awards. Organisers were left scrambling to find a new photographer when Paget-Knebel unexpectedly became the winner of this year's award. She said she 'kind of just went silent' when she found out she had won. She was most excited to meet the Māori Queen, and said sharing a hongi with her at the awards 'made my entire year and more'. She was thinking about using some of her winnings to publish a book of her photo series, and was hopeful if there was some left over it could go towards her receiving her moko kauae later this year. The biennial award was established in 2020 to inspire a new generation of emerging Māori artists to create portraits of their tūpuna. This year's award attracted portraits using a wide range of mediums, including video, stop-motion puppetry, ceramics with pāua inlay, oil paintings and textiles made from linen, cotton and glass beads. The judges described the winning photo as uplifting and joyful, and captured 'the heart of our time'. 'It is full of hope and youthful energy, with a fresh perspective on connecting with our tūpuna and te taiao [the natural world]. We are all carried along with this young rider into a future that is increasingly uncertain. 'The young rider, his galloping horse, the raised flag and the brooding land all merge wonderfully to convey this powerful message ... For us judges, it was a unanimous choice. We all read the work the same way.' The runner-up, who wins $2500, was Maata-Maria Cartisciano from Waitārere Beach for Ekore koe e ngaro i tōku Koro, an acrylic and pencil portrait of her koro. The exhibition of pictures from the award is at the New Zealand Portrait Gallery on Wellington's waterfront until August 17. Entry is free.
The Spinoff
15-05-2025
- Politics
- The Spinoff
Waitangi Tribunal hears evidence against another ‘dangerous' principles-based bill
An urgent hearing into the Regulatory Standards Bill saw lawyers representing more than 18,000 interested parties argue against the legislation that some fear is as 'dangerous' as the Treaty principles bill. A soon-to-be-introduced piece of legislation has been likened to 'constitutional warfare', with the potential to be as 'dangerous' to Māori-Crown relations as the Treaty principles bill. More than 18,000 New Zealanders signalled their opposition to the Regulatory Standards Bill (RSB) by registering their support for a claim to the Waitangi Tribunal led by Toitū te Tiriti, which was heard on Wednesday, a week after the bill's architect David Seymour announced it would be taken to cabinet to be approved for introduction to parliament by Monday, May 19. Originally scheduled for June 6, the Wai 3470 claim was brought forward in an urgent hearing this week following the announcement from Seymour, the minister for regulation, that the bill would be read by cabinet sooner than expected. The tribunal loses jurisdiction to consider bills once they are introduced to parliament. After cabinet approves the bill on May 19, it will be introduced to parliament and, if passed as expected, would come into effect by January 1, 2026 – with changes expected to create a framework that would undermine the application of Treaty principles, the tribunal heard. The bill's stated aim is 'to improve the quality of regulation in New Zealand so regulatory decisions are based on principles of good lawmaking and economic efficiency'. It sets a number of regulatory principles that all regulation should comply with, with an emphasis on personal liberty and property rights. A cabinet minute on the bill was released on Tuesday, with feedback included in the document from Te Puni Kōkiri that the current proposal 'does not recognise either the rights or interests of iwi, hapu and Māori' under the Treaty, nor does it consider the importance of the Treaty – a sentiment repeated in the cabinet paper by the Ministry of Justice. The Ministry for the Environment also noted the proposals 'conflict with the principles of New Zealand's environmental and climate systems which focus on balancing short-term and longer-term interests, and collective, rather than individual, interests'. Tamaki Legal lawyer Tania Waikato, acting as counsel for Toitū te Tiriti and multiple other claimants, appeared first before the tribunal with the message that the bill 'will create one of the most fundamental constitutional shifts in our legal history by elevating the RSB principles' into a position of 'constitutionally superior law' above Treaty principles. Waikato said her claimants' core concerns with the bill came down to two 'prongs': the first being that her claimants 'are prejudiced, and likely to be prejudiced' by the bill, as it 'will alter the constitutional arrangements between the Crown and Māori under te Tiriti by stealth, and without the consent by Māori as Treaty partner'. The second prong, Waikato said, was the 'fundamentally flawed' consultation process for the bill. She said the failure to meaningfully engage with Māori was 'defective, deceptive and inconsistent with te Tiriti and the principles of te Tiriti. 'These breaches are so deeply entrenched into the fabric of the RSB, that they cannot be remedied by simply inserting a Treaty principle into the RSB,' Waikato told the tribunal. 'The entire framework as a concept … must be rejected in its entirety.' Waikato read evidence from senior law lecturer Carwyn Jones, who wrote that the Crown's actions in drafting this bill had breached the Treaty in a matter that was 'as serious and as dangerous as [the Treaty principles bill'. That bill, alongside the draft proposals being considered by the tribunal, represented a 'combined legislative pincer movement' with the proposed legislation seeking to finish 'what the Treaty principles bill started', Jones said. Otago law professor Andrew Geddis also submitted evidence read by Waikato. Geddis highlighted the bill's first principle of the rule of law, that 'every person is equal before the law', arguing that 'may cause it to be applied in order to remove legislative clauses that provide different provisions for Māori, particularly Treaty provisions'. Geddis noted that there were 'often good reasons where differential treatment under the law not only is justifiable but actually morally required', as noted by the Human Rights Commission. Evidence from Hinemoa Elder specifically pointed to the Mental Health Act, and concerns that the passing of this bill would remove Māori mental health provisions under the RSB's equality principle. Filmmaker Chelsea Winstanley also submitted written evidence outlining her concerns that this principle would affect funding for te reo Māori and Māori-specific films. Speaking on behalf of Māori health leader Lady Tureiti Moxon, lawyer Roimata Smail argued the bill would entrench a 'health system that is institutionally racist'. Lawyer Tom Bennion, representing Te Roopu Waiora Trust, told the tribunal that Seymour was 'hostile to all differential treatment for Māori'. The minister's law would have the potential to 'wipe hundreds of millions of dollars off the value of historic settlements' if the law in practice failed to acknowledge disparities for Māori, Bennion said. Whāia Legal's Jamie Ferguson told the tribunal that while the bill was concerned with equal rights, there was no provision to ensure the act would not adversely affect the rights and interests of iwi and hapū. Asked by tribunal member David Williams about his experience in representing Māori legal issues, Ferguson said he had witnessed a change from 'good faith' engagement with Māori to simple 'box ticking'. 'I personally have a malaise and melancholy about it all,' Ferguson said. 'It's a tragedy. There's no other word for it.' Crown lawyer Jason Varuhas said arguments the tribunal had so far heard 'often proceeded off an unsustainable degree of certainty as to the adverse affects' of the bill. While it was correct that the Crown had not relied on expert evidence, it did not accept the opinions relied on by claimants as 'it is in the nature of opinion evidence, not primary fact', Varuhas said. Concerns of Treaty breaches do not amount to an actual breach, Varuhas noted. He quoted former prime minister Geoffrey Palmer's description of Aotearoa as the 'fastest law-maker in the west' – New Zealand has unique legislative powers which allow parliament to pass laws more quickly than other developed countries, and the government has the authority to use these processes. On concerns of prejudice against Māori, Varuhas said the bill 'cannot be analogised' as having as much power as the Bill of Rights Act, a constitutional statute. 'The Crown's position is the Regulatory Standards Bill does not invariably, or likely lead, to breach of the Treaty,' Varuhas said, 'or likely or invariably lead to prejudicial outcomes for Māori.' Williams asked Varuhas whether the Crown had acted in good faith by bringing the bill to cabinet ahead of the hearing's original June 6 date, to which Varuhas replied the Crown had acted as directed, but acknowledged that the tribunal and claimants' need to 'mobilise in such haste has not been ideal'. 'That's good faith?' Williams asked. 'We would say, for the reasons that we've given, that the Crown has acted in good faith,' Varuhas said. Lawyer Darrell Naden of Tamaki Legal responded to the Crown's comments at the end of the hearing, dismissing the claim that the RSB 'would not confer or impose on any legal rights or duties, or affect the validity of legislation'. Naden highlighted a requirement of the RSB that all law be measured against it as evidence of its intended scope. 'Why all the effort, the expense, so on and so forth, the haste to introduce this to the House, the haste to enactment … all points to how important this legislation is to the Crown. 'The claimants, despite hearing from the Crown today … continue to maintain that what is sought here is an ending of this RSB folly for the sake of a decent society, for the sake of future relations,' Naden said. The tribunal is expected to submit its findings today.
Scoop
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Regulatory Standards Bill Claim Accepted For Urgency By Waitangi Tribunal With 12,000 Claimants Signed On
Article – RNZ The group behind last year's Hkoi m Te Tiriti has been granted an urgent hearing at the Waitangi Tribunal regarding the Regulatory Standards Bill. , Māori issues reporter The group behind last year's Hīkoi mō Te Tiriti has been granted an urgent hearing at the Waitangi Tribunal regarding the Regulatory Standards Bill. Over 12,000 people have registered as part of the claimant group after Toitū te Tiriti put out a tono, or request, on social media asking people to sign up for the claim. The claim alleges that – if enacted – the bill would breach Te Tiriti and cause significant prejudice to Māori. The Regulatory Standards Bill, which is yet to be introduced into Parliament, is part of the National and ACT coalition agreement. A discussion document on the matter had been open for consultation to inform the drafting of the legislation, it includes a set of principles outlining what constitutes 'responsible regulation,' including rule of law, liberties, taking of property, taxes, fees and levies, role of courts, good law-making and regulatory stewardship. A preliminary Treaty Impact Analysis conducted for the proposed bill noted it did not include a principle related to Te Tiriti and its role as part of good law-making. Toitū te Tiriti spokesperson Eru Kapa-Kingi told RNZ the Bill would give the Minister of Regulation broad powers to review legislation which could have a negative effect on Te Tiriti in legislation. 'The point in going to the Tribunal is to enable the Tribunal to really investigate what is going on, what the intentions are, what the whakapapa is of this Bill as opposed to waiting for it end up in a First Reading in Parliament and then knowing that it is inevitably going to become law.' Toitū te Tiriti put out the call for people to sign up for the claim to give them an opportunity to participate in a different way than last November's hīkoi, he said. 'It's an avenue to provide connection to the case, to the claim. Similar to class actions that have been brought by other groups of people in a civil jurisdiction… this is kind of like a Māori class action I guess.' Kapa-Kingi said it's not too late for people to sign up to be a claimant. The Minister for Regulation David Seymour said given the Bill hasn't been introduced yet it's hard to know what Toitū te Tiriti want to talk about. 'Putting that aside, the gist of the bill is to require politicians and officials to ask and answer certain questions before they place restrictions on citizens' freedoms. 'What problem are we trying to solve? What are the costs and benefits? Who pays the costs and gets the benefits? What restrictions are being placed on the use and exchange of private property? 'If they've got a problem with that, I'll be interested to hear it, but I suspect this is just another publicity stunt from a Māori Party protest group.' But Kapa-Kingi said the lack of information around the Bill is itself a source of anxiety for Māori. 'If there's no information or little information then those voids are often filled by assumptions and we can make pretty valid or accurate assumptions in terms of the ACT Party's agenda given the policy directions and objectives that that Party has.' From Toitū te Tiriti's perspective the Regulatory Standards Bill seems like the 'more covert, but more aggressive version of the Treaty Principles Bill,' which was voted down at Second Reading, he said. Once the Bill is introduced to Parliament the Waitangi Tribunal loses its jurisdiction to examine it. 'This is the only time and the perfect time for us to be making a claim through the Tribunal and is also why the Tribunal has granted urgency, knowing that this is a small window and if we don't take the opportunity now to in a robust manner analyse this Bill and the effects that it's going to have on Te Tiriti o Waitangi and tangata whenua then we've basically lost our chance,' Kapa-Kingi said. The one-day hearing will take place on the 6th of June at the Waitangi Tribunal Offices in Wellington. The Regulatory Standards Bill is expected to be introduced to the House by the end of June under the government's quarterly action plan.
