CathNews New Zealand

The Catholic Worker Movement appreciates the opportunity to submit a response to the Local Government Bill (Electoral Legislation and Māori Wards and Māori Constituencies ) Amendment Bill.

We do so on behalf of the Catholic Worker Movement (Ōtautahi), a branch of a world-wide organisation of the same generic name.

Justice is built on love

We believe justice built on love to be the foundational essence of God and the teachings of Jesus. As Catholic Workers, our lives are dedicated to the poor by way of providing hospitality, advocacy and justice for them, giving them a voice whenever most needed.

Over recent decades considerable strides have been taken to address some of the structural discrimination enacted against Māori in the 184 years since colonisation and the signing of The Treaty of Waitangi, our founding document.

There is a long way still to go. It From a social justice and Gospel perspective, incremental steps continue to be essential.

Principles of justice contravened

We are very deeply disturbed by the current Bill before the House of Parliament which we believe contravenes basic principles of justice in that it will further marginalise minority groups, especially Māori.

Despite having a populist flavour, it contains content almost totally negative in relation to the place and state of Māori in Aotearoa, particularly in relation to guaranteeing their representation on decision-making bodies as a Treaty partner.

This Bill is deeply offensive by not having consulting Māori about its substance before it came to the House. This is yet another breach of the Treaty in which Article 2 guarantees Māori, as a Treaty Partner, the right to be represented and to participate in decision-making in good faith.

We can’t think of any other freely chosen partnership where one partner makes all the major decisions without consulting the other. Imagine how long a marriage would last if one partner in the contract always had the controlling decision on major matters!

The divorce courts would be working 24/7!

Iniquitous polls

The most iniquitous aspect of this Bill requires polls to be binding.

Polls make sense to Pākehā who in this country have the majority of votes all the time.

Māori decision-making has never revolved around polling members and going with the majority. That is simply not their way. It is a very Euro-centric way of doing things, guaranteeing a favourable result against minority views.

Here at the Catholic Worker where we have met weekly to pray and reflect for more than 30 years, we fail to see how the already existing options, Sections 19H and 191 of the Local Electoral Act 2001, cannot be utilised if need be, to set out options for reviews and further debate if that is what is sought.

The re-introduction of polls will do nothing to improve race relations in Aotearoa.

Rather it will stir up a hornets next of discriminatory behaviour, racism and social unrest and further inflame already somewhat tense social relations. This we can well do without.

Strong Māori representation essential

We need strong Māori representation around local council tables. Justice demands this. Too often we have not had this in the past and as pointed out earlier, failed to enflesh Article 2 of the Treaty of Waitangi.

This is a structural matter that cannot be addressed through polls and popular vote, where public media, including huge amounts of virulent social media commentary, are already tilted to negate minority outcomes.

With respect, we urge the Parliament and this Committee to attend to the matters raised and discard the offensive content.

• Submission made on behalf of the Catholic Worker Movement (Ōtautahi)

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