Describing the proposed Bill as "radical", former National Party minister Chris Finlayson and political commentator Matthew Hooten say the bills should not have the National-led Government's support.

Former  National Party attorney general and minister for Treaty negotiations under Sir John Key's leadership, Finlayson is firmly opposed to a referendum about the Treaty.

The ACT Party's Treaty referendum would "derail years of good faith bargaining and empower weirdos" he says.

"It will bring out of the woodwork the sort of people who used to write to me and say ‘why don't you get cancer?', ‘how dare you give property rights to people above their station' or, as sometimes even happens now, walking along Lambton Quay, someone will call me a ‘Maori-loving c***'."

Respected political commentator Matthew Hooton, who has ties to both ACT and National, agrees with Finlayson's concerns.

"The principles of the Treaty were put into legislation to the disadvantage of Maori because the risk was that if the Maori text was taken as authoritative, then the Crown would not be sovereign.

"You do not want to put the words ‘tino rangatiratanga' into statute" he says.

Catholic religious orders are concerned

Some members of the Catholic Church's Congregational Leaders Conference of Aotearoa New Zealand [CLCANZ] are also concerned.

The group, representing Catholic religious orders, is troubled by the current political discourse regarding the Coalition Government's policies about Maori language and the Treaty.

CLCANZ has issued a public statement saying:

"Te Tiriti o Waitangi was the foundational document of Aotearoa, with Bishop Pompallier present at the gathering.

"It had the flavour of a covenant, a sacred agreement.

"It was between the British Colonial Office then, and the Government today, and Maori.

"Any ongoing conversations today should involve members from both parties.

The religious leaders are alarmed by the rhetoric surrounding curbing Maori language and attempting to rewrite the principles of the Treaty and say it is not time to remain silent.

"This current coalition government appears to be continuing a litany of broken promises to Maori, the indigenous peoples of our country.

"We stand in protest at the attitude of the present coalition government in disestablishing the bicultural relationship between Maori and the Crown, and destroying many efforts made over significant years.

"We commit ourselves to learning more about our responsibilities living in a bicultural milieu," say the group of leaders.

The proposed Bill

The five principles the proposed Bill will consider include:

• Kawanatanga - the principle that the Government has the right to govern and make laws
• Rangatiratanga - the right of iwi to control the resources they own
• Equality - all New Zealanders are equal under the law
• Co-operation - there must be co-operation between the Government and iwi on big issues of common concern
• Redress - that the Government acts responsibly to provide a process to resolve Treaty grievances

ACT is committed to replacing and rewriting those principles.

Sources

• NZ Herald
• Otago Daily Times
• For further information CLCANZ statement, please contact the President, Fr Thomas Rouse, on 04 5677216 or by email

When asked by debate host, Paddy Gower whether charities should pay tax, Hipkins responded with a definite "yes", while Luxon said he was "open to it".

In August, there was speculation that the National Party plan would include closing tax loopholes for churches and charities to fund tax cuts for income earners and landlords.

However, Newstalk ZB reports that Churches and charities will continue to enjoy their tax-exempt status under National.

Leader of ACT, David Seymour did not take part in the Leader's Debate.

However, ACT's policy is that certain charitable companies enjoying tax-free status should pay tax.

"Britain amended this charitable tax loophole in the 1920s, and New Zealand is long overdue to do the same.

"Ngai Tahu businesses like Go Bus and Shotover Jet are tax-exempt due to the iwi's charitable status.

"Even church-owned businesses like Sanitarium or Mission Estate Winery are exempt from company tax due to an archaic and outdated British law classing advancement of religion as a charitable purpose.

"If it's really true that they give all their profits to their charitable side, then they won't pay any tax.

"But if some people suspect they are getting away without paying tax and not putting as much into charity as they should, that will level the playing field for other competitors," Seymour says in a press release.

In 2021, New Zealanders gave over $4 billion to the country's 28,000 registered charities.

The overall income they bring in is far higher than that - more than $21 billion, which is comparable to the value of the country's dairy exports.

Charities employ about 145,000 people and more than 200,000 of us volunteer for them.

Sources

• Newshub
• CathNews
• ACT

Labour, National and ACT all made similar announcements that they would overhaul the current visa system, while Labour also opened up the door for a one-off regularisation for Pacific and other migrants who have been in the country for more than a decade.

During the 2017 election, Labour promised to axe the number of migrants by 20,000 or 30,000 a year, and not long after the Parent Visa category was closed. Read more

The private member's bill came from small business spokesman Chris Baillee. It sought to give retailers more choice over whether they operate during the religious holiday.

Baillie said his bill would also look after workers by keeping existing employee protections in respect of Easter Sunday, and extend these protections to Good Friday.

Initially, the Labour-majority government indicated its members would treat the bill as a personal vote.

"We will be opposing the bill," Robertson said.

"I think there can be a few days in our calendar that focus on spending time with families and not putting pressure on people going out to work."

Other parties treated the proposal as a "conscience" issue, allowing politicians to make personal votes.

National Party leader Christopher Luxon said he supported the bill. He said it has strong support from the retail sector.

Currently retailers have to close on both Good Friday and Easter Sunday.

A bill needs a majority of the 120 MPs to pass. As Labour has a majority, only bills it supports can pass.

Parliament has had many similar debates about whether strict Easter trading rules should be relaxed.

In 2016 Parliament responded to the Easter trading law reform debate by giving councils the power to create a policy to allow shops to trade on Easter Sunday.

Source

• NZ Herald

The apparent media anxiety over Luxon's Christianity is incoherent; his four immediate predecessors Judith Collins, Todd Muller, Simon Bridges and Bill English all professed a form of Christian faith.

Then adding to the incoherence is that no point has the new deputy leader, Nicola Willis been challenged about her faith or lack of it, her values and what underpins them.

Luxon, whose political career is just a year old, is surprised people are interested in his religious views.

He says for him, his practice of the Christian religion is "a personal thing but it's got nothing to do with my politics."

After his leadership promotion earlier this week, Luxon said his faith was "often misrepresented and portrayed very negatively".

"My faith is actually something that has grounded me. It has given me context and put into context something bigger than myself.

"But I want to be very clear. We have a separation between politics and faith...

"People shouldn't be selecting a MP because of their faith.

"I am here to represent all New Zealanders, not just people of one faith or one interest."

He made a similar statement to the Herald last year when he said he wasn't "an ideologue who is trying to jam a view of Christianity out on my workforce as a CEO, or as a politician."

"I haven't led Air NZ or Unilever as a Christian CEO. I've led it as a CEO who just happens to be a Christian."

He reiterated that perspective in his maiden speech, saying "I believe no religion should dictate to the State, and no politician should use the political platform they have to force their beliefs on others."

Luxon describes himself as "pro-life"; he is anti-abortion and anti-euthanasia, however has ruled out changing abortion laws in New Zealand if he becomes Prime Minister.

His pro-life view are balanced out by his deputy, Nicola Willis, a Wellington liberal, Luxon says.

"I think the reality is there are New Zealanders who have those views, pro-life or pro-choice. We can hold different views and be respectful of each other as a consequence."

Abortion was removed from the Crimes Act in Parliament last year after a conscience vote found a majority of MPs was in favour of it.

The change means abortion services are now available to individuals not more than 20 weeks pregnant without a test.

Health practitioners can provide abortion services to someone over that threshold if they believe it is clinically appropriate and have consulted with another professional.

Luxon was one of 15 MPs to vote against the first reading of the bill prohibiting protesting in "safe areas" outside abortion clinics.

He was also against legalising cannabis.

Source

• NewsHub
• NZ Herald

On October 19, Housing Minister Megan Woods and National leader Judith Collins jointly declared their support for the Resource Management (Enabling Housing Supply and Other Matters) Amendment Bill.

This bill, they said, would allow "at least 48,200 and as many as 105,500 new homes" to be built in the next five to eight years. It was so important, they'd get it passed by Christmas.

A breakthrough housing accord: It was a rare example of bipartisan support, and for such a good cause, too.

An approving John Tookey, professor of construction management at AUT, marked the occasion by quoting Shakespeare: "Misery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows."

There was a man - Environment Minister David Parker, a principal architect of the bill - but it was mainly women at the podium that day.

Woods, Collins and National's Nicola Willis all looked very pleased with themselves.

The new law will eliminate the single housing zone in our larger cities and allow three homes of up to three storeys on almost any site, without the need for a resource consent. There will be no large-scale "character overlay" to limit development in older suburbs.

The bill will also cut other "red tape", making property development easier.

The New Zealand Initiative (NZI), a centre-right think tank, called it "a superb first step" while noting the need for better infrastructure financing "to truly unlock the potential" of the bill.

The Coalition for More Homes (CMH) said the bill was "a major step forward in allowing more housing to be built, in existing urban areas close to public transport, services and amenities".

CMH is a fairly broad church: NZI is a member, along with Generation Zero, Greater Auckland and social housing providers like Habitat for Humanity.

Te Waihanga, the Infrastructure Commission, called the news a "win-win".

"When we allow for greater density around existing infrastructure, we reduce the need for the extra roads that would be necessary if we were to continue regulating for low-density in our major cities."

The bill is touted as giving speedy effect to the 2020 National Policy Statement on Urban Development (NPS-UD), which puts a clear focus on density and integrated development, where housing, transport and other services are planned together.

The NPS-UD, in my view, for its capacity to make Aotearoa New Zealand a better country to live in, is quite possibly the most important policy to have come out of this government.

But by my reckoning, this new bill subverts the NPS-UD in at least nine ways.

Julie Stout, a leading architect, spokesperson for Urban Auckland and member of the Urban Design Forum (UDF), a coalition of design professionals, calls it "a slum enabling act". Continue reading

That has not satisfied the kind of people who go on twitter says Ryan Bridge in an opinion piece on Newshub.

"People are allowed to debate things, people are allowed to disagree and people are allowed to like things others don't," he says.

"But you wouldn't know it based on the persecution of religion that's going on at the moment."

"The "C-word" - the word unacceptable to the kind of people that go on Twitter and say he's homophobic, anti-women's rights and because he has a Trump hat, he's racist too."

"This is out of control and can I just say as a gay man I have no problem, no issues with somebody else not believing in homosexuality," Bridge said.

"So long as you don't spit hate, abuse me, or attack me, I couldn't give a stuff what you believe in."

"We live in a free society with freedom of thought but we've lost our way."

"In our pursuit of equality and ridding the world of discrimination, we have strayed into dangerous territory. Territory where views that may not align with ours are sidelined and shutdown."

Muller says while he voted against abortion and euthanasia, he wouldn't seek to impose his beliefs on anyone else.

He told Newshub Nation he would not be seeking to overturn the changes introduced by recently passed legislation.

I am a person who holds values that are faith-based, but I have never - and will never, ever - stand up and critique anybody else's personally-held values," Muller said.

"I never spoke on those issues when they came to the House because I did not believe that it was my job to stand up and talk to others who had a different view around their thinking."

"I think they will find me someone who is authentic and is completely comfortable with anybody's life choices and it doesn't in any way impact the value set that I have that sits inside me."

Source

• tvnz.co.nz
• newshub.co.nz
• newshub.co.nz
• nzherald.co.nz
• politik.co.nz
• thespinoff.co.nz
• Image: Nick Perry/AP

It also removes the legal test for the procedure up until 20 weeks.

The New Zealand Catholic Bishops are deeply disappointed with the abortion law changes.

"This Bill totally ignores the fact that there are always at least two human lives involved in every pregnancy," said a spokesperson for the NZ Catholic Bishops Conference, Ms Cynthia Piper.

Click here to read the full statement.

The abortion law change cut across some of the lines that usually divide the Labour Party and the National Party.

Justice Minister Andrew Little said the issue was "tempered with very deeply held views with great passions" and that the public and members on all sides of the House, some he considered friends, had very entrenched views.

Retiring National MP, Amy Adams said of those who were voting against the Bill: "their views are their own."

Adams noted that throughout the debate on the abortion law change some people in the House, particularly those supporting the Bill, said they respected "the rights, and the views of everyone in this house and their views in the debate are all valid."

"Interestingly enough, I haven't heard that much of those views expressed by the voice of those opposing this legislation," she said.

"And I find it somewhat staggering that those who preach freedom of expression and religious tolerance the most are the least tolerant of those who are supporting this legislation."

"And yet we run the risk of allowing a very vocal minority, largely, in my view, directed by the religious leaders across New Zealand, although I accept that may not be true for all, to derail important legislative reform," she said.

National MPs who voted against the Bill
Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi, Maggie Barry, Andrew Bayly, Simon Bridges, Simeon Brown, Gerry Brownlee, Jacqui Dean, Sarah Dowie, Paulo Garcia, Paul Goldsmith, Nathan Guy, Joanne Hayes, Harete Hipango, Matt King, Denise Lee, Melissa Lee, Agnes Loheni, Tim Macindoe, Todd McClay, Ian McKelvie, Todd Muller, Alfred Ngaro, Simon O'Connor, Parmjeet Parmar, Christopher Penk, Maureen Pugh, Shane Reti, Alastair Scott, Nick Smith, Louise Upston, Tim van den Molen, Hamish Walker, Michael Woodhouse, Jonathan Young, Lawrence Yule (35)

Labour MPs who voted against the Bill.
Damien O'Connor, Greg O'Connor, Anahila Kanongata'a-Suisuiki, Nanaia Mahuta, Adrian Rurawhe, Jenny Salesa, Jamie Strange, Rino Tirikatene, Meka Whaitiri (9)

NZ First MPs who voted against the Bill
Darroch Ball, Shane Jones, Ron Mark, Clayton Mitchell, Mark Patterson, Winston Peters, Fletcher Tabuteau (7 MPs)

• nzherald.co.nz
• stuff.co.nz
• nytimes.com
• politik.co.nz
• familyfirst.org.nz
• Image: politik.co.nz

The prayer agenda, a confidential document, is distributed world-wide.

The actual words in the prayer agenda are for the "right Government which maintains Christian principles" to win the New Zealand election on September 23.

Contrary to the implication in Stuff's headline, the prayer request makes no mention of Bill English. Read More

The meeting, with Pacific church leaders at the Samoan Independent Seventh Day Adventist Church in Mangere, was also a platform to promote National's candidate for Mangere, Misa Fia Turner.

Key says there had been a shift in support in the Labour stronghold of South Auckland.

"I can't think of a time when I've been the leader of the National Party when we would have had so many people in Mangere turn up for a National Party meeting."

"I think it just sends a very strong message that there are changes afoot in voting patterns for Pacific New Zealanders." Key said.

Key concedes National is still the Pacific underdog, but believes come September they will secure more votes from south Auckland than ever before

Gay marriage is considered to be one of the main reasons for the change.

"The values, that's important to us because that's really against our moral values ," says Misa-Fia Turner.

National's Pacific Island Affairs Minister and Maungakiekie MP Sam Lotu-Iiga admitted that unseating incumbent Mangere MP, Labour's Su'a William Sio, would be a tough ask.

I wouldn't get overly optimistic about it," Lotu-Iiga said.

Labour leader David Cunliffe insists he is still living the Pacific dream.

"We have had a wonderful day here in Manurewa," he says.

He says the turnout at his meeting in south Auckland last night proves that.
"It's great. We are having an amazing turn out, record numbers."

Source

• The New Zealand Herald
• 3News
• Image: 3News

Right to Life said the potential selection of medical practitioner Rosemary Fenwicke as a candidate in Wellington Central "would have serious consequences for the National Party at the forthcoming election".

Dr Fenwicke has been a member of the Family Planning Association and has worked as a certified consultant and operating surgeon.

She refused to confirm whether she was seeking the nomination for the Wellington Central seat and said Right to Life's comments were "very premature".

National's electorate chair Richard Westlake said nominations for the position were not yet closed and he could not comment.

Right to Life spokesman Ken Orr said: "The National Party would be most unwise to nominate Dr Fenwicke for the Wellington Central electorate or any other electorate, or even for a place on the National Party list. Continue reading

"It's like a lot of young men who go through it - it eventually didn't feel like the right fit for me and I felt I could probably use some of the skills I had in a wider context, in this case outside the priesthood, so went pretty quickly into politics to make a difference that way."

Qualities developed in his training - honesty, integrity, discipline, respect for others - were assets for a political career, he said.