My Politics

Well now what are my politics? New Zealand, One country - one people. Sometimes I thing that this country of ours has gone P.C. mad. I have a few points that I feel strongly about. Bear in mind that these views are not necessarily held by my family, I am not highly educated in the specific areas of New Zealand History or Politics. The Waitangi issue where it seems that the taxpayer pay huge amounts of compensation to the Maori for 'crimes' committed as retaliatory war actions by the British government over 150 years ago. It's not that I don't want the Maori people to get a fair deal or, Maori folk to get ahead but the huge payments made to Iwi to date seem only to benefit a very small number of charlatans. It does not seem to be about justice and compensation any more, just the greed of a few people. I feel that the Maori people, every Iwi, need their grievances address ONE LAST TIME so that New Zealand can look to the future and not its past. I believe that each and every Iwi need to then take responsibility for the actions of the people administrating their wealth. I am not racist! I hate bigoted people. Racism though is Maori-only seats in parliament and lower tax rates for Maori. (Although seeing how much confidence it gave the Maori people to be able to control their future by having a Maori Party in Parliament makes me re-think this statement.) "You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift. You cannot help small men by tearing down big men. You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong. You cannot lift the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer. You cannot help the poor man by destroying the rich. You cannot keep out of trouble by spending more than your income. You cannot further the brotherhood of men by inciting class hatred. You cannot establish security on borrowed money. You cannot build character and courage by taking away man's initiative and independence. You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they could and should do for themselves." Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) Waitangi Day - why do we celebrate a day in history that is infamous for it's inaccuracy's. The Waitangi document was flawed because it was not translated accurately. New Zealand's Independence Day was on the 25th November 1947 when legislation was passed that granted New Zealand its independence. New Zealand Day should be celebrated on November 25th each year. "Maybe it's also time to take a fresh look at our national day. As Waitangi Day is again gearing up to be another day of protest and trouble, is it appropriate to consider celebrating the anniversary of New Zealand becoming a fully independent nation - the 25th of November 1947, the day the Statute of Westminster Adoption Act was passed - rather than the 6th of February 1840, the day Aotearoa ceded sovereignty to Britain to become ruled by the Governor of New South Wales?" Dr Muriel Newman’s - ACT MP in her Weekly Political Commentary publication 17th January 2003. Think what you like about Winston Peters, but the man who is surely the country's most determined political nationalist neatly summed up a national phenomenon in a speech this time last year. "Each year we have an annual tension," the New Zealand First leader told the audience. "For about six weeks before February 6 we wonder: what fun and games will we witness this year... What national embarrassment will there be on Waitangi Day?" And he offered this observation: "New Zealand must be the only country where most of its inhabitants dread their national day. That is sad, and it's a sign of an immature country that still has much to learn and is still in search of its own identity." Excert taken from The Press, Saturday & Sunday, February 1 - 2, 2003. Politicians don't seem to listen to the people. Two referendums taken in 2002 that received over a 90% result were completely ignore by the government. Less politicians in parliament and stricter punishment for violent offenders. It's for the politicians to work for the people again rather than their own interests. Referendums are a tool that the Government should use to gauge public interest and ALWAYS act upon the results. More referendums should taken to gauge what the public want, the results should be acted upon. "To have an effective democracy we need to re-engage citizens to participate in the decisions that effect their lives." Caroline Bouvier Kennedy - JFK's daughter, (1957- ) New Zealand Day The first meeting of the New Zealand Parliament took place in Auckland on 24 May 1854. Its almost 100 years since New Zealand became a Dominion in 1907. Its 150 years since New Zealand achieved Parliamentary Government in 1854, an event we can celebrate in July 2004 as one of the world's oldest parliamentary democracies. Since Canada was the first and archetypical self-governing unit of the Empire (apart from New Zealand, which had had self-government since 1852. The European settlers of New Zealand were granted responsible self-government in 1853. For instance, New Zealand-built ships could not be entered in British shipping registers - in 1829, it was decided that two New Zealand-built ships were stateless. Busby thought to solve the problem by "recognising" a pre-existing nation state. He and some Waitangi chiefs invented a flag in 1834 to furnish the legal form. The year following, 1835, Busby hoisted the flag fiction further by encouraging the creation of a body called the United Tribes of New Zealand. Here was Busby trying again to establish a credible sovereign body, complete with regular assemblies, which could and would make formal decisions. Acquiring sovereignty became the goal of England's representatives. The acceptability of British title would be enhanced if this acquisition was well managed. As we know, 155 years later, its management was slipshod. Waitangi was a ridiculously hurried affair. The drafting of the Treaty itself was semi-improvised. The standard of translation was dreadful. There is no agreeably clear way of distinguishing between what was said and what was meant. Prime Ministers of New Zealand