The Government knows that its divisive co-governance agenda is electoral poison. Part of the reason why Jacinda Ardern had to go was her inability to rein in ministers and sack troublesome people. Chris Hipkins has moved with alacrity to disabuse us all that he is just like Jacinda Ardern. That’s why Rob Campbell has been sacked from two board positions. It’s pure politics.
Hipkins needed to draw a line in the sand and start walking back co-governance. Rob Campbell provided them with a scapegoat to send a message to stroppy Maori, the electorate and civil servants, that “kindness” is over, and so is co-governance.
Rob Campbell had to go because he was seen as a vocal supporter of advancing the co-governance issue. Furthermore, Campbell himself has confirmed that this is the underlying rationale for his sacking.
Axed Te Whatu Ora and EPA chairman Rob Campbell says ministers “targeted” him and wanted him gone because he stood up for co-governance.
Just moments after he was sacked from his second public service role, as chairperson of the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA), Campbell hit back at the Government and said it appeared ministers had been waiting for an excuse to fire him.
“Ministers had warned me not to go ‘too far’, as they see it, but I believe we haven’t moved fast enough to give resources and prominence to Te Aka Whai Ora [the Maori Health Authority],” Campbell said.
However, Health Minister Ayesha Verrall said she was “deeply committed” to the Maori Health Authority’s success. “The Government created Te Aka Whai Ora because of our commitment to Maori participation at the highest level of health decision making.”
Campbell was sacked from both jobs after publicly criticising the National Party’s policy on Three Waters. He described the policy, in a post on LinkedIn, as a “thinly disguised dog whistle on co-governance”.
Stuff
David Parker, himself a vocal critic of the divisive push for co-governance, was one of the ministers who sacked Campbell from the EPA. That is the second important signal that the Government is intent on walking back co-governance in order to give them a better chance at the election.
As I said earlier, this is pure politics on the Government’s part. They needed to neuter the Maori caucus and their racist ambitions, and this was how they decided to signal that.
Buckle up though, this is going to get bumpy and we could see some stroppy Maori cut loose along with Rob Campbell getting stroppy himself.
Meanwhile, the Government has stolen a march on Luxon’s flat-footed opposition and grabbed some vital momentum.
Happy days ahead.
Help Fund Our NewsDesk
We are building a NewsDesk, hiring journalists and taking the fight to the mainstream media. Will you help fund our NewsDesk?
- For security reasons, credit card donations require Javascript. Please enable Javascript in your browser before continuing.
Your Donation
Your Recurring Donation
Donation Period *
Your One-Time Donation
Details First Name * Last Name * Email * Address Address 2 City State Postcode Country Afghanistan Åland Islands Albania Algeria Andorra Angola Anguilla Antarctica Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Aruba Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belau Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia Bonaire, Saint Eustatius and Saba Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Bouvet Island Brazil British Indian Ocean Territory British Virgin Islands Brunei Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cape Verde Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad Chile China Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia Comoros Congo (Brazzaville) Congo (Kinshasa) Cook Islands Costa Rica Croatia Cuba CuraÇao Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Eswatini Ethiopia Falkland Islands Faroe Islands Fiji Finland France French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Gibraltar Greece Greenland Grenada Guadeloupe Guatemala Guernsey Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Heard Island and McDonald Islands Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Republic of Ireland Isle of Man Israel Italy Ivory Coast Jamaica Japan Jersey Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macau Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Mexico Micronesia Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Montserrat Morocco Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands Netherlands Antilles New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Niue Norfolk Island North Korea North Macedonia Norway Oman Pakistan Palestinian Territories Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Pitcairn Poland Portugal Qatar Reunion Romania Russia Rwanda Saint Barthélemy Saint Helena Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Martin (French part) Saint Martin (Dutch part) Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saint Vincent and the Grenadines San Marino São Tomé and Príncipe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Georgia/Sandwich Islands South Korea South Sudan Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Svalbard and Jan Mayen Sweden Switzerland Syria Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Timor-Leste Togo Tokelau Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom (UK) United States (US) Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Vatican Venezuela Vietnam Wallis and Futuna Western Sahara Western Samoa Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe Phone Number Payment Name on Card * .StripeElement { border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 1em; } #charitable_stripe_card_errors { color: #eb1c26; font-size: .8em; margin: .5em 0 0 0; } Credit/Debit Card Donate
Please share this article so others can discover The BFD.