Summarised by Centrist
A new draft Code of Conduct for councils is sparking criticism, with Pee Kay at No Minister warning it amounts to a Trojan horse for race-based privilege.
The draft, prepared by the Local Government Commission, incorporates Treaty “principles” such as tino rangatiratanga, partnership, equity, active protection and options.
The three commissioners behind the draft, Brendan Duffy, Bonita Bingham, and Sue Bidrose, are unelected officials with sign-off power. Pee Kay argues their proposals could reshape how local democracy operates.
Kay links the section on tino rangatiratanga directly to sovereignty activism:
“Tino rangatiratanga translates literally as absolute sovereignty or self-determination. And Māori sovereignty activists’ unabashed goal is Māori Sovereignty by 2040! Māori Sovereignty meaning absolute sovereignty, self-determination, a separate parliament and autonomy for Māori people over their own lives!”
“Partnership” is seen as creating a separate pathway for Māori into council decision-making, while equity is described as a device to push outcomes based on ethnicity rather than equal rights.
“Equity is being used by Māori Sovereignty proponents to obtain an advantage in order to further advance towards their Sovereignty goal. Equality of rights is a regime of individual liberty while equality of results requires regulation and regimentation and thus the suppression of certain liberties.”
The draft also calls for councils to provide services in ways that support “te ao Māori.” Kay warns this will fuel consultancy costs while imposing extra obligations on ratepayers.
