Amy Brooke
Amy is a Nelson writer, commentator and critic.
New Zealanders are being fobbed off by ministers who lack personal accountability for the portfolios they preside over.
Although Simeon Brown has taken promising action in some areas, he is also apparently committed to preserve the interest of bureaucracies, rather than doing what he was elected to do – represent the interests of New Zealanders at large. He’s not the only one.
Chris Bishop seems to have no control over the unnecessary and extravagant spending of the NZTA on a proliferation of unnecessary road signs, including Share the Road, Slippery When Wet (on parts of roads neither more nor less slippery than any others when wet), depictions of cyclists or children walking and even pictures of a cow located near paddocks that have horses in them. More signs now unnecessarily say School Bus Route, while others indicate obvious side roads that have always been there or indicate turn-offs into properties. This ever-increasing proliferation of signs increases risks not to mention visual pollution.
Then there’s the signs that used to say school replaced with signs saying kura. Each of these unnecessary signs costs money. The millions of dollars spent unnecessarily in this cash-strapped country is money wasted. If the NZTA budget has money to spare, it should go towards useful projects like filling in potholes and improving the roads where accidents frequently occur. So why is Bishop allowing this wastage? Does he have no control over his portfolio?
Many New Zealanders may have initially thought well of Simeon Brown who, when appointed minister of the NZTA, in line with the coalition Government’s pledge to restore English names to departments and institutions, immediately removed the ridiculous name of Waka Kotahi. He was about the only one who did. On at least two other important issues, Brown has been a disappointment, both as minister of health and minister of state-owned enterprises.
I brought to his attention that to even get a job as a porter or cleaner at Nelson Hospital racist demands were being made.
To work as a cleaner or orderly at Nelson Hospital the required commitments needed include:
– Remains focused on the pursuit of Māori health gain as well as achieving equitable health outcomes for Māori.
– Supports tangata whenua and mana whenua-led change to deliver mana motuhake and Māori self-determination in the design, delivery and monitoring of health care.
– Actively supports kaimahi Māori by improving attraction, recruitment, retention, development and leadership.
– Works with peers in Hauora Māori Service and Pacific Health Business Unit to ensure the voice of and direct aspirations of Māori and Pacific People are reflected in planning and delivery of services.
– The health system will reinforce Te Tiriti principles and obligations.
– Te Mauri o Rongo consists of four pou (pillars) within it, including: Wairuatanga – working with heart, the strong sense of purpose and commitment to service that health workers bring to their mahi. Rangatiratanga – as organisations we support our people to lead. (...)
All this is to get a job as a porter at a local hospital.
These requirements are deeply divisive, overwhelmingly racist and totally unnecessary. I emailed Minister of Health Simeon Brown. I also asked for a reply to my email – which, you know, now very rarely occurs. Accordingly, I copied in the leaders of all political parties and some senior media and political commentators. Perhaps this was the reason I got a reply.
An answer from Brown’s office, unsigned, thanked me on behalf of the minister and said, “The minister has noted your correspondence and has asked Health NZ to respond to you directly about the issues you have raised. Please be assured that you will receive a formal response in due course.”
This is simply passing the buck. Apart from the fact that “in due course” is meaningless and could mean anything from several months to a year or more (or never), it is not up to Health New Zealand to respond to me, but to Simeon Brown. This is an issue between the minister and Health New Zealand and it is Simeon Brown who should be investigating this issue on our behalf. I pointed this out and said I would wait.
There are some areas where Brown has achieved real reforms, including his reminder that professions such as the Medical Council and others should not be pursuing ideological agendas and compelling members to agree to them, but should focus on their core responsibilities.
That Brown supports Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, while attacking National’s coalition partners, is not a good sign. Brown must know that Luxon, for good reason, is not well regarded by the electorate and may well cost the coalition the next election.
Given Labour's performance under Jacinda Ardern and Chris Hipkins, with its extravagant spending that was well on the way to finally crippling the country, and its promotion of racial divisiveness, it is extraordinary that National is not well ahead of Labour in the polls so close to the next election. Luxon is a major part of the reason for this.
Our politicians are indeed a mixed bag and Simeon Brown is by no means the only minister to let down those asking for help. It is little wonder that levels of trust in our politicians are so low that one increasingly hears New Zealanders saying they don’t want to vote for any of them.
