Luxon as a new Prime Minister is still finding his way around foreign policy. There is no such tiptoeing from Peters, now in this third stint as Foreign Minister. He is sure-footed.
The Government has moved quickly to repeal Fair Pay Agreements, which effectively set up something similar to an old award system for the low-paid, and it will move to reintroduce 90-day trials to all businesses. Labour introduced Fair Pay Agreements only last term after New Zealand First blocked them in its first term.
More backlash over Māori policies
But it is the response to the coalition Government’s Māori policy agenda that continues to feature large, including a claim to the Waitangi Tribunal that its actions regarding te reo Māori are a breach of the Treaty of Waitangi. The coalition wants most Government departments to put their English names first.
Labour MP Grant Robertson spoke about it last week in the Address-in Reply debate. “How is it that we have found ourselves as a country where we’re discussing te reo Māori as if it’s a bad thing? Put yourself in the shoes of a young Māori person who’s hearing on the news that it’s a bad thing that a Government department has a Māori name. What do you think that young person takes away from that?”
Having written a lot about the concerns regarding the coalition’s plans for a bill on the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi, I thought it was time to talk to Act leader David Seymour about some of the details he has planned (see the story below). He sees the benefit in delaying debate about whether his proposed law should be put to a referendum in order to focus the debate on the principles themselves.
What fascinated me most was Seymour distilling the debate over the principle of partnership as one between collectivism versus the rights of the individual, and his clear view that one was bad and one was good.
Quote unquote
“What a load of rubbish” - Prime Minister Christopher Luxon reacts to claims by Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson that his Government hated workers.
Micro quiz
Can you name Nicola Willis’ three Associate Ministers of Finance? (Answer below.)
Brickbat
Goes to First Union general secretary Dennis Maga for this week regurgitating the barb he used two weeks ago against Act’s Brooke van Velden when she was appointed a minister: “Putting an extreme libertarian Act minister in charge of workplace relations and safety is like putting a vampire in charge of the country’s emergency blood supply.”
Bouquet
To the Herald’s head of data journalism, Chris Knox, who found that data entry errors by Auckland Council meant it was overcharging Kāinga Ora nearly half a million dollars in rates on three South Auckland properties. A refund is planned. It follows his work finding vote-counting errors in the Election Commission’s work at the election. Take a bow Chris.
Latest political news and views
PM for a day: Winston Peters is once again acting Prime Minister as Christopher Luxon travels to Australia for his daughter’s graduation.
Polls: Support for Christopher Luxon has fallen in the first poll since he took office, dropping three points as preferred prime minister to 30 per cent.
Treaty bill: Act leader David Seymour says debate about a referendum on the Treaty of Waitangi principles bill could be deferred until later in the legislative process.
Māori policy: Tauranga-based iwi Ngai Te Rangi has made an urgent claim to the Waitangi Tribunal over the Government’s Māori language policies.
Te Papa arrests: Twelve people have been arrested after a protester abseiled from the roof of Te Papa and defaced its Treaty of Waitangi exhibition.
Opinion: The coalition Government seems determined to start a culture war over te reo Māori, writes Simon Wilson.
Beach barrier: Ngāti Kahungunu leader Bayden Barber has blocked vehicle access to a popular beach east of Hastings.
Workplace law: Fair Pay Agreements will be repealed by Christmas, while the use of 90-day trials will be extended, the Government has confirmed.
India trade deal: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is bullish on the prospect of a trade deal with India - despite India’s misgivings.
Climate policy: Greenpeace has erected a billboard near Parliament labelling the coalition Government “climate extremists” over oil and gas exploration.
A chat with Chippy: As Chris Hipkins adjusts from life as Prime Minister to plain Labour leader, he sits down with Audrey Young to talk about the transition.
Covid: The era of free universal Covid vaccinations may end next winter, with new Health Minister Shane Reti refusing to say whether it will continue to fund the jab.
Leaks: The new Government has been rocked by the leaking of another confidential paper to the Herald - the second to spill in just five days.
Waka Kotahi: Paul Reynolds, the former chairman of Waka Kotahi / NZ Transport Agency, has resigned from the board.
Quiz answer: Chris Bishop (National), David Seymour (Act), and Shane Jones (NZ First).
Audrey Young is the New Zealand Herald’s senior political correspondent. She was named Political Journalist of the Year at the Voyager Media Awards in 2023, 2020 and 2018.
For more political news and views, listen to On the Tiles, the Herald’s politics podcast.
