The Premium Debate: What's fuelling the backlash to co-governance?

Readers debate reasons for opposition to co-governance aspects of the Government's Three Waters and health reforms. Photo / Mark Mitchell

The introduction of co-governance as part of the Three Waters reform and the establishment of a national Māori Health Authority seems to have created a noticeable racial backlash, whether it's due to opposition to co-governance or, at its worst, expressed as racism. Social Link general manager Liz Davies wrote about what she believed may be fuelling the backlash, including the rising prominence of te ao Māori.

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Read the full opinion column: Liz Davies: What is fuelling the racial backlash to co-governance?

I am unashamedly opposed to any form of co-governance. New Zealand is a multicultural democracy and current proposals regarding governance are the antithesis of that fact. I am not opposed to te reo, but do not believe the current mixing of languages assists the education of our young people. It saddens me that we, as a country, are having things forced upon us without any mandate or reasoned discussion.
Patrick F

As a Māori myself, I am ashamed of how this country has become. There is no mana in handouts. Genuine handouts, yes. It will be interesting if anyone calls me racist for promoting equality where everyone should be treated as equal.
Neil L

We weren't asked. That's the explanation. We don't like having stuff imposed on us that wasn't campaigned on. There are very few if any racists in NZ.
John E

In reply to John E: Where do you live? How you can possibly have your head so deep in the ground that you can't see racism? Do you ever read any of the stats put out regarding inequality in this country? There's no point in even trying to get someone like you to see the reality of racism in this country. Truly sad to not even acknowledge it.
Steve M

To my mind much of the backlash against co-governance is that it appears to fly in the face of one person one vote - everyone is equal. There is a perception, fuelled by the Government, that Māori will be given more say than would normally be appropriate for their proportion of the population. If someone could clarify that perception, if someone can explain clearly what the actual situation is, many people would be grateful. But, at the moment, the mere question draws bellows of "racist" and other slurs. The actual response needed is a coherent explanation of the actualities of co-governance.
John K

"What is fuelling the racial backlash to co-governance?" It's the generation of my age and older. My kids fully embrace and accept Māori culture, it's a part of their very conservative school and their lives. It's completely normal. There is no way, when these younger generations grow up in 10 or 20 years' time, that anyone is going to complain about people speaking in te reo or any embracing of Māori. But for those who grew up in the 1960s, 1950s, 1940s, Māori were seen and not heard. In my view, the people complaining just don't like the change. It is also worth pointing out that National started many co-governance relationships with Māori. This reaction is just ignorance and fear.
Ross W

Thank you, Liz, you have exactly captured what I think. I am proud that New Zealand is trying to do the right thing for its citizens who are disadvantaged by colonisation. Of course there will be critics, as the other comments demonstrate, but I think we can achieve fairness if we proceed steadily forward with compassion and goodwill.
Margaret M

I'm all for Three Waters co-governance - and I'm all for promoting Māoridom, especially the promotion of te reo. I believe te reo should be compulsorily taught in school. Quite frankly, I don't care about arguments over te reo's contribution to markets, trade, sales etc, because that's not the only reason to learn a language. I don't hear parents and teachers say "you have to learn English so you can make money". But I do hear them give a whole bunch of reasons on the importance of learning English, including just to be able to communicate with each other.
Learning te reo would help evolve a unique NZ society-wide culture based around its own native language. Other societies with native languages have a heightened sense of identity, a stronger glue holding them together, and a sense of ethnicity to go with it. We'd have that too. And the term 'Pakeha' would become an ethnicity, in the same way as Māori, the Finns, Swedes and Icelanders feel about themselves.
Timothy T

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