Pacific Islanders and Maori hit back at PM’s speech

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Pacific Islander and Maori local politicians have expressed concerns about the tone and content of Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s speech at Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) on Wednesday afternoon.

this Prime Minister The clear message was that his expectation from Parliament was for them to focus on must-haves, not nice-to-haves, in keeping with his own government’s approach.

“Taxpayers are tired of these fluffs and policies that don’t deliver. So my challenge to you is to rein in the fantasies and get back to doing the basic job well.”

Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau said she thought the Prime Minister’s speech was “quite shocking actually”.

“I think that was the tone of the crowd. It was clear that he was running our country like a business, but we are not a business. We are a community with people-related needs.

“We are not KPIs, that’s essentially what we say. It’s all about money and results. You can still do that, but if you don’t prioritize culture and environment and all the things that sustain us, then it’s very dangerous.”

Whanau added that Luxon’s approach would actually take parliament “backwards”.

“So with the break-up of Māori electorates, the introduction of the Treaty Principles Act and now the disappearance of Māori culture, I’m really concerned.”

Far North Mayor Moko Tepania said this was not surprising as it was in line with the government’s rhetoric about cuts across its departments and agencies.

“It’s a bit frustrating to be honest. This is the first time our Prime Minister has attended a local government conference as Prime Minister. So I would have thought it would be a platform for us to have a really positive and constructive relationship with the sector.

“Today fell a bit flat for me because you feel like you’re being yelled at by someone who says we’re all a bit useless and he’s going to get us school report cards to make sure we’re doing better. It’s a bit of a middle finger to the local government sector, man, if you actually become part of the sector or get involved you’ll see fantastic community outcomes and amazing examples in every damn council in the country. So I’m a bit frustrated but I’m not surprised either.”

Also in attendance was Lesa Bingley, vice chair of the community board, who said it was the first time she had heard him speak publicly.

The Samoan-Tokelauan called Luxon’s speech “disappointing” and said others in the room felt the same way.

“It was pretty stinging, if I may say so. I say that because I know there are people in these local government units who are working very, very hard to help our communities live decent lives. Everybody has a basic sense of living and a sense of self-respect and pride in themselves and where they live, and that’s why what he said was disappointing to me.”

Whakatane District Councillor Toni Boynton responded to Luxon’s comments about burst water pipes, which is actually something that councils are working to address.

“We all know that there are problems with the funding model and we also know that local governments have offered solutions in partnership with central government. I think one of the things he said is that we can collaborate and we must collaborate, which is a good thing. But many of these things, we have discussed one by one.”

Boynton added that they have been working hard to go through everything line by line, and the changes Luxon is making will have an impact on all jobs.

“We just put in place a long-term plan. We just signed off on a long-term plan for the next 10 years. So if these changes affect all of those jobs, we’ll do it line by line, you know.”

South Waikato MP Josiah Teokotai, who is of Maori and Cook Island descent, said the “prime minister’s announcement today certainly came as an unexpected surprise to us all.”

“At the moment, the way the government is looking at it, all the Pacific government agencies don’t seem to be a priority for this government at the moment. It’s kind of throwing us off because, you know, we don’t really know what’s going on.”

“Sometimes we need to review things. I think for us in South Waikato we just need to be cautious and keep moving forward.”

Kayla Christiansen, who is of Maori and Tongan descent, works with Te Tatau o Te Arawa, the iwi partner of the Rotorua Lakes District Council.

“We ensure the people’s voices and views are implemented in the council’s plans, policies and processes.”

When asked about the Prime Minister’s speech to LGNZ, Christiansen gave a more blunt summary.

“I think we can always take an approach that is kind and respectful to mana whenua and the people in the room, but I don’t think that happened today.”

LDR is a local news organisation jointly funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.