Thursday, 08 December 2022 10:55

Editorial: Where's the Māori caucus?

Written by  Staff Reporters
Charlotte Severne Charlotte Severne

OPINION: Of all the submissions that Rural News has seen from the primary sector on the Government’s response to agricultural emissions proposal, none is so profound and damaging to Labour than that of the Māori Trustee and chief executive of Te Tumu Paeroa, Charlotte Severne.

It’s obvious to anyone with an atom of knowledge of the primary sector that the Government response would disproportionally affect Māori farming. However, the politicians and officials, who it seems seldom get beyond the outer suburbs of Wellington, didn’t see this coming.

In her hard hitting submission, Severne starts off by saying she has “grave concerns about the Government emissions pricing policy and it will disproportionately disadvantage Māori”. She rightly expresses her concern about “the impact on rural communities where Māori are often over represented”. She is bang on and this has already been echoed by Federated Farmers and the Wairoa District Council.

The killer blow for the Government comes when Severne says:

“The proposal seems designed from a western point of view and doesn’t recognise the cultural value that Māori place on land, in addition to economic value. There is also concern that the measures seem more directed at large, economically-strong farming operations, not those over-represented in the classes of land where Whenua Māori is located”.

So where does that leave Labour and the Greens who believe that they are the great friend and supporter of Māori? It seems in the case of He Waka Eke Noa, its environmental ideologues have ditched Māori – and all farmers – in a quest for some puritanical emissions stance.

Which begs the question: where the hell is the supposed ‘all-powerful’ Māori caucus? We have not heard a peep out of them on this issue. Have they lost their vocal chords or are they happy to acquiesce to Jacinda, Damien and James?

Severne is to be congratulated for her honesty and courage in speaking out and giving a voice to Māori and rural communities.

Labour’s Māori caucus and others in government should buy themselves a mirror as a Christmas present.

More like this

Editorial: Making wool great again

OPINION: Otago farmer and NZ First MP Mark Patterson is humble about the role that he’s played in mandating government agencies to use wool wherever possible in new and refurbished buildings.

Editorial: Getting the RMA overhaul right

OPINION: Making it easier to get things done while protecting the environment - that's the Government's promise when it comes to the overhaul of the problematic Resource Management Act (RMA).

Editorial: Major Challenges Facing the Wine Industry

OPINION: New Zealand’s wine industry is facing “significant challenges”, writes New Zealand Winegrowers Board Chair Fabian Yukich this month, reflecting on rising costs and eroding profitability, while sluggish domestic and export sales are holding up the movement of wine.

Editorial: Drought dilemma

OPINION: As of last Thursday, five regions – Taranaki, Northland, Waikato, Horizons and Marlborough-Tasman – had been declared medium-scale adverse events.

Featured

Farmers urged not to be complacent about TB

New Zealand's TBfree programme has made great progress in reducing the impact of the disease on livestock herds, but there’s still a long way to go, according to Beef+Lamb NZ.

Editorial: Making wool great again

OPINION: Otago farmer and NZ First MP Mark Patterson is humble about the role that he’s played in mandating government agencies to use wool wherever possible in new and refurbished buildings.

National

Machinery & Products

Farmer-led group buys Novag

While the name and technology remain unchanged and new machines will continue to carry the Novag name, all the assets,…

Buhler name to go

Shareholders at a special meeting have approved a proposed deal that will see Buhler Industries, the publicly traded Versatile and…

» Latest Print Issues Online

The Hound

Make it 1000%!

OPINION: The appendage swinging contest between the US and China continues, with China hitting back with a new rate of…

Own goal

OPINION: The irony of President Trump’s tariff obsession is that the worst damage may be done to his own people.

» Connect with Rural News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter