Category: Politics

Source: Radio New Zealand

The Council of Trade Unions (CTU) says keeping unions and the public in the dark on the India-New Zealand Free Trade agreement means the deal risks enshrining exploitative labour conditions.

The deal will be formally signed on Monday night in New Delhi, with the full text expected to be made public on Tuesday.

CTU president Sandra Gray said there had been a complete lack of consultation with unions and the public.

A deal of this size warranted a tripartite approach from unions, business and government, she said.

“In this case, we have seen absolutely nothing. It’s being signed without unions even seeing the text, let alone contributing to the conversation.”

The Labour Party – whose support the government required to get the agreement through parliament – agreed to back the deal just days ago.

Asked if that was premature, given the CTU’s concerns about the deal’s contents, Gray reiterated the importance of including international labour standards in the agreement.

“I think we get very wound up in this idea that larger governments are going to walk away from free trade agreements with us if we don’t just get in and sign on the dotted line. I think we need to hold on to our sovereignty and say New Zealand needs to make sure it is acting ethically and rightly when it comes to workers’ rights.

“We’ve been really, really strong defenders of international law for decades and decades. We should not give up on that, and we should make sure that we use proper scrutiny of anything we sign and that includes unions being at the table.”

The organisation accepted the need for free trade agreements, but wanted confirmation international labour agreements were being adhered to, Gray said.

“My fear around this trade agreement because unions have not been involved is that we’re going to end up buying products and exchanging goods and doing free trade with really, really hostile work environments in India that really exploit workers.

“We don’t know, because we haven’t seen the agreement, but why are they hiding it from the public? Why are they hiding it from unions if it’s a good, fair trade agreement?”

The Maritime Services Union (MSU) last week called on the government to hold off signing the deal until it publicly released the text.

National Secretary Carl Findlay said the government’s secretive approach was an insult to workers.

He also raised concerns about 5000 temporary skilled work visas included in the deal, given high unemployment and infrastructure and housing deficits.

Sandra Gray said the CTU was less concerned about the temporary work visas than secrecy surrounding the deal, which made it impossible to know what labour standards had been agreed to.

Findlay’s comments came as New Zealand First minister Shane Jones made racist remarks on the deal’s immigration implications.

Gray would not be drawn on whether the MSU should be focused on the visa issue amid heightened xenophobic rhetoric.

“The Maritime Union has a stronger idea of what’s right for their members and for their union.”

Political parties should be cautious with their comments, Gray said, noting New Zealand First’s opposition was “built on a moment in time we have to be very careful not to get drawn into”.

“Government parties in particular need to pay real attention to the tone they’re setting for our country around migrants, immigrants and anyone who is coming to work here.”

Temporary migrant numbers ‘relatively small’

Immigration consultant Paul Janssen said New Zealand had agreements, that included visa programmes, with a number of countries and the figures in the India-New Zealand deal were comparatively low.

“In terms of the number of temporary migrants we bring in, it’s a relatively small number, given it’s 1667 per year, capped at 5000 for three years.

“That represents a small number of people and given the skill level they’re aiming for, I think it’s a drop in the bucket, really.”

The vast majority of the visas in the deal were for occupations on the Immigration New Zealand green list of in-demand, hard-to-fill roles, Janssen said.

An Indian government press release said the visas would be in “sectors of interest to India which include Indian iconic occupations (AYUSH practitioners, yoga instructors, Indian chefs and music teachers) and other sectors of interest – IT, Engineering, Healthcare, Education and Construction.”

AYUSH stands for traditional medical systems Ayurveda, Yoga, Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy.

The 1000 working holiday visas paled in comparison to other countries, such as the United Kingdom, which New Zealand offers 15,000 working holiday visas, or the 3000 places offered to young Koreans a year, Janssen said.

“This isn’t new – this is something we’ve done and do quite often, so it’s interesting we get different levels of commentary depending on which country we’re dealing with.”

He said Immigration NZ had rigourous processes.

“We go through quite a lot of work to make sure the people coming into the country are well vetted, so it isn’t simply submitting an application and away you go.

“There’s a lot that goes into the background, particularly when you’re looking at temporary visas where Immigration assesses the applicant’s genuine intent to come for a temporary purpose, whether they have the right skills – there’s a lot of hoops to jump through… and it isn’t a cheap exercise, there’s a lot of investment on the applicant’s part.”

New Zealand needed to recognise the added value and improved productivity provided by skilled migrants, he said.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

The Green Party says the government’s decision to grant a prospecting permit on heritage land is unacceptable.

It comes after a permit was approved within Te Wāhipounamu, one of the country’s three UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

The permit covers 157 square kilometres, and allows prospecting for all minerals except uranium.

Green Party list MP and resources spokesperson Steve Abel said heritage sites had long been ruled out for mining, and should remain that way.

“This is among our most precious ecology and magnificent landscapes that are recognised globally, hence it’s a world heritage area, this is exactly the space that should be out of bounds to mining, to prospecting and to exploration,” he said.

“It’s utterly unacceptable this government in its fervor for the boom and bust industry of mining has issued a permit within a world heritage area.”

Abel noted that former prime minister John Key had ruled out mining in Te Wāhipounamu in 2012.

“This government is zealous in its advocacy for mining, it’s lost the recognition that the true treasures of our country are the magnificent, unique ecology and landscapes. Those are irreplaceable,” Abel said.

“The boom and bust short-term dollars that can be made from mining, and the short-term jobs, are not worth sacrificing something as spectacular as a heritage area.”

He said regardless of the methods used, any mining would cause permanent damage.

“It invariably involves disturbance and destruction of the landscape, and it often involves the use of toxic chemicals for extraction that leave an intergenerational legacy of tailings dams laden with cyanide that have to be managed decades after the mines have closed,” he said.

“There’s acid mine drainage which is already a problem we have on the west coast from historic mining and contemporary mining, so the legacy of mining in these areas is forever. The few dollars that are made are short term.”

RNZ has approached resource minister Shane Jones’ office for comment.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

The latest government data shows New Zealand’s fuel stocks have continued to fall, but movements remain within expectations.

The figures, published Monday but accurate to midday on Wednesday, show just under 52 days of petrol, about 41 days of diesel, and just under 46 days of jet fuel. That includes fuel on 10 ships within three weeks of arriving.

The figures are down by half a day, one day, and a day-and-a-half respectively on the last update.

The government says this would be expected under normal international shipping.

And stocks within New Zealand’s exclusive economic zone are as high as they have been since the Iran conflict began.

Loosening of regulations possibly on the way

The government says it is considering easing restrictions for heavy vehicles as a way to save fuel.

Minister for Regulation David Seymour said his Red Tape Tipline had received several submissions on ways to save fuel.

Seymour is due to speak at a media standup in Newmarket, Auckland at around 1pm on Monday.

Suggestions included allowing some heavy vehicles to carry more weight to reduce the number of trips, and relaxing time restrictions for over-dimension vehicles so they could travel at off-peak times.

Another suggestion was to adjust license class weight thresholds for zero emission vehicles to be in line with similar diesel vehicles.

An example was that some electric utes were heavier than diesel ones and therefore required a higher-class licence to drive, which discouraged uptake.

Seymour said the Government was in the process of refining these submissions.

“New Zealand’s fuel supply is stable. We’re focussed on keeping it that way. There are few things as important to Kiwis as ensuring New Zealand’s fuel supply remains strong,” Seymour said in a statement

“We are still in Phase 1 of the National Fuel Response Plan, but we don’t want a repeat of the Covid-19 lockdowns. Doing the work to boost fuel efficiency now helps ensure we can stay in Phase 1 for as long as possible, causing the least disruption to Kiwis.”

Transport Minister Chris Bishop said concerns over weight restrictions were widespread in the freight sector.

“In the short term, even small increases in permitted loads could reduce the number of trips needed, saving time, lowering costs, and reducing fuel use,” Bishop said.

“We need to balance that with safety and network impacts, but there are sensible changes we can make that will lift productivity without compromising standards.”

The ministers said the submissions were being developed so they could be quickly implemented if the Government moved to Phase 2 of its response.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

The Oceans and Fisheries under-secretary has met with iwi and the local board on Aotea/Great Barrier Island.

It is feared that overfishing has decimated the kōura population, and Ngāti Rehua – Ngātiwai ki Aotea Trust Board and the Aotea/Great Barrier Local Board are wanting the government to back a plan to manage the population before it is too late.

RNZ reported that the team behind the Tai Tū Moana conservation project expected to meet with Jenny Marcroft soon.

Marcroft confirmed to RNZ that she travelled to Aotea/Great Barrier Island earlier in April.

“It was a very productive meeting,” she said.

Tai Tū Moana Steering Group member Glenn Edney wanted the government to implement a set of local rules devised during a pilot project called Ahu Moana. That included lowering the daily bag limit of Spiny Red Rock Lobster and the Packhorse Rock Lobster to two, a ban on daily bag limit accumulation, introducing a maximum size limit, having a closed mating season, and several recreational only areas.

“They’re seeing an increased pressure on the crayfish resource,” Marcroft said.

Marcroft said officials would be looking at each of those, and where they aligned, “where it’s through a Section 186A closure, which is iwi-led, or whether it comes in under Section 11 of the Fisheries Act.”

While she said she would be feeding into the advice given to the Oceans and Fisheries Minister, Marcroft said it would be up to Shane Jones to make any decision.

“I met with them towards the end of last week – just to go over, making sure we’ve captured all the information from the discussions we had on the island, and then that work will continue to be done until those recommendations come forward for the Minister.”

Marcroft said it was a “specific request for the uniqueness of Aotea/Great Barrier.”

“They are leading work. They all care about sustainability, including the commercial fishers that live on the island, as well.

“What I really liked about the meeting was the respect that was shown for each of the groups amongst themselves. It was really good.

“There wasn’t a, you know, we know that the recreational fishing space can get quite heated – people are very passionate about being able to fish – and what I saw was working collaboratively together, showing respect. It was very refreshing.”

– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has condemned the attack on the press gala attended by US President Donald Trump in Washington DC.

Trump, first lady Melania Trump and other officials were rushed out of the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner by secret service agents, after a man armed with a shotgun tried to breach security.

US media reports that the suspect, 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen from California, told law enforcement he was targeting someone from the Trump administration.

It has not yet been confirmed whether he was targeting Trump himself.

One Secret Service agent was shot and hospitalised, but Trump said the officer was in “great shape”, due to the protection of his bulletproof vest.

The incident is being treated by law enforcement as a “lone wolf” attack and the suspect is expected to be arraigned on several charges.

In a post on X, Luxon said he was glad Trump and “all other guests” at the dinner were not harmed, thanks to the quick work of the US secret service.

“Violence has no place in our democracies.”

I’m glad President Trump and all other guests at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner were not harmed thanks to the quick work of the US Secret Service. Violence has no place in our democracies.

— Christopher Luxon (@chrisluxonmp) April 26, 2026

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade told RNZ it was not aware of any New Zealanders attending the dinner and its safe travel advice for the United States remained unchanged.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

Debate in Parliament reveals a patchwork of roles and purposes: representational and legislative; government and governance; personal and political. The political weight of everything rises incrementally in an election year.

The variations are most prominently on display in the weekly Wednesday General Debate – the only regular event that has no set agenda, topic or outcome.

It’s like open mic night at Parliament. Every speech can be different, and things may change markedly from week to week.

It’s not first-come-first-rant though. The parties are rostered slots by proportion and choose who will speak.

Sometimes the General Debate includes some genuinely funny political stand-up. More often, MPs’ attempts at humour fail horribly. This week had neither, but there was still plenty to note, especially regarding treaty clause edits, party leadership, rest home exits, the India Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and of course, the election.

Defence and attack from minor governing parties

ACT’s Parmjeet Parmar spent her time promoting the benefits of the India FTA, specifically, and immigration generally. It was a pretty traditional, straightforward rhetorical policy defence.

“Migrants are not on the sidelines of our economy; they are part of our economy. This ‘butter chicken tsunami’ [attack by Shane Jones] is just a slogan. It’s a slogan that has been created to do two things. One is to create fear, and the second is to grab attention. I say this to New Zealanders: don’t fall in that trap.”

The India FTA has been a point of discord within the governing coalition, and Parmar’s speech may have been themed to counter an expected General Debate attack from New Zealand First’s Shane Jones, who has been throwing grenades into the FTA debate.

But Jones avoided the topic entirely. His very individual approach to speechifying had a drill-baby-drill energy.

“Now, it was a fateful and very bleak day when Jacinda Ardern made her captain’s call and condemned the oil and gas industry to a deep-freeze virtual type of termination. It took our government to come, change the law, reverse that juvenile climate-riddled type of analysis, and provide an opportunity for investors,” he said.

An unexpected display of potential National leaders

The National Party provided five of the twelve General Debate speakers. Unusually, most were Cabinet ministers. The sole backbencher who spoke was Dan Bidois, whose speech was electoral, but also felt like a plea for internal unity among a list of most of the presumed main party faction contenders (missing only Mark Mitchell).

“Resource Management Act reform, which Minister Chris Bishop is doing a great job with. We’ve got education reform-isn’t Erica Stanford doing a great job… We’ve got Nicola Willis making sure we actually get back to surplus… We’ve got Minister Simeon Brown, who is doing a great job of turning our healthcare system around.

“And at the helm of this is our Prime Minister, Christopher Luxon, who’s knitting together three different coalition partners, knitting together a broad coalition of National MPs, getting us moving in one simple direction.”

National Party minister Simeon Brown spent all of his speech time attacking the Labour Party.

“Labour has learnt nothing in Opposition and nothing from their time in government. If they are elected in November, they will go back to their same old policies of tax, borrow, spend. New Zealanders know better, and that’s why they’ll re-elect National in November.”

Nicola Willis also spent almost all of her time attacking the Labour Party. A core theme of attacks was that Labour wasn’t yet revealing its own election policy, but was instead focused on government policy.

Ironically, both these speeches were equally focused on the opposition.

Paul Goldsmith also attacked the opposition, but unlike Brown and Willis, remembered to praise the prime minister. Goldsmith also praised his own and Mark Mitchell’s work within the Justice and Police portfolios.

Mark Mitchell was the odd man out among National’s ministers (and purported leadership options). As Emergency Management and Recovery Minister, he has a role that allows a less political, less divisive approach.

If the General Debate were an election debate, you might call him the unity candidate. He praised the work of the related spokesperson from every single party – quite a sharp change in tone from the other ministers who spent most or all of their time raging against the Opposition.

Policy-oriented debate from the opposition

On the Opposition side of the House, Labour’s Ingrid Leary used the General Debate to pressure the government on a specific policy – capital repayments to residents exiting rest home properties.

“The government is proposing to change this after enormous pressure… But… the proposed time is 12 months, which is ludicrous, as has been said by Consumer NZ, and, perhaps even more unfairly, will not apply to existing residents.”

Three different MPs from three different parties attacked the government over recently revealed efforts to water down Treaty provisions in existing legislation. Debbie Ngarewa Packer for Te Pāti Māori tied the plan to the politics of distraction.

“We’ve got a climate crisis… We literally have seen cars on fences…What does it do?… It starts a culture war, because that is exactly what the playbook of Trumpism does… Epstein files. What does he do? Start a war. What does this government do? Start a war on Te Tiriti-slyly, quietly, without integrity.”

Green Co-leader Marama Davidson took a gentler approach, but also tied the Treaty clause project to the regular marae role in responding to disasters; “In the face of all of that example of Te Tiriti beauty, this government is choosing to create hate.”

For Labour, the MP who focused on legislative Treaty provisions was Camilla Belich, with “National members are too busy fighting with themselves and doing covert, secret operations to remove Treaty clauses, to actually focus on what matters to New Zealanders”.

Most speeches were in some way an election speech, most obviously the all-attack speeches from National’s Simeon Brown and Nicola Willis. Labour leader Chris Hipkins’ speech was very election-oriented but also drew on National’s recent issues.

“New Zealanders are looking for some reassurance that the government has a plan… They’re getting slogans, blame, and excuses. A government more obsessed with their own jobs than obsessed with the jobs of New Zealanders who are losing theirs.”

The Sunday edition of the House is available from the link above.

*RNZ’s The House, with insights into Parliament, legislation and issues, is made with funding from Parliament’s Office of the Clerk. Enjoy our articles or podcast at RNZ.

– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

Hutt South MP Chris Bishop says a “breakdown in communication” saw his name read out at a wreath-laying ceremony he did not attend.

In Facebook post, Bishop said he had received a few questions about this morning’s dawn service in the Hutt.

He said he did not know the RSA expected him, the situation was “pretty embarrassing” and he was “gutted”.

“I wasn’t officially invited to do so.

“Obviously, if I had known, I would have been there.”

Meanwhile, Bishop attended two other services at the Hutt Civic Centre and Wainuiomata on Saturday, and would also lay a wreath at the Ataturk memorial service at Breaker Bay in the afternoon on behalf of the government.

RNZ has approached the RSA for comment.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

By MATA

Content warning: This story contains direct quotes of racist language

This story has been corrected to remove the reference of the controversial haka happening on the Te Matatini stage.

People’s Action Plan Against Racism (PAPARA) is calling on Te Matatini to implement anti-racism standards to compositions, in the wake of a controversial performance by the kapa haka Te Pae Kahurangi.

MATA has done further translations of the controversial haka, which was performed at the Tainui Regional Kapa Haka competition last weekend. The haka was delivered by the kapa haka Te Pae Kahurangi and directed at ACT MP Parmjeet Parmar.

It also featured lyrics such as “hoki atu rā ki tō kāinga ake, ki nui whenua, ki nui pōhara, ki nui raruraru!”, “Return to your own home, to vast land, to great poverty, to many problems”.

It was accompanied by choreography drawing on Indian cultural and religious elements such as kaihaka pressing their thumb into the centre of their forehead where the traditional bindi is worn by Hindu, Jain and Buddhist women, and sitting cross legged with hands in the prayer position.

During parts of the haka Che Wilson, a former president of Te Pāti Māori, used an Indian accent and head gestures.

PAPARA said there had been an increase in “racist rhetoric” against the Indian community in Aotearoa.

“This harm has been compounded by a recent performance during the Matatini Tainui regional competitions, which lampooned Indian culture as a form of objection to ACT MP Parmjeet Parmar’s actions and political positions. While Te Matatini carries a long history of politically charged performance, this should never be allowed to tip over into racist attacks against individuals or communities.”

Te Matatini does not receive scripts from teams performing at regionals ahead of the event. It should now mandate anti-racism standards for compositions “so that such a highly esteemed atamira (stage) can never again be used as a racist weapon”, PAPARA said.

Te Matatini chief executive Carl Ross said there were already clear expectations that compositions must meet broadcasting standards.

“When concerns are raised we act immediately, as we have done in this case, to remove the content. We will be reviewing our internal process to ensure all performances consistently meet Broadcasting Standards Authority standards in the future.”

A controversial composition

Parmar has previously drawn criticism for seeking advice from officials on the range of possible penalties for Te Pāti Māori MPs following their Treaty Principles haka in Parliament, including whether imprisonment was an option.

She has opposed giving scholarships based on a person or group’s race or ethnic origin, designated spaces, rooms, or other facilities at universities. She also opposed requiring students to take a paper on the Treaty of Waitangi, particularly for international students, for whom she said the course would “hold little value”.

The haka began by addressing ACT Party leader David Seymour.

“Rawiri Himoa, te wahine Iniana kei tō pāti, he wahine tarapekepeke pāti.

“Takahi tangata, takahi Maori e.”

“David Seymour, the Indian woman in your party, the party jumper.

“Who tramples people, who tramples Māori.”

Directly addressing a party leader is not unusual in a haka but referencing the ethnicity of a politician is not common practice.

In a statement to MATA, Wilson said the haka was composed and choreographed by a collective known as Te Whānau o Te Pae Kahurangi.

“Haka is a platform to challenge and where relevant, denigrate in response to an issue.”

Te Pae Kahurangi regarded Parmar’s actions as “clear examples of prejudice towards Māori culture”.

“And as such, the haka is aimed specifically at Mrs Parmar and not the Indian community.

“Te Pae Kahurangi does not condone racism. Te Pae Kahurangi apologises for any offence caused to the Indian community, towards whom this haka was not directed.

“It is worthwhile noting that there are many examples of haka and kaioraora (derogatory songs), that often include references such as ‘pokokōhua’ (boiled-head), ‘kai a te kurī’ (food for the dogs), ‘porohewa’ (baldhead) used to denigrate people.”

Who specifically was a part of the collective which composed and choreographed the haka has not been revealed.

Indian community ‘feeling hounded’

In a social media post, former Young New Zealander of the Year Shaneel Lal said the rise of racist rhetoric against the Indian community has left it “feeling hounded”.

In their opinion, the ACT MP Parmar had caused incredible harm to Māori.

“Criticism of her as an individual, and of what she advocates for, is justified … But when criticism of her actions extends to all people who share her identity, that is racism,” Lal said.

“When criticism of Parmjeet turns into criticism of being Indian, that includes people like me. It also includes many in the wider Indian community who have spent decades standing alongside Māori across Aotearoa.”

In an interview with Māni Dunlop for Te Ao Māori News, Māori-Gujarati academic Dr Jessica Hutchings discussed the impact of the haka.

“Ehara i te mea he Māori anake tātou (we are not just Māori). Some of us are mixed race, and we carry that proudly. When something like this happens, it harms all parts of who we are,” Hutchings said.

“They mocked my culture. They mocked our tikanga, our wairuatanga… that’s racism, and it’s really important that we call it out.”

It was wrong to frame the haka as targeting one individual when its impact was wider, she believed.

An online storm

Haka is often used as medium for Māori political expression, with many groups composing waiata to fiercely critique political policies, issues and politicians.

But Te Pae Kahurangi’s haka has sparked fierce debate online with many commenters expressing disappointment that an item aimed at one MP has demeaned the cultures and practices of Indian people.

Others have spoken out in support, advocating for the right to free speech, even if it is hateful.

In their social media post, Lal appealed to the connection between colonised people.

“There is nothing to gain from stereotyping, mocking, or ridiculing entire groups of people, especially when so many of those people stand with you.”

Get the latest episodes of MATA with Mihingarangi Forbes from RNZ, Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen.

– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

By MATA

Content warning: This story contains direct quotes of racist language

People’s Action Plan Against Racism (PAPARA) is calling on Te Matatini to implement anti-racism standards to compositions, in the wake of a controversial performance by the kapa haka Te Pae Kahurangi.

MATA has done further translations of the controversial haka, which was performed at the Tainui Regional Kapa Haka competition last weekend. The haka was delivered by the kapa haka Te Pae Kahurangi and directed at ACT MP Parmjeet Parmar.

It also featured lyrics such as “hoki atu rā ki tō kāinga ake, ki nui whenua, ki nui pōhara, ki nui raruraru!”, “Return to your own home, to vast land, to great poverty, to many problems”.

It was accompanied by choreography drawing on Indian cultural and religious elements such as kaihaka pressing their thumb into the centre of their forehead where the traditional bindi is worn by Hindu, Jain and Buddhist women, and sitting cross legged with hands in the prayer position.

During parts of the haka Che Wilson, a former president of Te Pāti Māori, used an Indian accent and head gestures.

People’s Action Plan Against Racism (PAPARA) said there had been an increase in “racist rhetoric” against the Indian community in Aotearoa.

“This harm has been compounded by a recent performance during the Matatini Tainui regional competitions, which lampooned Indian culture as a form of objection to ACT MP Parmjeet Parmar’s actions and political positions. While Te Matatini carries a long history of politically charged performance, this should never be allowed to tip over into racist attacks against individuals or communities.”

Te Matatini does not receive scripts from teams performing at regionals ahead of the event. It should now mandate anti-racism standards for compositions “so that such a highly esteemed atamira (stage) can never again be used as a racist weapon”, PAPARA said.

Te Matatini chief executive Carl Ross said there were already clear expectations that compositions must meet broadcasting standards.

“When concerns are raised we act immediately, as we have done in this case, to remove the content. We will be reviewing our internal process to ensure all performances consistently meet Broadcasting Standards Authority standards in the future.”

A controversial composition

Parmar has previously drawn criticism for seeking advice from officials on the range of possible penalties for Te Pāti Māori MPs following their Treaty Principles haka in Parliament, including whether imprisonment was an option.

She has opposed giving scholarships based on a person or group’s race or ethnic origin, designated spaces, rooms, or other facilities at universities. She also opposed requiring students to take a paper on the Treaty of Waitangi, particularly for international students, for whom she said the course would “hold little value”.

The haka began by addressing ACT Party leader David Seymour.

“Rawiri Himoa, te wahine Iniana kei tō pāti, he wahine tarapekepeke pāti.

“Takahi tangata, takahi Maori e.”

“David Seymour, the Indian woman in your party, the party jumper.

“Who tramples people, who tramples Māori.”

Directly addressing a party leader is not unusual in a haka but referencing the ethnicity of a politician is not common practice.

In a statement to Mata, Wilson said the haka was composed and choreographed by a collective known as Te Whānau o Te Pae Kahurangi.

“Haka is a platform to challenge and where relevant, denigrate in response to an issue.”

Te Pae Kahurangi regarded Parmar’s actions as “clear examples of prejudice towards Māori culture”.

“And as such, the haka is aimed specifically at Mrs Parmar and not the Indian community.

“Te Pae Kahurangi does not condone racism. Te Pae Kahurangi apologises for any offence caused to the Indian community, towards whom this haka was not directed.

“It is worthwhile noting that there are many examples of haka and kaioraora (derogatory songs), that often include references such as ‘pokokōhua’ (boiled-head), ‘kai a te kurī’ (food for the dogs), ‘porohewa’ (baldhead) used to denigrate people.”

Who specifically was a part of the collective which composed and choreographed the haka has not been revealed.

Indian community ‘feeling hounded’

In a social media post, former Young New Zealander of the Year Shaneel Lal said the rise of racist rhetoric against the Indian community has left it “feeling hounded”.

In their opinion, the ACT MP Parmar had caused incredible harm to Māori.

“Criticism of her as an individual, and of what she advocates for, is justified … But when criticism of her actions extends to all people who share her identity, that is racism,” Lal said.

“When criticism of Parmjeet turns into criticism of being Indian, that includes people like me. It also includes many in the wider Indian community who have spent decades standing alongside Māori across Aotearoa.”

In an interview with Māni Dunlop for Te Ao Māori News, Māori-Gujarati academic Dr Jessica Hutchings discussed the impact of the haka.

“Ehara i te mea he Māori anake tātou (we are not just Māori). Some of us are mixed race, and we carry that proudly. When something like this happens, it harms all parts of who we are,” Hutchings said.

“They mocked my culture. They mocked our tikanga, our wairuatanga… that’s racism, and it’s really important that we call it out.”

It was wrong to frame the haka as targeting one individual when its impact was wider, she believed.

An online storm

Haka is often used as medium for Māori political expression, with many groups composing waiata to fiercely critique political policies, issues and politicians.

But Te Pae Kahurangi’s haka has sparked fierce debate online with many commenters expressing disappointment that an item aimed at one MP has demeaned the cultures and practices of Indian people.

Others have spoken out in support, advocating for the right to free speech, even if it is hateful.

In their social media post, Lal appealed to the connection between colonised people.

“There is nothing to gain from stereotyping, mocking, or ridiculing entire groups of people, especially when so many of those people stand with you.”

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

A resurrected minerals deal with the US is causing mixed reactions among environmentalists.

A Cabinet paper has revealed that Resources Minister Shane Jones wants to continue negotiations for a bilateral agreement with the US over rare minerals.

Currently, the US has been heavily reliant on China for these materials.

Critical minerals are used in a variety of modern-day tech, from smartphones and renewable energy to weapons.

Their use in a military context gave Greenpeace director Russel Norman pause.

“Donald Trump hates renewable energy. It’s all about getting minerals to fuel his war ambitions,” he said.

He worried that the deal could be used to circumvent environmental protections and let foreign interests plunder New Zealand’s resources.

He pointed to Trans-Tasman Resources, an Australian-owned company, which wanted to mine 50 million tonnes of seabed a year for 30 years in the South Taranaki Bight.

“There is no benefit in New Zealand in destroying the biodiversity off in South Taranaki just so that an Australian mining company can dig up vanadium and give it to the US military.”

The Fast Track panel rejected Trans-Tasman Resources’ plans.

Norman said New Zealand “should have nothing to do with the deal”.

“We don’t need to go and destroy the seafloor all around the world in order to get those minerals.”

This was supported by University of Auckland professor Nicola Gaston.

She said highly sought-after, rare minerals can be sourced through recycling.

She cited several companies that had created circular economies of extracting materials from waste products for new applications, such as Mint Innovation and Zethos.

“If a deal is about us actually backing these New Zealand companies to do the work that they’re doing internationally, that would be super.”

But she expressed reservations about the deal if it involved mining.

“I just would not want us to be locking ourselves into some sort of exploitation that is not able to be managed according to our own policy goals or the social licence that we have in New Zealand for mining.”

‘They never have practical alternative solutions’ – Jones

Jones responded to criticism, saying New Zealand was not solely pursuing a bilateral deal with the US, but was also exploring wider partnerships with ”like-minded nations”.

He said this country was already part of an international agreement with countries like the UK, Japan and South Korea to work together to secure supplies of critical minerals.

Jones said any development of the sector would still be subject to New Zealand’s environmental and legal safeguards, including the resource consenting process and Treaty obligations.

”Obviously, the consenting process – we need to ensure that when these minerals are extracted, it happens with established statutory guardrails,” he said.

He also noted the challenges of refining, saying there was currently little capacity in New Zealand and that processing minerals can come with ”a host of negative externalities”.

Responding to the criticism from Greenpeace, Jones said environmental advocacy groups rarely offered workable alternatives.

”Greenpeace are consistent critics in terms of capitalism, economic development… They never have practical alternative solutions,” he said.

”They want a clean green future, but they refuse to acknowledge that New Zealand has the very minerals that can contribute to that future,” he said.

Jones said opponents were holding back the sector.

”Mining has been marginalised in New Zealand by green Luddites, lily-livered bureaucrats and politicians that have been unwilling to show Kiwis that we can mine and still have positive environmental impacts.”

He also downplayed concerns about the potential military use of exported minerals.

”I don’t believe it is a concern… New Zealand is not in the weapon-making business,” he said, adding that lawful trade should not be restricted based on how what’s being traded will be used.

Jones said the government would continue discussions with multiple countries and planned to host a critical minerals forum at Parliament to get feedback from the sector.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand