Thread re COVID-19 Response Legislation. I’ve been so angry about this and I was going to write an article about it but a twitter rant is all I’ve got now.

1. It has been 2 months since the Alert Levels were announced. Plenty of time to consult & discuss these proposed rules

2. Māori have specifically been asking about tangihanga for the entirety of that time. Ample opportunity to sit down with hapū and Iwi, like you did with the NZRFU and the hospitality industry, to come up with a proper set of guidelines.

3. But 30 men can smash into each other, 100 people can go to Bunnings to get DIY supplies, and the local pub will open. Rugby, racing, and beer are deeply entrenched in the psyche of NZers because these rules make no sense other than economic.

4. As for the legislation itself. It represents one of the biggest intrusion into our fundamental rights. Ever. The public health response is absolutely warranted but some simpler weeks could go a long way to improving this for Māori.

5. From Parihaka, to Bastion Point, to Te Urewera, to Ihumatao - the police don’t have the best track record in engaging positively with Māori. Empowering them to enter Marae is a joke. Why not empower the Māori Wardens instead?

6. Why do we trust the hospitality industry to behave sensibly but not Māori? It’s not like there were a bunch of Māori publicly planning a massive dance party for 100 people in the Auckland Viaduct for as soon as Level 2 became a reality.

7. The belief in the overwhelming authority of the State over the exercise of Tino Rangatiratanga by hapū and Iwi is apparent for all to see. Hapū have demonstrated themselves to be the only group capable of keeping their communities safe during this crisis.

8. He waka eke noa. Nah, we’ve always been in our own waka, constantly being denied entry to our own port.

I don’t have a soundcloud. Stop voting for people who don’t actively fight to uphold Te Tiriti o Waitangi.