The Corruption of New Zealand.

By Perce Harpham

This book sets out a historical sequence of events culminating in race based laws giving Maori different legal rights from all other citizens. The Treaty of Waitangi ended the warring of the tribes by unifying them and their constituents as equals with non-iwi under one rule. This is being turned on its head squeezing out anyone not in an Iwi. Our legal system and our democracy are under threat and racial separation is developing.

Can anyone seriously believe that Queen Victoria entered into a partnership with 500 Maori chiefs on the other side of the world? Or that the chiefs would have thought that they were in partnership with one another? Yet this claim of partnership is one of the bases for the present destruction of our democracy and law.

Without an electoral mandate this Government, in violation of its own Party Constitution, without authorisation from its Party Members, in breach of oaths taken by all MPs and in breach of Article 2 of the Treaty of Waitangi is devolving Government authority to an unelected tribal leadership.

King Charles III has the power to dismiss the Government or to refuse to invite a person to form one. This power was used for Australia some years ago. Should it be used now?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Perce Harpham
• Release date: Jun 30, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223993780

Perce Harpham

Perce is a respected Pakeha elder. In 2024 Perce will have lived in New Zealand for half the time since the signing, in 1840, of the Treaty of Waitangi. He has Maori and Pakeha grandchilden that he cares about equally. He had a highly regarded entrepenurial career and is considered the father of the computer software industry in New Zealand. Perce has worked as an engineer, company manager, mediator, arbitrator and consultant with a constant interest in politics and economics. Perce has been a Green Party parliamentary candidate and supported the Labour Party for 16 years. He has now resigned in shame at what the Government is doing to replace democracy in New Zealand with a tribal system.

Book preview

I dedicate this book to our ancestors,

to Mary my wife for 67 years,

(who is normally known as Myra)

and to our children,

our grand-children,

our great-grand-children

and our species.

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How To Use This Book

The purpose of this book is largely to counter the calls to escape from the tyranny of the majority in order to preserve our democracy. Everybody belongs to some minority so the slogan is appealing. But the current Government is proceeding apace to give us a tyranny of a minority – specifically a Maori minority. You will see in the book what a frightening distance has already been travelled and may already be aware of some of it.

Read the Introduction then, perhaps, just follow the sequence of the pages as in a novel. But here we are dealing with politics. Nothing is simple. And it keeps changing. Nor is there a beginning and an end.

In many cases you will already have firm ideas, affiliations or knowledge. Please consult the Table of Contents (TOC), select sections where you are likely to disagree and read them first. Then read other sections and try to absorb the historical sequence of events which have led us to the unfortunate position we now face.

For my biography and other work see My Books, Ebooks & Freebies at the end of the book.

Finally, act to secure our future as a democracy operating under the rule of law.

Introduction

One man in his time plays many parts – Shakespeare.

New Zealand is unique. It is the only country in the world which became a colony of another – not by conquest but by request of the inhabitants. Some wise Chiefs saw that the introduction of muskets in 1805, unchecked, would lead to their obliteration because their custom (Utu) required them to avenge every wrong done to their tribe (Iwi) by another. So, in 1840, over 500 chiefs signed the Treaty of Waitangi. This foundation document gave all the people of New Zealand equal rights as citizens under the sovereignty of the Queen.

The melding of stone age wisdom and later civilization was handled with mutual respect and dignity for the most part. But inadequacies in delivering the expected rule of law and a desire by some Iwi to restrict the sale of land led to the establishment of the King movement. It led, somewhat indirectly, to an outbreak of hostilities. This movement still exists and has done much to unify all parties. The warfare ceased in 1870.

When a Government was first formed only property-owning males could vote. Maori had largely communal ownership so few could vote.  With democratic fairness, 4 parliamentary seats were established exclusively for Maori in 1867. These have been added to in later years when the reasons for them have disappeared. This has given Maori political power way beyond anything that could be achieved by corruption with financial donations.

To secure the Maori votes political parties have increasingly accepted claims that the problems disclosed by various statistics are because of systemic bias against them and that the Treaty means different things from what it says.

The Labour Government commissioned a report on the Maori vision for objectives in 2040. The report was kept secret until it was leaked. With great speed the Labour Government is now changing systems and laws. It has rejected the established system of one law for all to give overarching power to Maori through a tribal system with different laws for Maori.The Prime Minister has said only that there will be no separate Parliament. But the country will be separated on Tribal lines.

This book supports the well-reasoned view of the Maori professor of education, Elizabeth Rata, that the tribal vision is wrong and that the problems are a matter of class not race. Thus, for example, the reason for 50% of the prison population being Maori is likely to be because 50% of the poor in New Zealand are Maori and the solution is to apply the explicit Treaty provision for all the people of New Zealand to be under the same laws. Changes for the benefit of all are needed.

In 2024 I will have lived half the time since the Treaty of Waitangi (the foundation document for New Zealand) was signed. My resume at the end of this book may justify me in making some comments about the past and the future. 

Based simply on what I believed to be the logic of various ideas I had hoped, for many years, to get political action by talking to some influential Members of Parliament. I have not succeeded in convincing them to act but I have learned a little about the practicalities of Government and the many factors that inhibit change.

This book will explain my distress at the perversion of our laws and democracy which is being executed by our current Labour Government. This distress has led me to resign from the Labour Party after over 16 years of loyal service.

There is a pattern of events and vested interest moves that have corrupted our democracy and our history to promote a drift back to tribalism. The treaty was actually about the end of tribalism. It ended the warring of groups among the 500 iwi by unifying them and their constituents as equals with non-iwi under one rule. This is being turned on its head with a return to tribalism and a squeezing out of anyone not affiliated with one of the tribes.

I have set out some of the historical sequence of events which have led to this point. It is my belief that if we do not rapidly undo much of what has been done, and is proposed, then our democracy will be crippled, or perish entirely, and our legal system will become largely impotent and inoperable. Also that we will develop racial intolerance at a level which we have never known.

Without an electoral mandate this Labour Government is proceeding to devolve much of its authority to Maori interests. This is in violation of its own Party Constitution which requires the same law for all regardless of race or anything else. It is without any electoral mandate, or authorisation from its Party members, in breach of the oaths taken by all MPs, in breach of Articles 2 and 3 of the Treaty of Waitangi and in violation of democracy.

As a nation we have been proud of our laws which have had no mention of ethnic divisions. But, suddenly, Maori are being given different legal rights from all other races.

I have two grandchildren and two great-grandchildren of Maori descent who know, or will know, their Iwi when they are older. Four others are of Maori descent who don’t know their Iwi and two who probably don’t have any Maori ancestry. Under Labour’s new laws they will have radically different entitlements in the future of our country:

Some of my grandchildren and great-grand-children may be entitled to exercise veto powers in the control of almost all of our country’s water assets (Three Waters Legislation) or exercise veto powers over almost all town planning decisions (RMA replacement legislation). Clearly two of my grandchildren will have no such powers due to their non-Maori heritage. Regarding the others, I say may be entitled to powers because in all likelihood the inherited privileges will only be exercised by an elite who have the mana (standing).

The book explores this major issue, shows how it has come to pass and what needs to be done. Unless actions which have been taken, or in progress, are reversed there is no point in worrying about ideas for reducing inequality and preserving our democracy. Instead we will have a tribally based legal system where power is held by unelected hereditary Maori leaders.

This takeover is bloodless (so far) but none the less will transfer much of the Government’s own power to Maori pressure groups.

STOP PRESS

On January 29th, 2023 Jacinda Ardern announced her resignation as the leader of the New Zealand Labour Party and Prime Minister. This does not of itself change anything but there was a widespread expectation  that the new Prime Minister, Chris Hipkins, would oversee the abandonment or modification of many of the components of the takeover which have attracted huge public concern. It would be difficult and require great political sensitivity – especially with an election now scheduled for October 14, 2023.

Unfortunately, at the time of writing there have been several bonfires of minor items of little consequence but the new Prime Minister is riding a wave of approval for his positive portrayal of leadership in the new climate change disasters and has given no indication that the momentum of the takeover will be modified, let alone reversed. In