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Half of all NZ Parliament submissions made in the last 2 and a half years

 Clerk of Parliament House, David Wilson, told The Post that half of all submissions received in the last 30 years of NZ history, were received in this term of government.

Are we surprised?

I've written many articles on the systematic and aggressive assault on democracy under this Coalition.

They've consistently and openly mocked democratic processes. Take, for example, David Seymour claiming that the ~90% submissions against his Regulatory Standards Bill were "bots", despite not a smidgeon of evidence to back up his assertion. 

(Only 0.33% supported his libertarian bill)

 The government passed that law anyway. 

(Green Party candidate Tania Waikato quipped in response to Seymour: "It wasn't bots, it was us".)


 

Or the anti-community, anti-environment Fast-Track-Bill where a record 95% of Kiwis in the process opposed the government's amendments.

The government passed most of those laws without reservation. 

Those who argue for the government that Select Committees aren't significant, overlook the fact that for decades this is the long standing process by which laws in this country represent democracy. During the process, feedback is heard, laws are refined, genuine stakeholders are considered, and matters are improved collectively for the sake of the country.

Instead, we now have a government that plays games with it - frequently cutting short, and even omitting, valuable Select Committee opportunity.

This government has only allowed submitters 5-10 minutes for critical submissions over the last two years, when they didn't cut the process altogether, as for example during the Pay Equity repeal, that cut tens of thousands of Kiwi women from higher pay opportunities.

The Coalition has passed 50% of this term's laws under urgency - so they are not messing around.

But there is good news afoot:

Most recently, NZ First and government abandoned the Fisheries Amendment Bill after a huge out pouring of opposition - and a collective grassroots effort from parties such as the One Ocean Project, Forest and Bird, ITM Fishing and top recreational fisher Matt Wilson.

The government calculated that this group of opponents wasn't the typical "woke", "left wing" voter base, and their calculus has meant that they have shelved the bill for another day.

Similarly, National's attempts to open up 60% of conservation lands for sale and commercialisation/privatisation hasn't gone un-noticed among the Kiwi masses.

Greenpeace, Forest and Bird, and many others are flying the flag to rouse attention and care.

There's always a positive to the shadows, there's always light that makes shadows even possible.

Increasingly Kiwis are standing up to this government's wares and PR slogans to say "This is not us, Aoteraoa New Zealand"

This is not who we are.

Join in the grassroots movements and end the tyranny of this right wing assault on our democracy and the natural rights of our environment to withstand an assault on nature by this Trumpian lot.

 

Here's one of the incredible grassroots community efforts -  

  







 

 

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