Bryce Edwards’ Political Roundup: Stuart Nash’s resignation shows our leaders need a lesson in civics

* Dr Bryce Edwards writes –
I teach a first-year course at Victoria University of Wellington about government and the political process in New Zealand. In “Introduction to Government and Law”, students learn there are rules preventing senior public servants from getting involved in big political debates – as we have recently witnessed with Rob Campbell – and that government ministers aren’t allowed to interfere in some functions of the state, such as telling the Police where to make prosecutions.

It’s essentially a civics course about how our political system works, and hopefully the 1300 students who take the course each year will go off to work in government departments, businesses and other careers understanding the rules of our political system.

Politicians are fond of complaining about a lack of this type of political education amongst the voting public but, as we’ve seen in the last few weeks, so many of our leaders are themselves unaware of basic political rules.

As with Rob Campbell and other wayward senior public servant appointees like Steve Maharey and Ruth Dyson, Nash has pleaded it was just a mistake and, in defending his actions, he showed his ignorance of the rules. But shouldn’t we expect our leaders to have a much better understanding of the political rules about integrity? After all, Nash is no newbie – he’s been a minister since 2017, and an MP for 15 years.

Nash crows about gang crackdown – his changes for the fishing industry (the 40% Māori portion) are not so well publicised

Buzz from the Beehive

As Minister of Police, Stuart Nash was obviously chuffed about the Police filing over 28,000 charges related to something called Operation Cobalt and a “crack down on gangs” to “keep our communities safe”.

His delighted can be found in a ministerial press statement headed Milestone reached in crack down on gangs

He has not similarly posted a statement on the Beehive website about the Māori Fisheries Amendment Bill, for which he is responsible as Minister of Oceans and Fisheries. Our attention was drawn to it when the Chair of the Māori Affairs Select Committee called for public submissions after it was given its first reading in Parliament this week.

The bill aims to implement recommendations from Te Ohu Kai Moana, following an independent review of the Act and consultation with Māori tribes, and to give the tribes greater control over their assets, improve benefits to all Māori, reduce costs, and improve efficiency.

Those assets account for around 40 per cent of the fishing industry.

Kelvin Davis takes us back to a battle in which the Brits took a beating but we are left bewildered about dates

Buzz from the Beehive

Two fresh press releases had been posted when we checked the Beehive website at noon, both of them posted yesterday.

In one statement, in the runup to Waitangi Day, Maori Crown Relations Minister Kelvin Davis drew attention to happenings on a Northland battle site in 1845.

This was a battle in which the British took a beating.

Battle of Ohaeawai remembered

A memorial event at a key battle site in the New Zealand land wars is an important event to mark the progress in relations between Māori and the Crown as we head towards Waitangi Day.

In the second statement, Stuart Nash marked his return to the Police portfolio by announcing a strengthening of the forces of law and order under his ministerial command.

More Police deployed to the frontline

More Police officers are being deployed to the frontline with the graduation of 54 new constables from the Royal New Zealand Police College today.

The graduation ceremony for Recruit Wing 362 at Te Rauparaha Arena in Porirua was Nash’s first official event since his reappointment as Police Minister following the Cabinet reshuffle this week.

No news (about missing children) might be good news – but who knows?

Here’s more from the “no news today” file.

Under the heading Wellbeing of missing Marokopa children huge question mark – psychologist, RNZ reminds us that three children have been missing with their father for a year.

Marokopa father Thomas Phillips and his three children Jayda, Maverick, and Ember have not been seen since 9 December, 2021, when they disappeared for a second time.

The children are now aged six, eight and nine.

Govt moves to modernise control of our meds, but wait: Māori healers can bring the Treaty (signed in 1840) into the mix

Buzz from the Beehive

Conflicts between Treaty of Waitangi demands to protect Māori healing methods and the influence of medical science on health regulators have been anticipated, as the Government introduces the Therapeutic Products Bill in Parliament.

The Bill, aimed at modernising the way medicines, medical devices and natural health products are regulated, replaces the Medicines Act 1981 and Dietary Supplements Regulations 1985 with a comprehensive regulatory regime “that is fit for the future”.

But the Treaty-twitchy government is eager to avoid the conflict that seems inevitable when  modernising the regulatory regime – to provide all New Zealanders with health products and services that are safe, high-quality, and effective – rubs up against obligations to preserve the Maori way of doing things.

Accordingly, Associate Health Minister (Māori) Peeni Henare tells us of “a new workstream” which  will consider how “rongoā” might be protected in legislation.

Rongoā is traditional Māori medicine, including herbal medicine made from plants, physical techniques such as massage, and spiritual healing.

This makes it an “alternative treatment”,  but in this country it is a Beehive-blessed and state-subsidised alternative treatment. 

ACT beats Hipkins to the draw in announcing changes to our gun licensing laws

Buzz from the Beehive

Uh, oh.  Earlier this afternoon there was nothing doing in the Beehive.  Or rather, there was nothing doing that they wanted to tell us about.

We therefore drew a blank when we checked the Beehive website to find what our servants are up to.

Nor (when we checked with Scoop) could we find anything new from the Nats or the Greens, although the Nats since then have posted a statement on the rising expense of hiring government  consultants.

ACT was given a free kick,  in effect, and scored with three statements.

First, ACT’s Firearms Reform spokesperson Nicole McKee was braying that relentless pressure from her party has resulted in the Government making much-needed changes to firearms licensing.

Hipkins comes clean and tells police of his support for them taking snaps of suspects – but he ducked being grilled by RNZ

Buzz from the Beehive

Police minister Chris Hipkins has triggered a furore by suggesting the Government may change the law to allow officers to keep taking photographs of people for looking out of place or suspicious.

According to an RNZ report, Hipkins told the annual Police Association conference yesterday the pendulum had swung too far in favour of privacy over surveillance.

His comments follow a major joint investigation by the Independent Police Conduct Authority and the Privacy Commission, which found officers had developed a widespread practice of routinely taking photographs of people in public for later identification, with little cause.

Hipkins said photography was an essential part of intelligence gathering.

“I am concerned that the report, if left unchallenged, will significantly restrain the police’s ability to do their jobs.”

The minister is still waiting for official advice. But he said:

“I wouldn’t take off the table the potential for Parliament to take further action to support the police to do their job.”

Police Minister under fire on gangs and guns – and attention is drawn to the PM’s gamble

Police  Minister Poto Williams  is  becoming  a  liability for the  Ardern  government,  one  of  several poorly  performing  ministers  (think of  David  Clark, Kris Faafoi,  Phil Twyford).

Williams  displayed  her  quality  as    Police  Minister  once  more in  Parliament this  week as  she   faced  questions  on law  and  order. Not  surprisingly her  performance  (or  lack of it)  is  beginning  to  attract media  attention— although  those  in  line  for   government handouts  tend  to  steer   clear  of  anything  that smacks  of a  sacking.

This  is  how  Hansard  recorded  her  latest exchange,  during  which  most  government MPs  kept  their heads  well  down.

 Hon MARK MITCHELL (National—Whangaparāoa) to the Minister of Police: Does she stand by her statement, “I reject the premise that gang tensions have increased under this Government’s watch”; if so, how does she reconcile that with reported police intelligence, which states parts of the country have experienced unprecedented levels of gang violence in the past year?

Hon POTO WILLIAMS (Minister of Police): I stand by the full context of all of my answers at question time. In answer to the member’s second question, gangs have been a feature of New Zealand society for well over half a century. What police intelligence shows us is that the arrival of the 501s in 2015 has fundamentally changed the nature of gangs, making them much more overt and sophisticated. This was responded to at the time by cutting police numbers. That’s why, since 2017, we have funded the largest increase in organised crime staff, deployed 1,400 more cops across the country, and introduced legislation to give police more tools to address gang violence.

Hon Mark Mitchell: Why do gangs have more guns under her watch?

Hon POTO WILLIAMS: I would like the member to quantify that for me please.

Buzz from the Beehive: Williams has faith in data on Police recruiting but gang growth numbers are – a bit bent?

Police Minister Poto Williams was responsible for one of just two new ministerial press statements at time of checking on what the Beehive mob are up to.

She was obviously delighted to be able to end the week with something to crow about (she used the word “celebrated”):

Police Minister Poto Williams celebrated today the graduation of Wing 352 at the Royal New Zealand Police College, which marks the 3,000th new police officer since October 2017.

“The 79 recruits graduating from Wing 352 bring the total new officers since we took office to 3,000. The milestone reached today is a testament to our Government’s record investment in Police,” Poto Williams said.

The only other press release was from Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta, announcing more humanitarian aid for Afghanistan.

How Poto Williams rejected a premise and denied Nats the data sought about gang membership

For   successive  days  in Parliament this  week  National’s  Mark  Mitchell   has  been asking Police  Minister  Poto  Williams whether gang  violence  has  increased  or  decreased  under  her  watch—and  whether  gang  membership  has  risen in that time.

Adopting a  technique favoured  by  her  leader,  Williams  is apt to say “I reject the  premise of  that  question”.

It’s a neat way of answering without providing the information that has been requested.

Here’s how  Hansard recorded  the   exchange  on  this point: