Contentious government policy sparks cultural divide in New Zealand
New Zealand's right-leaning government, led by Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, is swiftly reversing policies that had garnered global praise under former leader Jacinda Ardern The new administration is facing a voter backlash and embroiled in intense culture wars
New Zealand's newly formed right-leaning government, led by Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, took over a month to solidify. Since then, Luxon and his coalition partners have been swift in their efforts to undo policies previously praised by progressives under former leader Jacinda Ardern. The rapid pace of change under the National Party's Luxon has surprised observers, particularly the coalition's actions to discard policies perceived to be beneficial to the country's indigenous people, leading critics to swiftly accuse them of being "anti-Māori."
Luxon's government is planning to eliminate the MÄori Health Authority, reduce the use of the MÄori language, and lift the country's restrictions on tobacco sales - actions that MÄori leaders had hoped would reduce high smoking rates among their community.
"The assault on our culture has only strengthened our unity," declared Debbie Ngarewa-Packer, co-leader of the Te Pati MÄori party, as she criticized the measures in the Wellington parliament this month.
The MÄori King, TÅ«heitia Potatau Te Wherowhero VII, issued a royal proclamation on the same day, summoning a "national hui" for the country's indigenous people to convene and address the issue of "holding the new coalition government to account."
Man extinguishes the cigarette in the ash.
seksan Mongkhonkhamsao/Moment RF/Getty Images
New Zealand's newly elected government has decided to revoke the world-renowned smoking ban in order to finance tax cuts. This decision has sparked widespread opposition, leading to tens of thousands of people participating in demonstrations organized by the Ngarewa-Packers party across the country.
"The protests on December 5 were a powerful statement," Ngarewa-Packer told CNN. "They showed that we refuse to accept this and that we are capable of taking action quickly."
"Will the Prime Minister listen? He has no choice," Ngarewa-Packer said, emphasizing that the Luxon government is under global scrutiny.
She expressed, "I believe it's a very embarrassing situation for a first-time Prime Minister to be in." Luxon defended his new government at a news conference on the day of the protests, stating that the criticism was "quite unjust."
"We are determined that MÄori are going to do better under our government than they have in the last six years," he said.
Voter backlash
Ardern stepped down as Prime Minister in January, passing the leadership to her deputy Chris Hipkins. He aimed to reorient their Labour Party's priorities towards addressing the cost-of-living crisis. However, this was not sufficient to prolong Labour's tenure in government.
Ardern gained global admiration for her empathetic reaction to the 2019 Christchurch terror attack and for advocating for climate change action and working mothers in politics. However, her domestic impact remains a topic of debate.
Jacinda Ardern and Chris Hipkins, both now former Labour prime ministers, arrive for a cabinet caucus meeting in Wellington on January 22, 2023.
Mark Coote/Bloomberg/Getty Images
Auckland's failed infrastructure projects sparked allegations of wastefulness, while the Labour government's "wellbeing budgets" significantly boosted payments to underprivileged families. Additionally, farmers protested against legislation aimed at reducing agricultural emissions and safeguarding waterways. Prior to the vote, leaders of the new conservative coalition government, comprised of The National Party, New Zealand First, and ACT New Zealand, had all pledged to reverse some of Ardern's policies.
The right-wing candidates criticized the Labour party for their perceived expansion of New Zealand's long-standing principle of co-governance, which is aimed at ensuring MÄori representation in administrative bodies. In the lead-up to the election, some MÄori candidates reported experiencing racist abuse.
On October 14, the election saw a lot of deal-making as Luxon worked to strengthen his narrow margin with smaller political parties.
The new partners released a 100-day plan in late November that includes rolling back initiatives meant to benefit Māori, such as the dissolution of the Māori Health Authority established in 2022 to improve indigenous health. Additionally, the plan reverses Ardern's ban on the sale of cigarettes to people born after 2008, which is seen as anti-Māori due to the high rate of smoking among Māori adults.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon speaks in the house following the State Opening of Parliament on December 06, 2023 in Wellington, New Zealand.
The MÄori Women's Welfare League and other similar organizations are committed to holding Luxon accountable for his claim that cutting red tape will improve the health outcomes of MÄori women and children.
“These are not ideas hastily conceived. They are rooted in evidence gathered over time," stated Hope Tupara, President of the MÄori Womens Welfare League.
"We witnessed the Ardern administration increase government funding for MÄori health initiatives, specifically through MÄori-run organizations, with the guiding principle of 'by MÄori, for MÄori'."
"As part of the population, we have reasonable expectations for the public services available to us."
According to Richard Shaw, a professor of politics at Massey University in New Zealand, Luxon's government is the most explicitly anti-Māori government he can recall.
"This is the first government that I can recall which has quite explicitly said, well have less of that, not well have more of it," said Shaw.
"So, this really is an awkward, unsettled moment."
New Zealand's new right wing government is proposing to dissolve the MÄori Health Authority androllback the use of the MÄori language
Kike Calvo/AP
Culture wars
In October, New Zealand voters dealt a blow to Hipkins Labour Party, reducing their number of seats in the single-chamber parliament by almost half. This significant defeat has put them in a difficult position. However, the victorious party may not feel entirely secure either, as New Zealand's mixed member proportional voting system typically means that parties do not govern alone.
Luxons National Party, with just over 38% of the vote, is compelled to form a coalition with the much smaller and less moderate parties, New Zealand First and ACT New Zealand. Both junior coalition partners will pull Luxon towards the right.
Proposed bilingual traffic signs by the New Zealand government
Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency
Title: New Zealand's Bilingual Road Sign Plans Face Unexpected Challenges
New Zealand First has historically opposed the use of Māori terms in official capacities, including road signs and government departments. The party views the widespread use of New Zealand's Māori name, Aotearoa, as an example of "virtue signalling and politically correct extremism." Luxon's government plans to prioritize the use of English as the primary language.
ACT is pressuring Luxon to consider the potential for a future referendum on the principles of New Zealand's Treaty of Waitangi, a historic agreement between the colonial British regime and the MÄori people in 1840, which established principles of co-governance between indigenous and non-indigenous New Zealanders.
Although Luxon suggests that the proposed referendum would only entail a discussion by a parliamentary select committee, the public questioning of the treaty's value may undermine its significance as a historic proclamation of equality, cautions Shaw, an academic from Massey University.
Tupara, a member of the Māori Womens League, believes that New Zealand's current political moment is more than just a passing culture war. "We've been in a constant battle with the government since the 1800s, so this is nothing new to us," she explained.
The struggle for our own identity is a familiar one. The opposition to our accomplishments is unprecedented in my lifetime. The Māori political party, Ngarewa-Packers, aims to use the power of that historic struggle to triumph in today's political arena in New Zealand.
She claims to have a wide-ranging alliance of progressive New Zealanders, both Māori and non-Māori, who will back her.
"In under 72 hours, we managed to rally tens of thousands of people nationwide, without any funding, solely through our social media channels. It was a challenge for us to prove to ourselves that we had the ability and the resources to build a coalition," she stated.
"Sometimes you need this revolting, backwards politicking to remind people why we participate."
