A wary welcome to Waitangi for Luxon and Seymour
Expect some uncomfortable moments for the government at their pōwhiri this morning.
Mōrena, and welcome to The Bulletin for Monday, February 5, written by Catherine McGregor.
In today’s edition: Transport agency reports huge shortfall as minister mulls future of bilingual signage plan; A deep dive into New Zealand’s public service; Overdue wait list has increases by 67% in 12 months. But first, the government arrives today at Waitangi. What sort of reception awaits them?
Christopher Luxon and David Seymour at Waitangi on February 5, 2023. (Photo: Fiona Goodall/Getty Images)
What makes this Waitangi Day different
Aotearoa has witnessed many memorable Waitangi Days, and there’s every reason to expect tomorrow will be one of them. The passions stoked by the government’s approach to Treaty issues have been simmering all year; tomorrow is an opportunity for Māori to express a message of unity and defiance on the biggest stage yet. “Everyone that lives in this country has a lot at stake over the next few days,” wrote the Herald’s David Fisher on Saturday (paywalled), adding that the forces unleashed by Waitangi 2024 could impact us all for years to come. Waitangi this year will be historic for its breadth alone, notes Spinoff editor Mad Chapman, who’ll be live-blogging from Waitangi all day. “With a record-breaking attendance of at least 40,000 expected to pass through by Tuesday, Christopher Luxon and his coalition partners can expect a large, if not necessarily warm, welcome to their first Waitangi Day as a new government.”
Separate pōwhiri symbolise fracturing of political consensus
On Saturday Labour and the Greens attended the official pōwhiri for the opposition parties – a markedly different scene than under the previous government, when a single parliamentary pōwhiri was held prior to the main event. That’s all changed this year. The government arrives this morning, while Te Pāti Māori chose to walk with the Kiingitanga, who arrived at Waitangi on Sunday afternoon. Sunday’s pōwhiri was a historic moment in itself, as Kiingi Tūheitia does not usually attend Waitangi commemorations but did so this year in a gesture of indigenous unity. As to why Te Pāti Māori arrived with the Kiingitanga and not their parliamentary colleagues, co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer said, “it's more important that we stand here in unity with those that represent te iwi Māori – and that's not Labour”.
Low expectations for Luxon may work in his favour
When prime minister Chris Luxon walks onto the Treaty Grounds for the government pōwhiri at 11am today, he’ll be accompanied by Act leader David Seymour, NZ First’s Winston Peters and Shane Jones, and other members of the coalition government. It’ll likely be an intense moment for both hosts and guests. Luxon will be hoping to make a better impression than he did at the Iwi Chairs Forum on Friday. While iwi leaders had a long list of concerns to raise pertaining to the government’s approach to Māori, “Luxon, as he did at Rātana, decided to start talking about school attendance levels,” reports Glenn McConnell at Stuff. “Some iwi leaders at the hui… described it as insulting.” Fisher says things today may not be as bad for Luxon as some think. Expectations of the new PM are “so low that – short of a catastrophic misstep – Luxon is unlikely to emerge in worse shape than he arrives”.
Even if Seymour loses at Waitangi, he still wins
David Fisher’s paywalled piece in the Weekend Herald is an interesting look at the potential political winners from this week’s events. There are opportunities for figures on both sides of the political divide to shine. Kingi Tūheitia, Te Pāti Māori, rising Labour Māori caucus stars Willow-Jean Prime and Peeni Henare, and even NZ First’s “son of Tai Tokerau” Shane Jones all have the chance to emerge with their mana strengthened. But the biggest winner, for very different reasons, will be David Seymour, Fisher says. “Should he become the focus of protest at Waitangi, it will boost his profile in the eyes of his supporters and be seen as proof he is poking the right bear. So even if it goes badly, Waitangi will go well for Seymour.”
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Transport agency reports huge shortfall as minister mulls future of bilingual signage plan
Waka Kotahi is billions of dollars short of funding, transport minister Simeon Brown has been warned. The NZ Herald reports that the agency told the minister it won’t be able to deliver on many projects in its 2021-24 National Land Transport Plan (NLTP). While it didn’t specify which parts of the plan were at risk, the NLTP includes roads, rail, public transport, walking and cycling. Meanwhile minister Brown has told RNZ that New Zealanders will soon know whether plans to make almost 100 types of traffic signs bilingual will go ahead. Waka Kotahi began its plan to change 94 traffic sign types last year with the installation of 'Kura / school' signs around the country. Now the minister is deciding whether to continue with the project, launched under the previous government, to place te reo Māori at the top of road signs and English underneath. Brown says he’ll make a decision “in the coming weeks”.
A deep dive into New Zealand’s public service
Why do we have so many public servants? What do they all do? And who exactly counts as a public servant anyway? Those are among the questions Henry Cooke attempts to answer on Stuff with the help of some very snazzy graphs. It’s an extremely impressive work of data journalism full of arresting stats, and pulling out just a couple of highlights is hard. But I was particularly struck by a graph showing how the number of public servants in Treasury stacks up against the equivalent department overseas. New Zealand is way out ahead, with just shy of 12 Treasury staffers per 100,000 people. In Canada, it’s just over two. But that may not be a fair comparison, notes Cooke – there’s a minimum number of people it takes to run a Treasury department, whether your country’s population is tens of millions or just a few. “It’s also worth noting that survey data suggests Kiwis generally like the quality of service they get from the public realm more than in many other countries.”
Click and Collect
The number of patients waiting four months or more for a specialist appointment has topped 60,000. The overdue wait list has increased by 67% in 12 months.
How journalist Jo Moir coined the political “goneburger”, and why her goneburger career may be finally over.
A Canterbury high school has been forced to close after 49 staff members contracted Covid at a teacher-only day.
New unemployment figures are out on Wednesday and bank economists are predicting a rise – potentially helping interest rates to ease.
Feeling clever? Click here to play 1Q, Aotearoa’s newest, shortest daily quiz.
Guidelines for looking after electricity company customers are now mandatory rules. Shanti Mathias explains how they’re going to make things fairer. Toby Manhire says the elevation of Chlöe Swarbrick to the co-leadership could prove to be a big problem for Labour. Tommy de Silva explains what the Treaty principles are, and why they’re so controversial right now. Actor Michael Galvin tells us about his favourite TV and the Shortland Street line that haunts him (bet you can guess which one). Years of researching health psychology didn’t prepare Alice Black for her own stay in an acute mental health ward, she writes. Duncan Greive explains the high stakes stand-off between Universal Music and TikTok. Alex Casey investigates where exactly a “crib” becomes a “bach”.
Sporting snippets
Only seven of the 14 members of the South Africa touring squad have played test cricket before. On The Spinoff, James Borrowdale looks at the bigger picture behind SA’s underpowered test side.
Blues Captain Patrick Tuipulotu suffered a fractured jaw in the Auckland team’s pre-season match against Tokyo Sungoliath in Japan on Saturday. The injury is likely to put him out of action for eight to ten weeks.
Got some feedback about The Bulletin, or anything in the news? Get in touch with me at thebulletin@thespinoff.co.nz.
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