Is the Waitangi Tribunal overhaul part of something bigger?

Eight new faces have been appointed to the tribunal.

Mōrena, and welcome to The Bulletin for Wednesday, January 22.

In today’s edition: The political year kicks off with speeches and caucus meetings, minister told minimum wage could safely go higher, and are we doing enough about ‘forever chemicals’? But first, the government’s quiet overhaul of the Waitangi Tribunal.

Waitangi Tribunal lands new names

On Friday last week, the government quietly announced it had overhauled the Waitangi Tribunal, appointing eight new members, while just five had their terms renewed. The Spinoff’s Gabi Lardies and Liam Rātana have broken down the new appointments and looked at those who will now longer serve on the tribunal, among them leading Māori academics and historians.

As Lardies and Rātana noted, the new appointments tend to have held high-level leadership roles in business, have experience in policy advising, law, media or local politics. That includes Philip Crump, a conservative blogger that briefly led the paywalled ZB Plus website at NZME, and Vanessa Eparaima, a business consultant. Māori development minister Tama Potaka said the new appointments would strengthen the tribunal and ensure it remained fit for purpose, reported RNZ. But Te Pāti Māori, reported the Herald’s Joseph Los’e, said it was a whitewash. “Tama Potaka has removed some of Te Ao Māori’s greatest thinkers from the Waitangi Tribunal and replaced them with pale, stale males,” said co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer.

Tribunal has been under fire

Announcing the new appointments via a press release on a Friday doesn’t instantly suggest the government was trying to avoid scrutiny. Nevertheless, the current government has a slightly thorny relationship with the tribunal. The coalition agreement between National and New Zealand First includes an agreement to refocus the “scope, purpose and nature” of the tribunal’s inquiries, despite the typically non-binding purpose of the Waitangi Tribunal. In May last year, senior ministers from both Act and New Zealand First publicly criticised the tribunal after it summoned a minister to appear before it. David Seymour suggested it should be “wound up for [its] own good”, adding that it had become “increasingly activist” and was acting “well beyond its brief”. Shane Jones went a step further, saying the tribunal was running as a “wannabe American star chamber Pulp Fiction gig”.

Christopher Luxon reprimanded his ministers for their remarks, though of course the intention to rescope the tribunal as part of the coalition agreement remains. Then, in November, Seymour accused the Waitangi Tribunal of breaking the government’s trust after it leaked details about when the Treaty Principles Bill would be introduced to parliament, reported Stuff.

‘Jobs for the boys’

It’s not unusual for governments to give jobs to those it’s friendly with. Labour, for example, named ex-MP Louisa Wall as an ambassador for gender equality, and Trevor Mallard landed a role as ambassador for Ireland. However, there has been consistent criticism from the opposition about the perception of appointments made by the coalition. In the first few months of this parliamentary term, a handful of former National MPs were given roles on boards or leading reviews, including Simon Bridges, Murray McCullay and Bill English, reported 1News. Labour’s Chris Hipkins said it was “jobs for the boys” and came at the same time thousands in the public sector were losing their jobs.

Last year, new members were added to the Waitangi Tribunal, including former Labour and Act MP Richard Prebble. Labour’s Willie Jackson said it was a “kick in the guts” for Māori. “Are we going to make Don Brash the new chair of the tribunal?" Jackson said.

A ‘right wing plot’?

Writing for The Spinoff last year, Duncan Greive referenced a perception by some of a “right wing plot to either destabilise, radically reform or ultimately dismantle some key institutions that are perceived as having an inbuilt left wing tilt”. That comment was after Philip Crump, who has just been named to the Waitangi Tribunal, landed a role on NZ On Air’s board. A “plot” seems unlikely, though a trend is becoming visible. Crump’s time as a blogger often saw him tackle topics such as co-governance which, at the time, were seen by some as being ignored by the mainstream media. The Spinoff’s Madeleine Chapman also reported on the controversy surrounding the new chief human rights commissioner, Stephen Rainbow, who was appointed without the endorsement of bipartisan appointment committees.

Have thoughts? Join the conversation in the comments.

The political year kicks off

Last weekend’s National reshuffle was an unexpected start to the political year, but the real action kicks off today. As RNZ’s Jo Moir explained, both Labour and National have planned caucus retreats today as they gather and regroup for the first time this year. It follows a poll, released last week, that showed Labour ahead of National for the first time in almost two years. Christopher Luxon will deliver his state of the nation address tomorrow, followed by Act’s David Seymour on Friday. All other parties will spend that day at Rātana for what is widely observed as the first major date on the political calendar. Let the games begin.

More reading:

• The rise and fall of Shane Reti (The Spinoff)

• Community leaders surprised at Melissa Lee’s removal from ethnic communities’ portfolio (RNZ)

• David Seymour’s subtle power play (The Spinoff)

Help keep The Spinoff ticking

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We revealed that only 2% of our audience support us financially and shared the real need to double the number of members who support us with monthly or annual payments.

We still have a way to go, but the support has made us as determined as ever to get there. Please continue to spread the word and share the letter.

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Minister told minimum wage could safely go higher

Officials recommended the minimum wage be raised by 2% this April in order to keep pace with the cost of living, the Herald’s Thomas Coughlan reported (paywalled). This wouldn’t have resulted in significant job losses, the government was told. Instead, the minister responsible, Brooke van Velden, pushed for a 1% hike before ultimately settling on a 1.5% increase, noting that the minimum wage had increased faster than the average wage since 2001.

More reading:

• Winston Peters hints at minimum wage hike next year (Interest)

• There’s no downside to raising the minimum wage (The Spinoff)

Join us live in 2025

We have four fantastic live events in 2025. Join us in Auckland and Wellington for The Spinoff Live!

Auckland at Q Theatre: Bryn & Ku’s Singles Club Party, February 13 and Gone by Lunchtime Live, April 9.

Wellington at the Hannah Playhouse: The Fold Live, February 20 and The Spinoff Book Club, March 13.

Are we doing enough about ‘forever chemicals’?

Shanti Mathias asks a scientist whether we're doing enough about omnipresent “forever chemicals”, also meaning PFAS chemicals.

In summer time, as rain skims off the roof of your tent, you might not be thinking about the chemicals falling off the surface and running towards the ocean, invisible to you, yet there they are.

To support work like this, consider becoming a Spinoff Member.

Click and Collect

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• For BusinessDesk subscribers, a good read this morning from Dileepa Fonseka on the progress made on a free trade deal with India. (paywalled)

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Right now on The Spinoff

Anna Rawhiti-Connell and Duncan Greive discuss Meta going Maga, Tiktok's perilous future and NZ media in 2025 on The Fold. Clara van Wel has a simple trick to conquer your reading goals: read shorter books. Madeleine Chapman reviews the two new ice blocks vying for the Cyclone's crown. Alex Casey has some bad news about the prevalence of microplastics in compost. For The Cost of Being, a 19-year-old studying in the US on a full scholarship breaks down his costs.

That’s it for today. Thanks for reading and see you tomorrow morning.

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