imnofox demands constitutional reform

imnofox rallied voters at the packed Whanganui Memorial Hall to discuss constitutional reform

"Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tatou katoa. Welcome to the Whanganui Memorial Hall! I want to start with a little bit of history. 15 years and 6 days ago, in this very hall, the Māori Party was formed, on the 11 July 2004."

"I think looking back is important. Ka mua, ka muri, you know? The Māori Party was formed in 2004 over the Labour Party's foreshore and seabed debacle. Māori asserted their rights to the foreshore and seabed under te Tiriti o Waitangi, and the Labour Party deprived Māori both their access to the courts and any recognition of their property rights."

"Eventually, through hard activism and a stern resolve, the Māori Party eventually overturned that terrible law, after entering government with the National Party. And that was even after Don Brash's infamous Orewa speech. I think the story of the Māori Party emphasises the reality that Māori need an independent voice to act as the conduit between iwi Māori and the Crown- and the reality that both old parties have terrible histories when it comes to Māori rights and te Tiriti o Waitangi, similar to their records on state surveillance really."

"Working with either Labour or National in government, we'll force their hand, and we'll keep them on a short leash. The Internet Party is committed to developing a written constitution, built on the foundations of He Whakaputanga o Te Rangatiratanga o Nū Tīreni and Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Our weak constitutional structure has given the Crown and its ministers too much unchecked power, too much influence, and we see that when they run roughshod over our rights under Te Tiriti."

"We need a constitutional transformation. We must uphold the principles of tino rangatiratanga and mana Māori motuhake, embedding these values in a new written constitution, built on the foundations of He Whakaputanga o Te Rangatiratanga o Nū Tīreni and Te Tiriti o Waitangi. The process of developing this new constitution must be led by Māori. It is tangata whenua who should dictate how things should be done in tangata whenua's domain, not manuhiri. At present, even throughout the treaty settlement process, we have the wrong-doer dictating the terms of the relationship with the wronged. For Pākehā to gain legitimacy in Aotearoa, they must place their trust in tangata whenua, just as Māori have been forced or urged to place their trust in the oppressors since 1840. Developing a modern written constitution, must come from a process of negotiations, discussion, and exploration- a process driven by the principles of tikanga, a process which Pākehā do not control."

"I have little doubt many Pākehā find such a suggestion confronting and challenging. Good! The obsession Pākehā have with controlling the Māori/Pākehā relationship could easily be characterised as some kind of compulsive disorder. No, Pākehā must take a leap of faith- but nothing else will suffice if Pākehā want to wipe away the guilt they all suffer with and gain a new legitimacy in Aotearoa."

"Consitutal change, solving the relationship between tangata whenua and tangata tiriti, must be a priority. It's unfortunate that the best solution we've seen from the Labour Party is yet another advisory council. Sure, it's elected by Māori. But this is a Pākehā invention, sitting within the structures of the Crown, and as their manifesto states, totally subordinate to Parliament."

"Labour's commitment to te Tiriti is, once again, hollow and superficial. When te Tiriti guaranteed Māori their right to sovereignty and the Crown the right to govern, that was just that. Parliament can never be legitimately superior to the sovereignty of Māori, as that sovereignty was never ceded. Labour's history of tokenistic gestures speaks for itself. Actions speak louder than tokenistic gestures, and both Labour and National's record are screaming at us. No wonder they've been throwing endorsements at each other."

"The other reality is that you've got to be at the table, in government, to deliver this kind of substantial structural change. Labour doesn't even plan to be in government! Just yesterday the Labour leader was proudly stating "Labour is absolutely the best party to lead an opposition against a regressive right-wing government". While Labour makes the pitch for the opposition benches, the Internet Party is working hard to actually get into government, either with the "regressive right" (who've endorsed NTDW, and has been endorsed by the same Labour leader), or the lefties who've done just as much damage. No, NTDW can only do so much from the opposition backbenches. We need a voice for Māori, for kaupapa Māori politics, at the decision making table, no matter which knife-wielding Pākehā party sits on it with us."

"I am committed to delivering the sizable constitutional change that Aotearoa needs to finally assimilate Pākehā into Aotearoa, as are the Internet Party caucus. We have the most transformational policy to deliver tino rangatiratanga and to value mautauranga Māori of any party, perhaps bar the Greenies. I implore you, vote against the Labour/National alliance, united in the preservation of Crown power and control over tangata whenua. It's time to break the wheel of ongoing colonisation and deliver a just and free and fair future. A future that values matauranga Māori, and treats us as partners, not afterthoughts. That is the future I will demand from Labour, National, or whoever I form government with. Because we matter, our rights matter."

"Vote imnofox for Te Tai Tokerau!"

the crowd cheered like a whole lot, because imno's commitment to kaupapa Māori shone through the bleakness of another term of status quo National/Labour governance