NZ Politics Daily: 5 July (liberation)

One of the great-unexamined social, economic and political phenomena of post-1984 New Zealand is the growing importance of iwi, following on from state-sanctioned involvement in Treaty processes and biculturalism. There has been some attention paid to the political and economic power of these modern ‘neo-tribal corporations’ by individuals such as Prof Elizabeth Rata at Auckland University, the late Bruce Jesson, and Maori radical Annette Sykes, but within the mainstream media there are few attempts to understand how significant these organisations are. Even the Iwi Leadership Group - a very modern political outcome of iwi power - passes by largely unexamined, despite its crucial role in modern state-Maori politics and it’s close relationship with the Maori Party. Therefore, John McCrone’s Press investigation, Ngai Tahu's legacy set to grow is well worth reading today. He argues that although Iwi corporations are large operations that have growing economic and political power they are not very transparent.

Sticking with Maori politics, both Willie Jackson and Rawiri Taonui have dealt with the proposed Mana Party deal with the Maori Party – see: Time for a deal to lock out Labour and Hone stares down panicking opposition (not currently online, but in the Sunday Star Times). Jackson says the deal is important, and Taonui disagrees. Either way, it seems that the Maori Party is in trouble.

While this year’s election campaign looks likely to be fairly dull in terms of actual policy, Vernon Small speculates that this could change - see: Capital gains speculation over Labour tax policy; and Mike Williams argues that National’s partial-privatisation plans will be central – see: The elephant in National’s room: Privatisation. Either way, both policies are likely to be the main points of attack for Labour and National against each other in the election.

Two other viewpoints worth reading in the Dom Post are Tom Fitzsimons’s article, When one moment on the lips becomes a monumental blip (not online) and Karl Du Fresne column, Moral outrage fans the spread of acute sensitivity disorder. Both items question if Thompson’s comments have been blown out of proportion. Yet more likely, Thompson’s comments have simply acted as a trigger event for debate and change on issues that are important but don’t get much attention from media obsessed with conflict you can't see on the TV. Of course trade unions have been running campaigns for years on it without much media attention. Thompson has proved to be their greatest ally in getting it on top of the public agenda. [Continue reading below for a full list of the highlights of NZ Politics Daily]

Below are the internet links to all the NZ politics material from the last 24 hours that are either informative, insightful, interesting or influential. This list and the links are taken from a fuller document, NZ Politics Daily, which is emailed out, Monday to Friday, to various researchers, academics, journalists, MPs and so forth. The document is purely for research purposes only, and if you would like to be on the subscription list, please email: bryce.edwards@otago.ac.nz

Pay equity

Derek Cheng (NZH): Key shies from wage equity bill

Radiolive: Govt unlikely to support equal pay bill

Derek Cheng (NZH): Tactics stymie work on bills

Tom Fitzsimons (Dom Post): When one moment on the lips becomes a monumental blip [Not currently online]

Karl Du Fresne (Dom Post) Moral outrage fans the spread of acute sensitivity disorder

No Right Turn: Closing the gender pay gap

Waitangi Claims

Colin James (ODT): WAI262: the Treaty after grievances are settled

Frances Morton (NZH): Right to veto culture and fauna for Maori

John McCrone (Press): Ngai Tahu's legacy set to grow

2011 election policies