Brian Tamaki at the March 25 protest day in Auckland. Photo / Dean Purcell
Brian Tamaki at the March 25 protest day in Auckland. Photo / Dean Purcell
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Brian Tamaki promises a ‘spare the rod and spoil the child’ approach to crime, and will use his 40 years of implementing transformative changes to many Māori lives as his driving kaupapa.
Tonight at Auckland’s Grand Millennium Hotel, Tamaki will unveil Freedoms NZ’s Time to Stop Crime policy.
“Ram-raids have risen by 653 per cent from 2017 to 2022. I will reduce this scourge in our society,” Tamaki said.
“This crime wave is the collateral damage of their lockdowns, loss of jobs and loss of business. When they governed, Labour, NZ First and Greens were more concerned about a poorly perceived health crisis and had no concern for the collateral social carnage they were causing. We are now paying the price.”
Tamaki said the level of crime in Aotearoa is untenable and he is the man to shift the dial.
Ram-raids, Tamaki says, are out of control. Photo / Hayden Woodward
“Crime is thriving. There were 175,573 domestic violence cases in 2022 alone. Add to that their family members who were affected, and that’s a significant portion of our country. There is a lot of anger, fear and anxiety amongst Kiwis, and we now have a huge morale problem. No wonder so many Kiwis are considering moving overseas.”
He said the root of much of the crime is the breakdown of families - especially Māori whānau.
“I will address the ‘Māori crime reality’ head-on!” he said.
“I’m only saying what many in the public are thinking. All of the statistics show that Māori are disproportionately represented in crime,” he said.
“We must face this reality head-on.
“We can no longer bury our heads in the sand, and before you tell me I’m being racist, just remember who is saying this.
“I am an experienced Māori leader who has dedicated his life to caring for Māori, who is on the ground amongst Māori every day getting results in transforming Māori lives.”
Brian Tamaki during his speech to his followers during the Freedom and Rights Coalition protest at Parliament, Wellington. Photo / Mark Mitchell
“The real criminals have been politicians, particularly the Labour Māori caucus and the greedy Māori elite, who have had billions to address this reality amongst Māori, but it has only got worse. Even Māori are failing Māori.”
Tamaki points to his successful Man Up programme as a guiding light in a sea of whānau darkness.
“It’s time to also address the man problem in New Zealand. Too many fathers are absent in the lives of our young people. Statistics show that 65 per cent of youth offenders do not live with their fathers. And when our politicians can’t define ‘what a woman is’, there’s no chance they’ll be able to define what a man is.
“I want to introduce a Minister for Men, a genuine Kiwi bloke that can restore masculinity, restore fatherhood and a man’s responsibility for his family.”
“Hipkins, Luxon and Seymour hardly have the credentials to deal with the Māori crime reality. I know how to be tough on crime, and tender with rehabilitation and support. If you can front up with a Māori leader who is currently achieving better results than what I’m doing through my Man Up programme, with no taxpayer money, can you please let me know?!”
Joseph Los’e joined NZME in 2022 as Kaupapa Māori Editor. Los’e was a chief reporter and news director at the Sunday News newspaper covering crime, justice and sport. He was also editor of the NZ Truth and, prior to joining NZME, worked for 12 years for Te Whānau o Waipareira.
