Letters: Tikanga Māori has no place in New Zealand’s secular legal system; Labour MPs behave badly too

Deputy PM Winston Peters (inset right) has backed a complaint made by Gary Judd KC (inset left) over incoming compulsory tikanga Māori studies for law students.

Tikanga Māori has no place in our legal system

Gary Judd KC is the voice of reason in his opposition to the proposed compulsory introduction of tikanga Māori into the legal curriculum (NZ Herald, May 8).

As other opponents have pointed out, tikanga Māori is not a codified system of law and should not be permitted to intrude into centuries of our established common law. The role of the judiciary is to interpret our law, not to make new law. The latter is the role of the Government through our elected parliamentarians. Judges are not elected and cannot be dismissed unless they are guilty of serious misconduct.

Judd and other King’s Counsels have expressed their concern about the perceived activism of the Supreme Court, but too many aspiring lawyers are afraid to speak out against such activism. In the Peter Ellis case, the court asked counsel to consider tikanga Māori even though it has never been a part of previous jurisprudence. Tikanga Māori may be likened to a “system of beliefs” - similar to other religious beliefs - and should have no place in our secular legal system.

Janie Weir, Newmarket.

Bullying and bias

When commenting on Julie-Anne Genter’s recent behaviour at Parliament (NZ Herald, May 7), senior writer Simon Wilson states “a string of National MPs have been accused of bullying behaviour in recent years”, which he then goes on to say “exposes a sense of entitlement baked into that party’s DNA”.

Notably, the string of high-profile bullying accusations which faced Labour MPs last year, including Kiritapu Allan, Ginny Andersen and Shanan Halbert, didn’t warrant a mention. Did these multiple allegations not also expose a “sense of entitlement baked into” the Labour Party?

While I’m sure it was just an honest mistake, some commentators might think highlighting only the alleged poor behaviour of National MPs could expose a certain bias “baked into” the opinion piece. At a time when trust in the media is at a crisis point, more care should be taken.

Gwynn Compton, Paraparaumu Beach.

Tax red flags flying

I am increasingly concerned that the new Government is apparently pushing ahead with income tax cuts in the face of ever more apparent financial headwinds, as your commentator Matthew Hooton regularly points out.

His analysis (NZ Herald, May 3) shows that the Government will need to increase debt to fund the cuts. The latest OECD biennial report has also warned against this. Using debt to fund capital works which will bring a long-term economic or social benefit makes sense, but borrowing to fund tax cuts leads the economy down an ever steeper slope.

I think Finance Minister Nicola Willis should make the most of the narrative of the poor state of the country’s finances left by the previous administration to say that for now the only tax cut that can be afforded (and is morally defensible) is the indexation of income tax rates starting from July 1 this year - or maybe next year. Too many previous administrations have cynically let inflation do the job of insidiously increasing the tax take.

Mark Vincent, Maungaturoto.

Bach distraction

I received my rates bill this week, along with all the other Auckland ratepayers. Included was the Ratepayers’ Update, informing me that there were 93 “Auckland Council-owned holiday parks, baches, lodges, backpackers, cottages, campgrounds and tiny homes”.

Is this really something that should be included in a city council’s role? I would much prefer it if they were to focus on some of the more basic functions expected of a city council... and, oh yes, reigning in the profligate spending by Auckland Transport.

Chris Parker, Campbells Bay.

Go un-woke, go broke

On May 1, a groundbreaking agreement with the EU came into force, immediately adding millions to our horticulture industry exports. In an interview, the EU representative pointed to climate change initiatives in transport and production, as well as indigenous support in business, as key drivers of the agreement, adding that shoppers in Europe are fastidious label-readers who buy accordingly.

Christopher Luxon needs to show some vision - even if an understanding of climate change escapes him - and act like a businessman. Investing in trains for transport and freight instead of roads makes a huge difference in how our country tracks for emission reductions. For the past two years, emissions have been falling, thanks to initiatives put in place by the Labour Government. By contrast, the coalition has already scrapped climate change as a goal and cut projects that would have made a huge difference, such as the Cook Strait ferry project.

If it does not continue with tackling climate change, the entire EU agreement could end up in jeopardy and shoppers could reject our products. By scoffing at saving endangered species and bragging about driving more cars, New Zealand is looking like the dinosaur of the world - not the clean, green country its branding likes to suggest.

Samantha Cunningham, Henderson.