National’s election review leaked

Written By: - Date published: 7:33 am, April 29th, 2021 - 20 comments
Categories: election 2020, Judith Collins, national, politicans, same old national - Tags:

It was only a matter of time.  Tova O’Brien at Newshub has been leaked a copy of the abridged version of the National Party election review.

From Newshub:

A stronger focus on Māori and diversity, fixing the problems that led to the Auckland Central shemozzle and changes to leadership processes – these are just a few of the recommendations from recent top-secret reviews into the National Party.

Newshub has been leaked an abridged, sanitised version of National’s election review, which was sent to party members on Tuesday night. It’s an 18-page hodgepodge of recommendations from both the election review and a separate review led by former National Party leader Jim McLay into the party’s structure and governance.

It covers everything from leadership to diversity, getting rid of dead wood on the board, ‘Merv from Manurewa’ and calling out bad behaviour.

This report is a much shorter version of the full report with all the gory details taken out. National MPs were only allowed to read the original under lock and key for fear it would be leaked.

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to say where things went wrong for National during the 2020 election, and a lot of this is operational, constitutional, governance stuff – but you definitely get a sense of the soul-searching and wound licking National is currently going through.

Heh.

The proposals for change include these:

  • Bad behaviour needs to be called out and dealt with quickly.
  • Entrenching the leadership selection process in the constitution.
  • The party needs to embed the Treaty of Waitangi into its constitution and consider standing in the Maori electorates.
  • A diverse caucus needs to be rebuilt and the Party List needs to be used as a show piece – both in its announcement but also in its quality of candidates.
  • There are various Merv from Manurewa changes proposed including making changes to selection rules to avoid the Auckland Central debacle.

Most of the proposals appear to be common sense to deal with a party that is currently deeply dysfunctional.

There will be a question about who leaked the report.  It could have been an ordinary member of the National Party.  Or it could have been an MP who took the opportunity to leak a copy of the report they were actually given.

And how has current Leader Judith Collins handled the process so far and the call for increased diversity and respect for te Titiri o Watangi?

Not well. She was asked about the problem yesterday morning on Radio New Zealand and thought the status quo was fine.  She said this:

“We will not stand for a separatist New Zealand. We will stand for a New Zealand where everyone gets equal opportunity, and we’re able to help everyone to come through to the best of their ability and their own self-determination.”

Collins said she believed many Māori wanted to join the party because it stood for individual freedom, choice, and allowed people to get ahead by hard work and determination, according to their talents.

Collins held up Whangārei MP and National Party deputy leader Shane Reti as an example of a Māori person who had achieved success through hard work.

“I just look at someone by Dr Shane Reti and say ‘how could anybody say that he is anything other than an example of someone who has got ahead, worked extremely hard, principled in his approach.”

She also decided to go full racist on a Facebook post and tried to divert from the issue of the day, National’s open hostility to having a caucus that actually looks like Aotearoa New Zealand to National’s hostility to any sort of targeted benefits.  Even though the life expectancy rate for Tangata Whenua is 7 years less than the life expectancy for all other kiwis.  Her post said this:

National opposes the Government’s proposed Māori Health Authority and the veto powers it will have over the rest of the health system.
The Government says it has a te Tiriti obligation to segregate healthcare, dividing us into Māori and everyone else. As far as we’re concerned, segregation was an appalling idea last century and it remains an appalling idea.
Before Labour rushes down this path, they need to pause and consider where segregated systems will lead us. A separate education system or justice system?
Labour needs to be honest with Kiwis about how they are interpreting the Treaty and how far they intend to take ‘co-governance’. We can argue the language and meaning of the Treaty, but the Prime Minister and her Government should at least be open and transparent about how they are approaching it.
The Government’s Cabinet Paper reveals the Māori Health Authority will also have the power to veto any decision made by Health NZ. What does the Government hope to achieve by separating our healthcare along racial lines and then placing the power of veto in the hands of one race-based institution?
Equality is a core value of the National Party and we will not budge on our position that every New Zealander, no matter their race, should have access to the same rights and opportunities including access to healthcare.

Her comments display a deeply flawed understanding of modern Aotearoa New Zealand.  This is not rocket science.  We (Labour) beat National in 2005 because their leader talked about mainstream New Zealanders and how they did not include immigrants.  John Key understood this.  He championed diversity.  He had designated positions for ethnic candidates in National’s list, and took Aroha Nathan to Waitangi day for the photo opportunity.

Collins does not seem to understand this.  I hope this inability to understand how Aotearoa New Zealand now functions continues for a long time.

20 comments on “National’s election review leaked ”

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  1. Sanctuary 1
    29 April 2021 at 8:15 am

    I suspect that Collins is presiding over a shambles. She seems just a bit dumb and lazy – she is constantly being caught out for her lazy sloganeering by the most basic fact checking.

    She can't control her byzantine caucus who seem spend most of their time in church hatching half-formed plots to oust her. She seems not to take advice but to simply trust her own judgement, and is convinced that NZ is just like her and she looking for a new Orewa moment that will save her own skin and give her party some relevance.

    Problem is the country has moved on, and behaving like some slightly dim, pearl clutching Hyacinth Bucket complete with blue rinse racism and massive insecurities is just not going to cut the mustard.

  2. roy cartland 2
    29 April 2021 at 8:24 am

    I just can't tell what they're for any more. Why have a National Party at all?

    Shouldn't they have ideals and policies sussed THEN form a party around those; rather than try to shoehorn what they think people want (and what they think they can get away with) around a blue flag?

    • Sabine 2.1
      29 April 2021 at 8:42 am

      The same thing could have been said about Labour after the Cunliffe election debacle which would have turned into a Andrew Little election debacle had he not made space (willingly as he claims) for Jacinda Ardern . And look where the Labour Party is today.

      This country needs a few decent parties, sadly it seems 'decent' is not a qualification anymore. Anyhow my suggestion to National would be to find few more people that look young, polished have a nice diploma or five in communications to make even Judith Collins, and the good Christian something something Lux( i can’t remember his name) look good and appear humane. In due time National will find this person, offer tax cuts and the likes, and people will vote for them again. Cause substance is for suckers, really what the country wants is someone nice, palatable and well spoken. Once that requirement is fullfilled, they can win and then do pretty much what ever. s/

      • Hanswurst 2.1.1
        29 April 2021 at 3:56 pm

        really what the country wants is someone nice, palatable and well spoken.

        That certainly doesn't apply to either Key or Ardern. Funnily enough, it does apply to Brash and Collins, as well as David Cunliffe, if to a lesser extent.

        • Louis 2.1.1.1
          29 April 2021 at 7:57 pm

          Umm just to clarify, do you think Brash and Collins are "nice, palatable and well spoken"

          • Anne 2.1.1.1.1
            29 April 2021 at 10:38 pm

            I think Hanswurst is referring to the bolded… well spoken.

            elocution

            /ˌɛləˈkjuːʃ(ə)n/

            noun

            1. the skill of clear and expressive speech, especially of distinct pronunciation and articulation

            Judith Collins in particular is clear and her pronunciation is excellent. I think she's had elocution lessons sometime in the past.

      • gypsy 2.1.2
        29 April 2021 at 4:55 pm

        Good points. In late July 2017, Labour were polling at around 24%. Jacinda Ardern was appointed leader on 1 August, and by late August Labour were polling ahead of National. The policies, party personnel and shadow cabinet were virtually unchanged. This is not a criticism of Labour, it is an indication of how fickle and personality obsessed NZ voters are. So yes, you are correct. If National find the right personality to lead, the current state of the party will mean nothing.

        • Sabine 2.1.2.1
          29 April 2021 at 7:16 pm

          Without her and Winston Peters, Labour would have lost to whom ever was running at the time for National. It seems that Labour people like to forget that bit.

          And next time around come election day it might actually be Labour that has run our of mates to form a coalition with.

          • Louis 2.1.2.1.1
            29 April 2021 at 7:55 pm

            No one has forgotten MMP, thats how Labour took the 2017 election. Can your reckonings be applied to the National party as well? Like if John key hadnt been leader, National would have lost and you never know, Labour might win another majority at the next election.

  3. Tricledrown 3
    29 April 2021 at 9:42 am

    Collins is playing the Trump cards again pretending Maori get equal opportunities when all the indicators show otherwise keeping Maori poorer sicker less well educated is what Nationals policies have caused.

    NZ would have the highest standards of living in the world if we all helped Maori out of poverty !

    National throw Maori a few trinkets along with mountains of demonising .

    Labour do only slightly better just doing enough well meaning but never enough.

  4. Patricia Bremner 4
    29 April 2021 at 9:46 am

    The world has not beaten this pandemic. It is alarming how the pattern of one million in the influenza epidemic turned to fifty million in the second year. We are seeing patterns emerge that could lead to a similar situation. In the middle of that, the opposition expect NZ to be rivetted by their internal machinations, and to consider their "positions" relevant

    Leaders lead, encourage others to grow while communicating common goals. There is none of that in National. They are still navel gazing and jockeying for position. As they have left the worst offenders and type cast members in place. Change? No nay never.

    Tatau tatau escapes them.

  5. Brigid 5
    29 April 2021 at 11:36 am

    I'm not racist.

    Some of my best friends are Dr Shane Retis

  6. Stuart Munro 6
    29 April 2021 at 12:03 pm

    I suspect that these issues are epiphenomenal on National's core failing – they don't know why they ought to govern, only that they expect to.

    There are a number of lines they could have taken on the Maori Health Authority, and probably the safest would have been an endpoint – that it exists to correct health disparities and should expect to merge with the main health service when those targets are reached.

    Such considerations go right over their heads.

    • Tricledrown 6.1
      30 April 2021 at 6:22 pm

      National know only to well why they want to govern to keep the poor poor and the rich richer.

      • Stuart Munro 6.1.1
        30 April 2021 at 7:12 pm

        They need at least a plausible pretense of public interest – naked greed won't get you enough punters in the cheap seats. Plutocrats did pretty well for centuries with the noble lie – but I guess it's pushing shit uphill to call a kakistocracy an aristocracy.

  7. PapaMike 7
    30 April 2021 at 8:36 am

    First Mistake

    Tova O'Brian was not leaked – she is still full of her own importance

    Copies of the report were were widely sent widely to members of the National Party simultaneously – so the comments re her having a leaked copy are bullshit as expected.

    • Enough is Enough 7.1
      30 April 2021 at 1:48 pm

      Tova is a sensationalist.

      She tried to make this a story about leaking, rather than just reporting what is in the receommdations.

      It is pretty hard to leak a document which in essence in the public domaine.