Ivor Jones

Kia ora ngā mana whenua, ngā hau e whā. Greetings to the guardians of the land and the four winds.

The ceremonial transfer of power from Winston Peters to David Seymour as deputy prime minister isn’t merely a political reshuffle – it’s a Trojan horse for far-right ideology, cloaked in the rhetoric of “individual rights” while systematically dismantling Māori sovereignty.

Behind Mr Seymour’s quips about Dancing with the Stars and claims of “quirky” leadership lies a calculated agenda to erase Te Tiriti obligations, empower corporate interests, and normalise the marginalisation of tangata whenua. This isn’t governance; it’s colonisation repackaged for the 21st century.  

■ The Illusion of Progress: Seymour’s “Ceremonial” Power Grab

Mr Seymour’s appointment, framed as a “symbolic” milestone for Act’s growth, masks a deeper assault on democratic accountability.

While Prime Minister Christopher Luxon dismisses the role as “largely ceremonial”, Mr Seymour’s regulatory reforms reveal a power grab with existential implications for Māori.

As Minister for Regulation, Mr Seymour has embedded Act’s libertarian ideology into the machinery of government, transferring oversight of regulatory impact assessments from Treasury to his ministry.

This shift grants him veto power over policies affecting environmental protections, healthcare equity, and resource management – all areas where Māori rights are most vulnerable.  

The Regulatory Standards Bill, Mr Seymour’s pet project, prioritises property rights over Te Tiriti obligations, effectively sidelining Te Mana o te Wai principles in freshwater management.

Legal scholars warn this bill would constitutionalise corporate interests, enabling polluters like dairy conglomerates to challenge protections for ecosystems Māori have fought to safeguard.

As Ngāti Rēhia descendant Aniwa Henare argues, “When you prioritise individual ownership over collective kaitiakitanga, you erase the essence of Te Tiriti”.  

■ Cultural Gaslighting: From Haka to Health

Mr Seymour’s first act as deputy prime minister – defending Chris Bishop’s “load of crap” outburst during Stan Walker’s pro-Tiriti performance – exposes the coalition’s contempt for Māori cultural expression.

Mr Bishop’s dismissal of Toitū Te Tiriti banners as “performative” mirrors Mr Seymour’s own efforts to strip Treaty considerations from Pharmac funding decisions, despite evidence that Māori face systemic barriers accessing medicines. This duality –attacking both symbolic and material forms of Māori self-determination – is the hallmark of modern assimilation politics.  

The Privileges Committee’s suspension of Te Pāti Māori MPs for performing a haka during Treaty debates exemplifies this hypocrisy.

While Mr Seymour frames parliamentary “decorum” as neutral, the punishment targets Māori MPs for asserting indigeneity in a system designed to suppress it.

As Rawiri Waititi stated, “They call our haka intimidation because they fear its truth”.  

■ The Far-Right Playbook: Assimilation by Stealth

Act’s policy platform – masked as “colourblind” meritocracy – directly contravenes Waitangi Tribunal rulings affirming Māori authority over lands and resources.

Mr Seymour’s claim that “Māori have nothing to fear” from his leadership rings hollow when his actions include:  

■ Undermining health equity: Directing Pharmac to ignore ethnicity as a factor in medicine access, despite Māori dying seven years earlier than Pākehā.  

■ Environmental sabotage: Fast-tracking approvals for seabed mining in Te Moana-a-Toi, disregarding Whakatōhea’s post-settlement governance rights.  

■ Educational erasure: Reviving charter schools that sideline te reo Māori curricula while funnelling public funds to private entities.  

These policies aren’t accidents, they’re calculated to fracture Māori unity.

As scholar Linda Tuhiwai Smith notes, “Colonialism thrives when it convinces the colonised to internalise their own erasure”.  

■ The Path Forward: Reclaiming the Narrative

Mr Seymour’s ascent demands more than critique – it requires radical solidarity.

To quote Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke: “He aha te mea nui? He tāngata, he tāngata, he tāngata.”

The fight must extend beyond Parliament:  

1. Support iwi-led resistance: Back legal challenges to Mr Seymour’s regulatory reforms, such as Ngāi Tahu’s pending case against fast-tracked mining permits.  
2. Amplify Māori media: Counteract mainstream outlets normalising Act’s agenda by uplifting platforms such as Waatea News and Te Karere.  
3. Build intersectional alliances: Partner with unions, climate activists, and disability advocates to expose how “deregulation” harms all marginalized communities.  

To Mr Seymour: Your title grants no legitimacy.

We are the rivers you cannot poison, the land you cannot own, the voices you cannot silence. Kāore e mutu te tono mo te tika.