An X cross-post

Or, Why it is important to deal with corruption whevever we find it, and other stuff

I posted this on X this morning, but thought I would cross-post it here.

A good Substack post from Peter Williams about the grift at some high-profile Māori entities. Sadly, none of this is unusual, and it goes back decades. We should want Māori-focused organisations to do right for Māori, not enrich the families of their leadership.

I want my children to be proud of their Māori heritage, not embarrassed by the continual stories of corruption in the situations Peter refers to. Leading an organisation to benefit Māori, or Pacifica, or Scots, or Koreans, or any ethnic or cultural group, is a responsibility to your people and to the country, not an opportunity to enrich your family and friends. Fortunately, my wife and children are Kai Tahu, so they are mostly able to take pride in their Iwi’s achievements. Mostly, anyway.

Corruption (and the Soviet Union) doomed post-colonial Africa, and it will have the same effect here if we don’t stop it now. It must be stopped before it entrenches a new class system among urban Māori: those who have managed to obtain Government largesse, and are therefore able to parcel it out, and those who have not.

I will note, though, that both the National Party and ACT are missing the boat on this. There is a vast, under-reached group of people, traditionally Labour voters, who are ignored by the Māori elite, the Labour elite, and who think the Greens are just nuts. Which they are.

How does this relate to the Substack post? Because by clamping down on grift in these Māori charities and trusts, the government should encourage as many Māori as possible to give to the community. When the Māori elite restricts entry to such service to a privileged few, all of whom share the same victimhood worldview, then it removes opportunity and enriches a few. The National Party likes to see itself as the party of small business, but it doesn’t act like it, sadly; we need to start earlier than that, though. Give people hope that they can succeed from school-age and watch them respond to you.

How does this relate to the Substack post? Because by clamping down on grift in these Māori charities and trusts, the government should encourage as many Māori as possible to give to the community. When the Māori elite restricts entry to such service to a privileged few, all of whom share the same victimhood worldview, then it removes opportunity and enriches a few.

There is an opportunity here for the current government to do right in two ways: stamp out corruption and open up opportunities for more Māori to serve their community, plus for the member parties to reach new voters through intelligent outreach.

They should take the opportunity.