Anti co-governance 'tour' breaches Human Rights Act, Māori ward councillor says
Monday, 20 March 2023
As the words “Tūtira mai ngā iwi” rang out from the back of Ōrewa Community Centre, the English-only verse of New Zealand’s national anthem was sung back in response.
When members of local iwi Ngāti Manuhiri and members of Te Herenga Waka o Ōrewa Marae responded with the reo Māori verse, Stop Co-Governance supporters turned their backs, and someone called out “Oh god, here we go.”
Meanwhile, police formed a barricade between the two parties.
Division like that created on Saturday is why protesters say they are demanding a stop to the speaking tour, with a petition asking that Attorney-General David Parker take action due to breaches of the Human Rights Act for inciting racial disharmony.
But the man behind the tour, Julian Batchelor, says “the protesters and their behaviour are a living, live example of the wrongness of co-governance”.
**READ MORE:
* Janet Wilson: Tackling systemic prejudice will require shrugging off our apathy
* Co-governance - a phrase that may challenge our notions of citizenship, law, even power
* How the public helped police seek out white supremacists after mosque shootings
**
Parker refused to comment, but Race Relations Commissioner Meng Foon agreed the co-governance debate “has turned into a racial discourse” and he called for calm among supporters and protesters.
The public talks led by Batchelor oppose co-governance and criticise Māori MPs, Treaty of Waitangi rights for Māori and iwi organisations. So far about five of 42 talks booked throughout Aotearoa over a five-month tour have been held.
Language on Batchelor’s website include that he is “fighting against tribal rule, racism, separatism, and apartheid… for one person, one vote, for one law for all and racial unity”.
He also says “protesters are simply pawns in the elite Māori plan to take over New Zealand”.
Māori ward councillor from Kaipara District Council Pera Paniora says in her petition – that collected 1700 signatures in less than 24 hours – Batchelor is inciting (alleged) racial disharmony with his “misinformation, lies and insults towards Māori”.
“We respectfully request, that you act with urgency to invoke your powers pursuant to section 132 of the Human Rights Act 1993 and to seek to hold Julian Batchelor accountable pursuant to Section 131 to avoid any further harm to our communities, society and country.”
She was among protesters at a meeting in Dargaville on March 9, and she told Stuff she hoped for urgent ministerial intervention over safety concerns escalating amid his “repeated offences” as the tour continued.
”It’s just abhorrent, and it shouldn’t even be happening.”
She also felt tax-paid police were enabling Batchelor, acting as his “personal security guards” rather than Batchelor hiring his own personal security if he believed there was a risk to safety prompted by the content of his talks.
Batchelor – an evangelical Christian who had made anti co-governance his full-time job – said it was undemocratic that “people who want to be partners in New Zealand shut down free speech of anybody who disagrees with what they believe”.
He said he wanted to “expunge co-governance from politics completely” and the claims that he was breaching human rights were “absolutely ridiculous”.
He was aiming for 100 talks in the next three months, and said there was an “awakening going on” to what he called “eliminate apartheid”.
“People are getting angry.”
A police spokesperson said police “maintained a presence at a planned meeting in Ōrewa… which ensured that the meeting was conducted safely”.
“Our priority is the safety of all, so we had staff monitoring the event to be able to respond to any matters should they arise.”
The event “concluded peacefully and attendees dispersed without issue”, and police would “respond to any calls to service as they arise”. They refused to say how much police was spending on attending the events.
Paniora was also concerned about Batchelor collecting contact details of supporters at meetings and creating a sort of “extremist recruitment exercise”.
Co-governance was an important discussion to have, but Batchelor had a “chip on his shoulder” and had no background knowledge, she said.
”The things he’s saying are just so racist.
Tension was escalating each time, as more Māori learned about the content of his talks, she said.
Reuben Taipari (Ngāpuhi) attended the talk in Kerikeri on March 12 with whānau because he was curious about Batchelor’s take on co-governance, and felt obliged when hearing it was about Māori.
The “whole presentation was really anti-Māori”, and inciting race-based hate in a room of 70- and 80-year-old supporters, he said.
“He chose tiny little fragments of our history… It was more about heightening our differences, inflaming the division between Pākehā and Māori.
“That’s where David Parker needs to step up and take it seriously now.”
At one stage Batchelor handed Taipari the microphone and he got a surprisingly positive response to his calm speech about youth, issues and the future, he said.
But he had now been labelled a ring leader and activist by Batchelor.
Foon said the tour was provoking anxiety and misinformation, with co-governance “taken out of proportion” and he encouraged the petition.
While he respected rights of people to hold meetings and express their views, he encouraged everyone to be respectful and not create disharmony.
“Use language which is conducive to good debate and fair debate without picking on people.”