TOP - The Opportunities Party’s Post

This is an important point.

Jack Tame. Interesting discussion yesterday where we see the weakness & fragility of David Seymour & ACT for their Treaty Principles Bill. Tame finds the core issue is all about translation... obviously a misunderstanding?!? Have been watching the "debate" that Seymour had with an Iwi CEO & a couple of idiots recently. That didn't help at all! This is what we need to see more of... educated & mature argument & discussion with facts! >> https://lnkd.in/gXxh7MHW

The OECD updates the Commentary to Art. 26 (exchange of information) in the OECD model treaty ... #internationaltax #doubletaxtreaty #OECD

The Treaty of Waitangi Principles Bill - the quality of Ministry of Justice advice. Last night a Newshub story featured material from the Ministry of Justice released by the Waitangi Tribunal that criticised the Treaty Principles Bill's interpretation of the Treaty/Tiriti (see attached clip). I have no particular axe to grind on this issue. I just want an informed public discussion about the meaning of the Treaty as I believe it is critical to our future to have such a discussion. With this in mind, earlier in the year I requested under the Official Information Act all substantive analysis by the Ministry of Justice in the past 10 years on the meaning of the Treaty and the Treaty principles. The reply I received was that NO substantive analysis had been undertaken. Given this answer, I really do question the Ministry's capacity to say anything meaningful on the Treaty to Ministers. This is very disappointing as there is so much material that could have usefully been prepared for Ministers to help facilitate a constructive public discussion about the various interpretations of the Treaty. Disclosure: I have previously been a Ministry of Justice employee.

EU votes to ratify landmark High Seas Treaty The vote is an important signal to the rest of the world that the EU is serious about prioritising greater ocean protection. https://lnkd.in/dAdi9Ahx

Declaration and public notice of the Treaty Authority. Through the Treaty process the treaty Authority will make public notifications to ensure the public are aware of important milestones and events. The Treaty Authority gives notice, in accordance with clause 21.4(b) of the Treaty Negotiation Framework, that the State of Victoria has been entered onto the Negotiations Database for Statewide Treaty Negotiations.  Statewide Treaty will be negotiated between the State of Victoria and the First Peoples' Assembly of Victoria.  On 23 October 2024, the State notified the Treaty Authority of its compliance with the Minimum Standards and fulfilment of the Additional Preparations. The State’s Notification includes information about how it meets the Minimum Standards and has fulfilled the Additional Preparations relating to Land and Waters, Community, Leadership and Inclusivity. With the entry of the State onto the Negotiations Database, negotiations for a Statewide Treaty between the State and the Assembly have now begun (clause 21.4(c), Treaty Negotiation Framework). The next step is for the Assembly and the State to agree Negotiations Protocols. Read the public notice here: https://lnkd.in/gGJkCkqF

Treaty Principles Explainer – New resource    In the lead up to the introduction of the Treaty Principles Bill to parliament, it is important we continue learning and sharing trusted information about the principles and how they work.    What are the Treaty principles?  In 1840, leaders of hapū and Crown representatives signed Te Tiriti o Waitangi - it consists of a preamble and articles. The principles of the Treaty are the key ideas underpinning the treaty, they are a distillation of the full meanings and intentions of the full texts of Te Tiriti and the Treaty.    Treaty principles have not been determined in agreement with hapū; however, they have been developed by people with expertise in the wording and context of Te Tiriti, by the Courts and the Waitangi Tribunal. Since the 1980s, Parliament has also included “the principles of the Treaty” in many laws as a means of enacting its treaty obligations.    Work undertaken by the Courts, the Waitangi Tribunal and historians over the last nearly 50 years has grown the understanding of the meaning of Te Tiriti itself and of Treaty principles. The Tribunal’s most recent determination on Treaty principles made in relation to Te Raki [Northern] Māori states: “The principles must be based in the actual agreement entered into in 1840...” and therefore, if the Crown wants to clarify or redefine Treaty Principles, it must do that in agreement with hapū and iwi leaders.    To learn more about the Treaty Principles and actions you can take, visit our recent resource here:

📊 The case for nuance in NZ's Treaty debate The Treaty Principles debate raises a fundamental question: how should a modern democracy handle the evolution of its foundational documents? I explore this challenge in my column in today's Australian. #NewZealand #PublicPolicy #Governance #Treaty

A principled approach to government Treaty commitments Treaty Principles are an important means by which the agreement of Te Tiriti is upheld by government. Despite this, our current government has unilaterally decided to review, replace, and repeal or rewrite Treaty Principles.  It is critical that the government actions reflect these central understandings established in law: - A treaty is an agreement between independent nations     - Any interpretation of meaning, or change of terms, must be agreed to by the parties to that agreement     - Any interpretation must reflect the agreement itself    We can advocate for this principled approach together and protect the progress that has been made towards honouring Te Tiriti. To learn more about Treaty Principles and what we can do about changes to government Te Tiriti commitments, read our succinct new resource: https://lnkd.in/g92RYjTM 

I weighed in in support of ACT's treaty principles bill. See below. I believe the debate around this bill is fundamentally important if New Zealand is to remain a multi-ethnic and multi-cultural nation. Check out the column if interested. What is surprising (or maybe not) is that mainstream outlets like Newsroom have given enormous amounts to column space to people like Geoffrey Palmer or Anne Salmond who think that this bill and the debate around it is the end of democracy. Yet, no such courtesy has been extended to those who support the bill. I guess we are not even pretending to be balanced anymore. (I do note that Stuff did write a fairly balanced explainer on the issues at stake. But this is not the same as providing a platform to those who may support the bill. Those opposed to it seem to getting all the airtime. I may be wrong.) To me it seems self-evident that Parliament is sovereign and it is the questioning of this sovereignty that represents a threat to democracy, not a debate around the treaty principles. I want to thank (without implicating them in any way) my colleagues Robert MacCulloch, Natasha Hamilton-Hart, Elizabeth Rata and Anthony Poole for feedback on earlier drafts of the article. The views expressed and any mistakes are mine alone. https://lnkd.in/gx9RJKg7