Audrey Young on how Winston shows up Ardern
Audrey Young writes:
But in dealing with some of the issues vexing Māoridom, especially over the baby uplifts by Oranga Tamariki social workers and the Ihumātao land dispute, her lack of experience has been discomforting.
He raised the issue of violence against women and children, he stuck up for the integrity of social workers, he stuck up for a fledgling institution that has been a deemed a failure before it has barely got off the ground.
It wasn’t immediately apparent how discomforting until Winston Peters stood in for her at the post-cabinet press conference while she was in Tokelau.
He struck a nerve. He finally articulated the issues in a way that has been entirely missing from the debate, especially on the baby uplifts.
He didn’t talk in slogans about colonisation and the state “stealing babies.”
Yep Winston said what many have been waiting for the Government to say.
On the Ihumātao dispute, Peters offered no false hope of an early resolution through Government buying the land from Fletchers. He leaned heavily towards the legal rights of iwi Te Kawerau ā Maki in the dispute and keeping Government out of it.
It is ironic that all the woke protesters are actually trampling over the mana of the local Iwi, who had a very favourable agreement with Fletchers.