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| Tuesday, 22 July 2008 | |
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At the annual conference of the New Zealand Chinese Association last year, Professor Margaret Mutu told the hui that Maori and Chinese should work together to advance their political agendas. Ko Mutu he uri no Ngati Kahu, no Te Rarawa, no Ngati Whatua hoki, a nana te kii, kua hohonu haere te whanaungatanga, i waenganui i te Maori me te iwi o Haina. Mutu, of Ngati Kahu, Te Rarawa and Ngati Whatua whakapapa told the conference of the significant relationship that had developed between tangata whenua and Chinese. Ki a ia, ka puta tenei whanaungatanga i te mahi kaikiri a tauiwi – ki a ia “Kei te pehia, kei te whakaparahakotia, taua tahi” It was, in her words, a relationship formed in reaction to Pakeha racism - "We are both oppressed and discriminated against." Tera te piri tahi e whakaaro nei au, i au e wananga ana i tenei pire, ara, te Pire Hokohoko, Kore Utu o Aotearoa me Haina. It is that relationship I think of in considering the New Zealand China Free Trade Agreement Bill. E hangaia ana he ara, kia watea ai te uru atu o nga taonga hokohoko, me nga putea whakangao ki Haina; a, a tona wa, kia tangohia nga here utu kei runga i nga taonga o Niu Tireni, me te whakawatea ano, i te haere o nga kai-pakihi ki Haina. The pathway is being set for increasing access New Zealand trade and investment in China; for the removal over time of tariffs on current exports to China, from expanding the movement of business people. Inaianei, kua tau mai te honore he Whenua Aronui a Aotearoa, me ona tikanga kore here, kia orite a tatou kaiwhakarato moni, ki era ake o te ao. Ko te korero, ka penei i te mea, koia nei te oranga mo Aotearoa. We are now being honoured with the treatment of a “Most Favoured Nation” non-discrimination provision to ensure that our investors remain no worse off than investors of any other countries. It’s all being painted as a major development, as fundamental to the future economic wellbeing of Aotearoa. Na te aha i riro i a tatou, te tuunga “Whenua Aronui”? So how did we earn this rapid escalation to be the ‘most favoured nation’? Na te aha i riro i a tatou tera tunga, hakoa mai rano to matou whakaiti i a ratou i roto i nga ture, me nga kaupapa, hei kati kia noho-ki-waho, era e ki ana e te tuhinga tawhito, ko te “taniwha kowhai”. How could we achieve this, based on a history of consistently passing laws against the Chinese, of creating policies to restrict and exclude what the history books describe as the ‘yellow peril’? He korero tawhito tenei kia kaua te Hainama e uru mai nei, ki Niu Tireni. Ka kitea enei korero i te tatau taake i te tau 1881, e orite ana ki te utu o te Hainamana mo nga tau e wha ki te ono. This is a history to keep the Chinese out of New Zealand; a history that derives its source from the 1881 poll tax which was the equivalent of between four to six years earning for a Chinese person at the time. Kotahi rau pauna kia haramai ki konei, kia utaina nga korero whakaparahako ki runga i a ratou, nga korero he paruparu, he tahumaero, he tahawahawa, a, he whakakinotanga. £100 to come here, to be subjected to attitudes associating Chinese people with terms like filth, dirt, disease, contamination and degradation. I whakaritea, ko te tekau ma rima anake nga Hainamana, kia haramai i runga tima i te wa kotahi. Limits were set on the numbers of Chinese able to travel to New Zealand –a limit of only 15 Chinese passengers per ship. I tohua ano he whakamatautau kia mohio mai ratou i nga kupu Ingarihi kotahi rau, engari i tupurangi te whiriwhiri o te kupu. Tae atu ki te tau 1920, i tohua ma te tiwhikete whakaaetanga anake, ka uru mai. Tae atu ki te tau 1925, i tohua te Kawanatanga kia kaua te wahine e uru mai, kia kore tona iwi e whakarahi atu. A reading test of one hundred English words chosen at random was imposed; and in 1920 entry was only allowed by permit. In 1925, the Government decided to exclude women from the quota in an effort to prevent reproduction. Tae atu ki te tau 1951, e kore taea te Hainamana kia tu hei iwi whenua, a, tae atu ki te tau 1965, ka taea tonu te pirihimana kia uru atu ki roto i nga whare a te Hainamana, i raro i te ture “Rahui i te Rongoa Whakamoe”, ahakoa horekau he pukapuka whakaae. Up until 1951, the Chinese were not allowed to be naturalised; and up until 1965, under the Opium Prohibition Act, Police were able to enter any Chinese home without a search warrant. Ka mutu, ko nga ture kai-kiri, kia kore ai nga toa hoko hua rakau, horoi kakahu, hoko kai hoki o te Hainamana, e tukituki i nga toa o te Pakeha. Finally, a series of laws were passed to stop Chinese fruit shops, laundries and groceries from competing against Europeans. Na, i runga i tenei tu momo hitori, kai-kiri, whakahawea i nga Hainamana, he aha te take e tino hiakai ana tenei kawanatanga, kia whakaritea i tetahi tiriti ki a Haina. So how is it, that in a land with such a shameful history of exclusion and institutional racism against the Chinese, the Government is suddenly bending over backwards to become party to a treaty with China. He aha te tikanga nei, kia hurikoaro te kotahi rau tau o nga whakaiti, tukinotia, kia hoa tahi tatou ki a Haina? What has been the dramatic turnaround to reverse over a century of racism into a determination to develop ties with the region? Maumahara mai ki nga kupu a Mutu - “Kei te pehia, kei te whakaparahakotia, taua tahi” Remember Margaret Mutu’s words – “We are both oppressed and discriminated against." Kotahi anake te kaupapa hei tautoko i tenei pire. Kia peke ki te tuara o tenei whenua tino kaha rawa, kia watea ai te iwi nui nei hei hoko taonga. Ko te wawata kia whai moni a Niu Tireni i te iwi rawa, o Haina. There is one motive for this free trade agreement. It is about jumping on the back of an economic super-power and gaining access to the largest consumer market in the world. It is about the forlorn hope that New Zealand will make money from the wealth of a burgeoning Chinese middle class. Engari, he whakaaetanga koura tënei, kaore ranei? But is this agreement all it’s worth in gold or not? Kahore te roopu whakawä i mohio, mënä ka kitea koe ki nga korero i tae mai ki te Komiti hei whakatau. The jury is out when you look through the submissions that came into the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Select Committee. 15 i tautoko, 12 ki runga i te taiapa, 27 e kore e whakaae. Fifteen supported it; twelve were neutral and twenty seven opposed the deal. Ahakoa te tini o nga Yuan i te ao, kore taea te whakarerekë, he nui ake era e kore whakaäe, ki era i whakaae. All the Yuan in the world doesn’t change the fact that the numbers of NO outnumbered the YES votes. Ka hoki mai ki tera rereketanga, o te tuunga Whenua Aronui i tetahi ringa, ki te mahi whakahawea tangata i tera atu. It comes back to the fundamental mismatch between being ‘most favoured nation’ on one hand, with a past that is less worthy. I whakaae ake te Komiti Whakawa, ko te tikanga a tangata i Haina a ”he nui, he rahi ona raruraru” The Select Committee acknowledged, yes the human rights record in China has “many and substantial imperfections”. I whakaae taua komiti, i mohio ratou ki nga awangaawanga kua korerohia, mo nga mahi takahi tangata i Haina. The Select Committee acknowledged, yes, they were very conscious about the legitimate concerns raised about human rights in China. Engari i te mutunga, ki nga paati nui, horekau he awangawanga. But when cash came to crunch, the ruling parties didn’t care. Tika ana te whakaräpopoto a UNITE. Ko te FTA nei, he kaupapa mo te painga o nga kai pakihi, ehara mo te painga o nga kai mahi, nga whanau, nga iwi kei tawahi, kei te kainga ränei. Ko nga whakaaro mo rätau, kei muri noa atu. Unite summed it up. The FTA policy is designed to serve interests of big business – with the interests of workers, of families, the people abroad or at home who have to suffer the consequences are very much a secondary concern. E whakapono ana a UNITE, ko te FTA nei, he mahi tukituki, kia whakaiti te utu o nga kaimahi o konei, i te whakataetae utu ki nga taonga i Haina. Unite believes that the FTA will create competition and drive our own internal wages and work conditions down, as firms struggle to compete with Chinese imports. Na te mahi a nga kai pakihi nui, i waho atu o te ture o tenei whenua, ka whakaiti te mana o te käwanatanga whakahaere a iwi, rangatiratanga hoki. The opportunity for big business to trade outside of government influence or control, in its effects, serves to both erode democracy and economic sovereignty. Ki ta Ahorangi Jane Kelsey ki te Komiti, ko te mate o te tohu Whenua Aronui, koia ko te hinga o te rangatiratanga o te käwanatanga, ia FTA, ia FTA. What Professor Jane Kelsey also brought to the attention of the committee is that the Most Favoured Nation obligations mean that each new FTA will have the domino effect of removing foreign investments further from control of parliament. Ahakoa e whakahokia mai ana te mana whakahaere o nga kaupapa a tängata ki te käwanatanga, i te mea e kore te kaupapa mäkete e whakamana ana i a Niu Tireni, engari ko nga FTA nei, ko rerekë atu ki taua whakapono. So at a time when government is re-regulating services and resuming state ownership because the market model does not serve the national interest, it is acting in quite the other direction in pursuing Free Trade Agreements such as this. Kore taea e matou o te Paati Maori, te tautoko i tenei Pire. The Maori Party cannot support this Bill. He nui a matou äwangawanga, mo nga mahi takahi tangata, a Haina. We have ongoing concerns about China’s human rights record. He äwangawanga hoki, mo nga taonga ka utaina e Haina, ki runga i a tatou. We have ongoing concerns about the potential for China to dump goods on our domestic markets. He awangawanga ta mätou, mo nga mahi kia ngaro. We have ongoing concerns about the potential loss of jobs in our manufacturing sector. He mahi tinihanga hoki tënei, kia tukua mai te pepa nei kia tirohia. Kua oti te whakarite me pehea ra te haere, kua tamokohia nga pepa. Kua oma ke te hoiho, he moumou taima te kati i te keeti. E mara whakamutu atu. And we believe that being allowed the opportunity to scrutinise the FTA at this stage of the proceedings, only after it has been signed, makes the whole select committee process a farce. Ko te iti o te utu, ko te kore e aro ki nga kaupapa whakaruru kaimahi, ko te kore e manaaki i te taiao, ko nga taumahatanga ka tau ki runga i o tatou kaimahi, ko enei katoa nga ähuatanga, e kore matou e tautokongia i tenei pire The cheap labour, the weak health, safety and environmental standards, the poor protection of workers, the adverse impacts that will be suffered by New Zealand workers are all reasons why we can not support this Bill. Kua rongo ripoata mätou, e rima miriona nga tamariki i raro i te tau tekau ma rima, e mahi ana mo nga haora roroa, mo te utu iti noa. E rima miriona nga take nei, kia kaua mätou e tautoko i tenei Pire. The reports of some five million Chinese children under the age of fifteen, lumbered with long hours for low pay, are five million more reasons why we are voting against this Bill. Ko nga iwi whenua e kore nei i kitea i nga Whakataetae o te Ao, te tini o rätou no Tibet kua mauheretia. E kore taea te aro ake, mo era momo mahi tukino. The dissidents being hidden out of the radar of the Olympic spotlight, the hundreds of Tibetans being imprisoned, the international stigma of China’s human rights issues can not simply be ignored. Me mihi atu kia nga kaipakihi Maori, nga roopu a iwi hoki, e whai ana i te oranga mo o ratou ake uri, kia whai whakaaro, kia whai putea, mo ratou. We fully respect the right of organisations, of iwi, of Maori businesses, to take up the opportunity to pursue their own best interests, and to return dividends to Maori shareholders. Kei a ratou tera, a, e möhio ana mätou, ka taea e rätou te whakanui i to rätou ake putea. E möhio anoki mätou, ko te tu o te kaipakihi, he mea nui ki te Maori, a, e tautoko ano mätou i taua whäinga. That is their prerogative and we are confident that they will be very competitive and achieve impressive returns. We believe that economic growth is essential for Maori businesses to succeed; and we will support them all the way. Engari, e titiro tonu ano matou ki nga taumahatanga, ka tau mai ki runga i nga papakäinga Maori, ratou te pani me te rawakore, ratou e kore e kitea i nga painga, e mäturuturu mai nei, i nga mahi kaipakihi. But we are also charged with looking out for the impacts on Maori communities, especially those who may be least resilient and least likely to benefit from the trickle down of economic growth. E tautoko ana mätou, kia totika te utu mo te taonga, engari, e kore tautoko i te korero kia kore utu nei. We support fair trade not free trade. E tautoko ana mätou i te whakangao e whänuitia ana töna painga, me te mea ano, e hiahia ana mätou kia kitea, ko nga waahi mahi i konei, i Haina hoki, he waahi pai mo nga kaimahi. We seek socially responsible investment. We want to see the provision of healthy and safe working conditions both here and in China. E kore e taea e matou te nohopuku, ina maukinohia nga kaimahi i tawahi, mo te painga o to tatou ao, a, kore hoki matou e noho pohehe ana, e tiaki ana te pire nei, i a tatou kaipakihi. And we can not sit by and be silent that workers overseas may be exploited to benefit our economy; or to pretend that New Zealand industry and services will be protected. E hiahia ana matou kia mohio, ka tu tonu te Maori hei iwi motuhake, i raro i te whakaruruhau o tona Tiriti o Waitangi. We must know that the rights of Maori will be actively protected, as provided for under Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Me te mohio ano hoki, ka taea te pire nei ki te whakamarumaru, ki te whakanui ano ra i to matou whenua me ona iwi i mua noa atu i te painga mo nga kaipakihi nuinui o te ao. And we need to ensure our laws serve to protect and enhance our nation, not globalist agendas. |
7/24/08
Legislation bringing in China FTA passed
I te hui a tau o te Roopu Haina ki Aotearoa i tera tau, i puta te korero a te ahorangi a Makere Mutu, kia mahi tahi te Maori me te Hainamana, kia haere whakamua, a raua wawata, haerenga tangata.
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