Yesterday, RNZ reported:
NZ First MP Shane Jones has condemned the idea, saying his party will never agree to an iwi having "50 percent sovereignty over the Waitakere forest".
"We campaigned, we negotiated, and we agreed, in our coalition agreement, there would be no more co-sovereignty, no more co-governance of these public service orientated outcomes."
He said the moment you have a "50/50 committee set up as part of the SuperCity" it will "morph in no time whatsover into shared sovereignty over the Waitākere".
"What about the trampers? What about the runners? What about the walkers? That is an asset that primarily must serve all the interests and all the needs of Auckland."
Coalition partner and Epsom electorate MP David Seymour agreed, saying the Waitākere Ranges is a "very special area to many Aucklanders".
"The idea it should be governed half by people whose ancestors arrived 800 years ago, and half by people whose ancestors arrived more recently, is an anathema to the Kiwi spirit."
He was also concerned about decisions being made to close tracks, saying those needed to be made "according to the best science".
"And the people with the best science are the people who have the skills, experience and qualifications to make the decision.
"Being born Māori, while a wonderful thing to be proud of, is not actually a scientific qualification."
What a load of rubbish! The problem with Shane Jones and David Seymour's racist rhetoric is it's simply wrong! The proposal isn’t about handing over ownership or creating “Kawerau police” to patrol the ranges, as some fearmongers suggest. It’s about formalising a partnership where Te Kawerau ā Maki, who’ve cared for this whenua for centuries, have a structured role in its stewardship.
The 2008 Act explicitly calls for such a deed, acknowledging the deep cultural and spiritual ties of tangata whenua. This isn’t co-governance in the radical sense Jones and Seymour decry...no land titles are changing, no budgets are being diverted. It’s a committee to coordinate pest control, track management, and strategic planning, building on existing collaboration with local boards and volunteers. As councillor Richard Hills noted, it’s about “doing what we’re already doing, but better.”
Yet, the likes of Jones and Seymour are peddling a narrative that paints this as an assault on democracy. This isn’t just dog-whistling; it’s a calculated erasure of indigenous knowledge, which has sustained these ecosystems long before colonial surveyors arrived. Their rhetoric taps into a broader anti-Māori sentiment, amplified by groups like Hobson’s Pledge, who’ve flooded similar debates with opposition to Māori representation.
In fact, overall, there's very limited opposition to the proposal. Walk, Tramp, Run, a group The Spinoff mischaracterised as representing Waitākere Ranges recreational users, emerged in December 2024 to oppose the deed of acknowledgement. With a limited membership, it lacks any broad community backing and appears to simply be another branch of the Stop Co-governance brigade. Their letter, circulated to Auckland tramping clubs, misrepresents the deed as undermining the 2008 Waitākere Ranges Heritage Area Act, fueling misinformation and reflecting a narrow, anti-Māori stance, which ignores the deed’s aim to integrate kaitiakitanga into sustainable management for all users.
The real scandal here isn’t the proposal...it’s the misinformation choking rational debate, with right-wing trolls flooding social media with racist posts falsely claiming the committee will “create apartheid-style governance” or let iwi “dictate land use.” These distortions drown out the voices of Te Kawerau ā Maki, who’ve waited 17 years for the Act’s promises to be fulfilled. Meanwhile, local media like RNZ have reported the iwi’s frustration, with CEO Edward Ashby urging critics to “learn to read” the actual proposal.
This controversy matters beyond Waitākere. It’s a microcosm of the fight for Māori representation in a country where only 5.7% of local government representatives identify as Māori, despite Māori being 17% of the population. Jones and Seymour’s scaremongering risks derailing progress and emboldening those who see any Māori voice as a threat. The ranges belong to all Aucklanders, sure...but that includes tangata whenua, whose kaitiakitanga benefits us all. It’s time to call out the lies and demand a debate rooted in facts, not fear.
