David Seymour, who is unfortunately the current Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand, despite only receiving 8% of the party vote, is having another whinge about people disagreeing with him. This time it's the UN’s Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Albert K. Barume, who recently issued a scathing letter condemning the coalition government’s policies, particularly those championed by Seymour’s ACT Party, for eroding Māori rights.
This international rebuke, which was highly deserved, exposes not only the flaws in Seymour’s political reasoning but also the insidious racism embedded in his divisive policy agenda, which prioritises individualist dogma over collective indigenous rights and obligations under our founding document, the Treaty of Waitangi.
Seymour’s response to the UN was predictably dismissive, branding their intervention an “affront to New Zealand’s sovereignty” and a product of “profound misunderstanding or deliberate misrepresentation.” This retort, which in no way resolves the issues raised, reveals a fundamental flaw in his reasoning: an unwillingness to engage with substantive criticism. The UN’s concerns, rooted in reports of Māori land rights violations and the potential impact of Seymour’s Regulatory Standards Bill, are entirely valid and reiterate those already made by many New Zealand commentators.
Last month, Newsroom reported:
The Regulatory Standards Bill (RSB) is a dangerous piece of legislation, inspired by libertarian ideas that seek to free the flow of capital from democratic constraints.
In a number of respects, it expresses a contempt for collective rights and responsibilities, public goals and values, and liberal democracy.
First, it lacks a strong democratic mandate.
At the last election, Act was the only party to put forward such a proposal, and it won only 8.6 percent of the vote; 91.4 percent of voters did not support that party. This bill cannot remotely be taken to express ‘the will of the people.’
Second, the majority party, National, agreed behind doors – despite its prior opposition for almost two decades – to support this proposal from a fringe party during coalition negotiations.
Like the Treaty Principles Bill, this undermines the principles of proportionality and accountability to the electorate on which the MMP electoral system is based. That, in turn, corrodes trust in democratic arrangements in New Zealand.
It's sad to see old David Seymour resorting to personal attacks instead of honestly debating the valid issues these esteemed people raise. And whether he likes it or not, New Zealand has a moral and political commitment to uphold the principles outlined in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). He cannot simply worm his way out of that contract with insults and claims of absolute state sovereignty.
Seymour may have openly disavowed UNDRIP, but it's still a valid agreement that cannot be so easily dismissed by liberal talking points. By framing the UN’s recommendations as external meddling, he sidesteps the reality that New Zealand’s sovereignty includes accountability to international human rights standards, particularly for historically marginalised Māori communities.
The Regulatory Standards Bill, a cornerstone of Seymour’s agenda, exemplifies the latent racism in his approach. By prioritising individual property rights and economic efficiency, the bill threatens to undermine collective rights enshrined in the Treaty of Waitangi. Seymour’s claim that critics, including Māori leaders and legal experts, are peddling “misinformation” is not only deluded but so obviously a tactic, in the absence of any valid argument, to silence critics.
His assertion that 99.5% of submissions against the bill were bot-generated lacks evidence and insults the thousands of New Zealanders, including prominent figures like Sir Geoffrey Palmer, who voiced genuine concerns. This dismissal of opposition as inauthentic reeks of arrogance and also highlights Seymour's totalitarian tendencies.
Seymour’s broader policy record, including the failed Treaty Principles Bill, further exposes the racial undercurrents of his ideology. By seeking to redefine Treaty principles to emphasise individual rights over collective Māori rights, the ACT Party attempts to undermine the foundational agreement that shapes New Zealand’s constitutional framework.
This move aligns with ACT’s libertarian ethos but ignores the historical context of colonisation, where Māori were systematically dispossessed of land and autonomy. Seymour’s rhetoric, cloaked in calls for “equality,” perpetuates a narrative that erases the unique status of Māori as tangata whenua, effectively normalising the structural racism embedded in New Zealand’s past and present.
His social media antics, mocking opponents with terms like “Derangement Syndrome,” reveal another fault: a selective commitment to free speech. While Seymour demands apologies from other people for their perceived inflammatory remarks, he defends his own as “playful,” even as they fuel online harassment. This hypocrisy not only undermines his credibility but also disproportionately targets Māori voices, reinforcing a chilling effect on indigenous advocacy.
Last month, RNZ reported:
David Seymour defends social media posts accusing Regulatory Standards opponents of 'derangement syndrome'
The Deputy Prime Minister is rubbishing claims that social media posts he has made about opponents of the Regulatory Standards Bill are a breach of the Cabinet Manual.
In recent days, David Seymour made a series of social media posts singling out prominent opponents of the Bill, and accusing them of suffering from "Regulatory Standards Derangement Syndrome."
Wellington's mayor, Tory Whanau, accused Seymour of setting a "dangerous precedent" for how dissenting voices were treated, and laid a formal complaint with the Prime Minister over the posts.
The UN’s criticism of the coalitions divisive policies is a wake-up call for New Zealanders. Seymour’s advocacy, draped in the guise of fairness, threatens to roll back decades of progress on Māori rights. His refusal to engage with international scrutiny, dismissal of legitimate criticism, and pursuit of policies that prioritise individual gain over collective justice reflect a worldview that isn't only flawed but fundamentally discriminatory.
New Zealand deserves better than a Deputy Prime Minister whose agenda dismisses the Treaty and attempts to further marginalise Māori people under the pretext of progress.