The Wire with Joel

In our catchup with the National party this week, Wire Host Castor asked MP Katie Nimon about several issues in the recent week of politics. Firstly, I asked about the death of Kiingi Tuheitia and the government’s response. I then asked about the potential arrival of Candace Owens, a far-right speaker from the United States who has been known for engaging in anti-semitism and holocaust denial. 

Castor then asked about a recent submission by the parliamentary commissioner for the environment, Simon Upton, regarding the government’s second draft emissions reduction plan. The submission makes several critiques of the government’s attitude towards emissions reduction, particularly criticising its promotion of short term solutions which could end up offloading responsibility onto future generations. 

In our weekly catchup with the National Party, Castor spoke to MP Katie Nimon about each of these issues, starting off with the recent passing of Kīngi Tūheitia. 

Recently, the government has amended gang legislation that would allow police officers to enter private properties of repeat offenders showcasing emblems, patches, and insignia.

The New Zealand Law Society sent an open letter, sent by the society’s vice president, David Campbell, outlining their concerns for the proposal.

The concerns raised include how gang insignia is identified, which if the clause is taken literally, could be interpreted as printed reproductions of logos, which could make it illegal to own newspapers or certain books with gang insignia in it, increasing in the risk of someone to be criminally liable around someone in possession of gang memorabilia, concerns that the amendment will have detrimental effects to communities and whānau in which gang members reside in, as well as infringing on rights protected by the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990.

News and Editorial Director, Joel, spoke to the Convenor for the New Zealand Law Society’s Criminal Law Committee, Chris Macklin, about the committee’s open letter and the ethics of the amendment.

Last week Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones announced that levies paid by the fishing industry will be slashed by nearly $5 million dollars. 

The levies are used to manage the environmental impacts of commercial fishing. This includes monitoring fish populations, making sure observers are on boats, and researching the impacts fishing is having on the wider ocean environment. 

The same day, Jones announced a bill that will extend coastal permits for marine farms by 20 years. 

It was opposed by Labour, the Greens and Te Pāti Māori due to environmental concerns. Greenpeace says that Jones is prioritising private commercial gain over the wellbeing of the oceans. 

Producer Evie spoke to Greenpeace’s Ellie Hooper about the changes made by Shane Jones and the potential environmental impacts they could have on our oceans.

Earlier this year, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith in a private meeting with Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones and seafood industry representatives discussed potential changes to the Marine and Coastal Area (Takutai Moana) Act 2011, which is a piece of legislation that replaced the controversial Foreshore and Seabed Act 2004. 

The Takutai Moana Act allows Māori to apply for certain customary rights over the foreshore and seabed under customary marine title. 

The government intends to change section 58 of the Act which currently requires an applicant group to prove they have "exclusively used and occupied it from 1840 to the present day without substantial interruption". The proposed changes would change the section 58 test to reduce the 100% of coastline subject to customary marine title to 5%.

As a result, an urgent Waitangi Tribunal claim into the government’s proposed changes to the Act had its hearings this week. 

This is the seventh urgent inquiry by the Tribunal into the coalition government’s policies. 

Producer Sofia spoke to lawyer at Te Mata Law, Harry Clatworthy (Ngāti Ranginui, Ngai Te Rangi, and Ngāti Uenuku-Kōpako), about these proposed changes as well as the historical context of foreshore and seabed ownership in Aotearoa.