“Kelvin Davis’ comment that any challenging of the Northland iwi roadblocks is just ‘racist’ is as shallow as it is wrong,” says Winston Peters Leader of New Zealand First.

“When you set up something that is racist, criticism against it doesn’t make it racist as well.”

“There can be no comparison made with farmers and businesses assisting Police as Kelvin has tried to do, because firstly, those industries include Māori anyway. But most importantly, they do not stem from the direction of a single ethnic group.”

“When the government has needed to pass legislation in order to make these illegal, vigilante, iwi-run roadblocks now legal, we are on a seriously slippery slope and a serious deviation from the foundation of our democracy of one law for all.”

“It is most concerning that these iwi roadblocks are unnecessarily taking up valuable frontline Police resources and extra officers.”

“It is astonishing that the government has allowed this to occur with the serious gang violence we are seeing exploding around the country, particularly in Auckland, taking hundreds of much needed officers off the frontline,” says Mr Peters.

“The government should be more worried about that.”

© Scoop Media

Gordon Campbell: On The Government’s Smokefree Laws Debacle

The most charitable explanation for National’s behaviour over the smokefree legislation is that they have dutifully fulfilled the wishes of the Big Tobacco lobby and then cast around – incompetently, as it turns out - for excuses that might sell this health policy U-turn to the public. The less charitable view is that the government was being deliberately misleading. Are we to think Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is a fool, or a liar? It seems rather early on in his term of office to be facing that unpleasant choice. Yet when Luxon (and senior MP Chris Bishop) tried to defend the indefensible with the same wildly inaccurate claim, there are not a lot of positive explanations left on the table.... More