> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.themaorigreenlantern.maori.nz/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # "The Wreckers' Lantern: They Taught A First-Time Voter To Distrust Everyone Except The Ones Cashing In" - 11 October 2026 - URL: https://www.themaorigreenlantern.maori.nz/the-wreckers-lantern-they-taught-a-first-time-voter-to-distrust-everyone-except-the-ones-cashing-in-11-october-2026/ - Published: 2026-10-10T20:16:59.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-10T20:16:59.000Z - Description: They Teach A Generation To Distrust Scientists, Journalists And The Treaty, Then Offer Themselves As The Only Cure, And Rangatahi Pay With Their Jobs, Their Climate And Their History - Author: Ivor Jones The Māori Green Lantern ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b1/cd/b1cd2cb0-95e8-4ee7-ad91-84123e3121bd/content/images/2026/10/The_Wreckers__Lantern_-_Slide_1.png) Kia ora whānau. I would love you to click on this essay. > First, I read one 1News interview as a case study in how distrust gets manufactured. Second, I test his claims against the evidence, including where he has a point. Third, I name the biases in his own words. Fourth, I ask whether the system passes Tika, Pono and Tikanga. Fifth, I give three examples for the Western mind, with the money trail behind them. Last, I explain why I say the coalition should not return on 7 November, and why I say vote Green. It holds a wealth of information you can use every day: at the kōrero table, at work, and at the ballot box. There is an audio podcast that lays out this kaupapa in detail, and a short video that explains it. For long-form readers, a 3000-word cited essay is waiting for you. This is a repository for our mokopuna. One day they will look back and say, at least we knew, because the Māori Green Lantern, amongst a few, was warning us. --- ## The Wreckers' Lantern ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b1/cd/b1cd2cb0-95e8-4ee7-ad91-84123e3121bd/content/images/2026/10/Fact-Checking_Political_Rhetoric_in_Aotearoa.png) The old wreckers hung a lantern where a harbour light should be. Captains steered for it, ships broke on the rocks, and the wreckers walked the shore at dawn collecting the cargo. [‘I don’t like the guy, but he’s the lesser of two evils’Opinion: In the latest in our State of the Nation series, a first-time voter shares his views and voting intentions.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b1/cd/b1cd2cb0-95e8-4ee7-ad91-84123e3121bd/content/images/icon/favicon-81a76c59-20aa-49a2-8a38-be88e7eb5c45.ico)1NewsEmily Simpson![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b1/cd/b1cd2cb0-95e8-4ee7-ad91-84123e3121bd/content/images/thumbnail/state-of-the-nation-V7CIO4FIXFAV7NTHFARK5MG4RI-aa759e69-f2a9-44df-8f59-429c28fcadce.jpg)](https://www.1news.co.nz/2026/10/10/i-dont-like-the-guy-but-hes-the-lesser-of-two-evils/?ref=themaorigreenlantern.maori.nz) A first-time voter spoke to 1News this week. He is a student and law clerk, partly Māori, on about $1000 a week with a student loan, and he is voting NZ First [(1News, 10 Oct 2026)](https://www.1news.co.nz/2026/10/10/i-dont-like-the-guy-but-hes-the-lesser-of-two-evils/?ref=themaorigreenlantern.maori.nz) . > He is the captain. His friends' struggle is real. But the lantern he steers by says: blame immigrants, distrust scientists and the media, treat the Treaty as repetitive. I blame the people who hung the lantern, and the ones who collect at dawn. --- ## Background: The "War On Woke" ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b1/cd/b1cd2cb0-95e8-4ee7-ad91-84123e3121bd/content/images/2026/10/The_Wreckers__Lantern_-_Slide_2.png) Winston Peters announced a "war on woke" at NZ First's State of the Nation speech in March 2025\. He called "woke social engineering" one of the "most concerning and insidious cancers in our society" and told voters they would "take back our country". In the same speech he attacked Paris climate commitments, asking why New Zealand is "punishing our farmers and our taxpayers" when "China or the US could sneeze and produce more CO2 overnight than we do in a year" [(1News, 23 Mar 2025)](https://www.1news.co.nz/2025/03/23/nz-first-leader-winston-peters-declares-war-on-woke/?ref=themaorigreenlantern.maori.nz) . Hipkins replied that NZ First was "propping up the most right-wing, pro-privatisation government this country has seen in over 30 years". That is Hipkins's claim, not a finding. > Notice what the war does not touch. The NZ Herald reports the top 1% hold 14% of household wealth, about double the 6.7% held by the entire bottom half (14 ÷ 6.7 = 2.09). It also cites a 2023 IRD study finding 311 of the wealthiest families paid tax at under half the rate of ordinary Kiwis. Māori have earned reasons to distrust the media. The *Mātauranga Māori in the Media* report to the Broadcasting Standards Authority, Te Puni Kōkiri and Manatū Taonga ([Henry, Milligan and Wete, 2023](https://www.tpk.govt.nz/documents/download/documents-3329-A/Matauranga-Maori-in-the-Media.pdf?ref=themaorigreenlantern.maori.nz)) records Stuff's 2020 apology for 163 years of racist coverage of Māori. The pipeline takes that earned distrust and aims it at the wrong target. --- ## Mātauranga Deconstruction: His Claims Against The Evidence ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b1/cd/b1cd2cb0-95e8-4ee7-ad91-84123e3121bd/content/images/2026/10/The_Wreckers__Lantern_-_Slide_3.png) ### Jobs: Real Pain, Contested Cause New Zealand's unemployment rate was 5.6% in June 2026\. The number of unemployed was 171,000, up from 164,000 in March. Underutilisation reached 13.8%, or 440,000 people [(Stats NZ)](https://www.stats.govt.nz/information-releases/labour-market-statistics-june-2026-quarter/?ref=themaorigreenlantern.maori.nz) . The people aged 15–24 who were underutilised rose from 158,600 to 180,200, an increase of 21,600 or 13.6%. Māori unemployment was 10.8% against 4.2% for Europeans, about 2.6 times the rate. NZIER put 15–19-year-old unemployment at 25.3%, about seven times the 3.5% rate for people aged 25 and over. It called this "a crisis level without an economy-wide unemployment crisis" [(NZ Adviser)](https://www.mpamag.com/nz/news/general/teen-unemployment-tops-25-as-entry-level-hiring-shrinks-report-finds/592940?ref=themaorigreenlantern.maori.nz) . His friends' struggle is real. On the cause, the evidence is mixed. The Productivity Commission found that immigration "has had a small and mostly positive effect on the wages and employment of New Zealand-born workers during the last 20 years" [(MBIE, summarising the Commission)](https://www.mbie.govt.nz/immigration-and-tourism/immigration/immigration-consultations/productivity-commission-inquiry/interim-response-to-the-productivity-commissions-report-immigration-fit-for-the-future?ref=themaorigreenlantern.maori.nz). A 2026 Reserve Bank paper, as reported by [Awaaz](https://awaaz.co.nz/new-zealand/high-migration-creates-more-jobs-new-reserve-bank-paper-explains-the-paradox.html?ref=themaorigreenlantern.maori.nz), found a migration increase was associated with falling unemployment. It also found real wages dip temporarily, and house prices and credit rise. \[[teaonews.co](https://www.teaonews.co.nz/2026/09/23/the-waitangi-tribunal-urgently-calls-to-halt-the-ncea-curriculum/?ref=themaorigreenlantern.maori.nz)\]\[[rnz.co](https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/560641/ministers-continue-to-make-decisions-on-fast-track-projects-after-parties-take-donations-linked-to-applicants?ref=themaorigreenlantern.maori.nz)\] NZIER adds two cautions. It says the link between migration and youth unemployment is "uncertain", and it warns that the removal of the Accredited Employer Work Visa median wage threshold in March 2025 means employers can hire migrants at the minimum wage. Arrivals on that visa rose 2.9 times, from 1,103 to 3,195 a month, between December 2024 and January 2026\. NZIER wants close monitoring so migrants do not "erode the bottom rung" . So his concern has a kernel. The villain in that kernel is a visa rule that lets employers undercut young workers, not the migrant. ### Science And Media: He Is The Minority New Zealanders rank ninth of 68 countries for trust in scientists [(Victoria University of Wellington)](https://www.wgtn.ac.nz/news/2025/01/despite-fears-of-falling-trust-in-expert-knowledge-a-global-survey-shows-new-zealanders-value-science-highly?ref=themaorigreenlantern.maori.nz). The study in *Nature Human Behaviour* found no country showing low overall trust in scientists [(Nature)](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-024-02090-5?ref=themaorigreenlantern.maori.nz). \[[stats.govt](https://www.stats.govt.nz/information-releases/labour-market-statistics-june-2026-quarter/?ref=themaorigreenlantern.maori.nz)\]\[[bbc](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8je9013m0ro?ref=themaorigreenlantern.maori.nz)\] AUT found general trust in news rose from 32% to 37% in 2026, after six years of decline. 46% were extremely or very concerned about politicians publicly discrediting news [(AUT)](https://www.aut.ac.nz/news/stories/trust-in-news-up-significantly-in-2026?ref=themaorigreenlantern.maori.nz) . The Disinformation Project's closing statement said the networks built during the pandemic spread into "climate change denial, opposition to immigration… anti-Māori racism". It said those networks are "deeply connected to far-right, neo-Nazi, and accelerationist networks and actors". It also noted the "marked increase in polarising and dehumanising rhetoric" aimed at Māori [(The Disinformation Project)](https://www.thedisinfoproject.org/?ref=themaorigreenlantern.maori.nz) . ### Paris: A Party's Claim NZ First says New Zealand's emissions amount to "only around 0.17%" and that "up to $22 billion" of taxpayers' money goes offshore if National honours Paris obligations [(NZ First)](https://www.nzfirst.nz/withdraw%5Ffrom%5Fparis%5Faccord?ref=themaorigreenlantern.maori.nz) . I could not find independent confirmation of either figure. ### The Treaty: "Repetitive", Or Removed? The Waitangi Tribunal's pre-publication report found seven breaches across four Treaty principles in the curriculum overhaul: partnership, active protection, equity and good government. PPTA warned nearly 15,000 students, including 4,400 Māori (29.3%), are at risk of not achieving NCEA. The union's account notes Parliament removed school boards' legal duty to "give effect" to Te Tiriti in late 2025 [(Te Ao Māori News)](https://www.teaonews.co.nz/2026/09/23/the-waitangi-tribunal-urgently-calls-to-halt-the-ncea-curriculum/?ref=themaorigreenlantern.maori.nz) . RNZ reported documents showing the government cut the Treaty as an overarching principle, then reversed within weeks [(RNZ)](https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/education/763370/government-flip-flopped-on-treaty-s-role-in-school-curriculum?ref=themaorigreenlantern.maori.nz) . **Right of reply:** Minister Stanford says the Tribunal reviewed an early draft and nearly 100 Māori academics were consulted. She cites Māori NCEA Level 2 attainment rising from 60.4% to 63.3% . National and NZ First also voted against the Treaty Principles Bill. It was defeated 112 to 11, with only ACT in favour [(BBC)](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8je9013m0ro?ref=themaorigreenlantern.maori.nz) The coalition is not one voice. --- ## The Deep Dive Podcast The Politics Behind New Zealand s Cancer Pledge 0:00 /1351.378141 1× Listen to a lively conversation between two hosts, unpacking and connecting topics in the sources of this essay. I apologise in advance for the AI's very harsh pronounciation of reo. Please dont shoot me, :). ## Youtube Video Like video? Here is a short video suppporting the essay. Again, don't shoot the messenger please because of AI's pronounciation. :) --- ## Koha: Support The Mahi That Names The Wreckers ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b1/cd/b1cd2cb0-95e8-4ee7-ad91-84123e3121bd/content/images/2026/10/W6NX_XlLaZzYAauO-3.png) You might ask who supports the Māori Green Lantern to trace the donations, read the Tribunal findings and check the numbers so you do not have to. The answer is you do. This mahi is supported by koha, and that is it. No corporate entity supports it. Every koha says whānau will support the accountability that Crown and corporate structures will not provide. Rangatiratanga includes the power to support our own truth tellers. Kia kaha, whānau. Stay vigilant. Stay connected. If you are able, consider a koha to ensure this voice continues. If you are unable to koha, no worries. Subscribe or follow The Māori Green Lantern at [themaorigreenlantern.maori.nz](https://www.themaorigreenlantern.maori.nz/). Kōrero and share with your whānau and friends. That is koha in itself. Four pathways exist: 1. **Koha platform:** [Support The Māori Green Lantern](https://app.koha.kiwi/events/the-maori-green-lantern-fighting-misinformation-and-disinformation-ivor-jones?ref=themaorigreenlantern.maori.nz) 2. **Subscribe to receive essays and support the mahi:** [Subscribe To The Māori Green Lantern](https://www.themaorigreenlantern.maori.nz/#/portal/support) 3. **Direct bank transfer:** Ivor Jones, 03-1395-0099387-000 4. **Facebook:** [Subscribe On Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/Themaorigreenlantern/subscribe/) --- ## His Biases, Named From His Own Words ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b1/cd/b1cd2cb0-95e8-4ee7-ad91-84123e3121bd/content/images/2026/10/-0xYcBLdPHMwCnk8.png) This section is my opinion, with the factual basis in each paragraph. I describe patterns in published words. I do not diagnose him. - **Motivated reasoning:** He distrusts scientists and journalists, who publish methods and can be checked. He accepts a promise that mining profits will "somewhat mitigate" environmental damage, which he cannot check . The [News Literacy Project](https://newslit.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/InBrief-ConfirmationBiasMotivatedReasoning-FINAL.pdf?ref=themaorigreenlantern.maori.nz) describes this as noticing information that reinforces existing beliefs while overlooking what challenges them . - **Affect heuristic:** "On a personal level, I quite like Winston Peters – that plays into it" . A [Cambridge study](https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-race-ethnicity-and-politics/article/how-do-people-perceive-immigrants-relating-perceptions-to-numbers/9F5B23BF21F8DFC4C727D0FE192875B3?ref=themaorigreenlantern.maori.nz) describes the affect heuristic as judging a group by a general positive or negative feeling . - **Availability heuristic:** His evidence is friends who "can't find jobs" and an Auckland that changed over 18 years . Vivid experience stands in for national data. - **In-group framing:** He wore an NZ First jacket as a "social experiment" and read cold reactions as proof of polarisation . That is my reading and is unverified as applied to him. - **A real grievance used as a lever:** He went to a decile 2 school and notes low-decile schools cannot afford alternatives like Cambridge exams . That grievance is legitimate. The party courting him has not fixed it. - **Faith:** He says his Roman Catholic faith influences how he votes . That is conscience, not bias to ridicule. - **Format:** The interviewer asked "So you feel immigration is affecting unemployment?" and moved on . An unchallenged claim reaches readers with a broadcaster's weight. I critique the format, not Emily Simpson. --- ## Tika, Pono And Tikanga: Did The System Build Mauri? ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b1/cd/b1cd2cb0-95e8-4ee7-ad91-84123e3121bd/content/images/2026/10/The_Wreckers__Lantern_-_Slide_7-1.png) My three tests are **Tika** (is it just?), **Pono** (is it true?) and **Tikanga** (does it build mauri?). Tikanga asks whether the system preserved their mana, recognised their whakapapa, respected their wairua, involved their whānau, and returned them to wellbeing. A fair note: Labour also said at the end of August that reviving Te Aka Whai Ora "was not a priority". Moxon said both Labour and the coalition were being "short-sighted". My opinion is that a system failing all five questions is mauri-depleting. The factual basis is the Tribunal findings and Stats NZ data above. --- ## Three Examples For The Western Mind ### Example 1: The Youth Jobs Crisis ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b1/cd/b1cd2cb0-95e8-4ee7-ad91-84123e3121bd/content/images/2026/10/The_Wreckers__Lantern_-_Slide_4.png) **Core claim:** The voter thinks immigration is behind joblessness. **Quantified harm:** 25.3% teen unemployment, 180,200 underutilised people aged 15–24, and a rise of 21,600 in a year . **Solution:** Fix the visa rule that lets employers hire migrants at minimum wage. Fund youth hiring and training and a national workforce strategy, as NZIER urges. **Tikanga impact:** A young person who cannot work loses mana, and whanaungatanga frays when the real cause stays hidden. ### Example 2: The Scrapped Māori Health Authority ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b1/cd/b1cd2cb0-95e8-4ee7-ad91-84123e3121bd/content/images/2026/10/The_Wreckers__Lantern_-_Slide_5.png) **Core claim:** The coalition said Te Aka Whai Ora was being replaced with something better. **Quantified harm:** The Tribunal found the Crown breached multiple Treaty principles and had no clear alternative plan after almost 18 months . The Disestablishment Act passed under urgency on 5 March 2024 [(Waitangi Tribunal)](https://www.waitangitribunal.govt.nz/en/news/tribunal-releases-report-on-disestablishment-of-te-aka-whai-ora?ref=themaorigreenlantern.maori.nz). In Moxon's words, Māori are "still dying seven years younger" .\[[greens.org](https://www.greens.org.nz/greens%5Fcommit%5Fto%5Ftax%5Fthe%5Fsuper%5Frich%5Fand%5Flarge%5Fcorporates%5Ffairly%5Fcut%5Fincome%5Ftax%5Ffor%5F96?ref=themaorigreenlantern.maori.nz)\] **Solution:** The Tribunal recommended revisiting a standalone Māori health authority. Associate Health Minister Matt Doocey says the Government has no intention of doing so . My essay [The Crown Ripped Māori Hands From The Health System](https://www.themaorigreenlantern.maori.nz/the-crown-ripped-maori-hands-from-the-health-system-then-called-the-amputation-patient-care-27-september-2026/) sets out my argument. **Tikanga impact:** Rangatiratanga over health becomes ministerial advice, and decisions about whānau are made without whānau. ### Example 3: Donations And Fast-Track ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b1/cd/b1cd2cb0-95e8-4ee7-ad91-84123e3121bd/content/images/2026/10/The_Wreckers__Lantern_-_Slide_6--1-.png) **Core claim:** The party selling "common sense" against environmental caution is the largest recipient of fast-track-linked donations. **Quantified harm:** In 2024, NZ First received $121,680 and National $58,897.25 from donors linked to fast-tracked projects, so NZ First took 67.4% of the combined total [(RNZ)](https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/560641/ministers-continue-to-make-decisions-on-fast-track-projects-after-parties-take-donations-linked-to-applicants?ref=themaorigreenlantern.maori.nz) . Melrose Private Capital gave $84,680, which is 69.6% of NZ First's total. Shane Jones stood aside from Melrose's project. He did not declare a conflict for applications from Sanford, McCallum Bros or the Ngāti Manuhiri Settlement Trust, all NZ First donors . **Right of reply:** Jones and Bishop said Cabinet Office practice is that party donations are not generally a pecuniary conflict. McCallum Bros' managing director said his donations were dinner tickets. An Auditor-General investigation is ongoing . I allege no illegality. **Solution:** Clearer conflict rules and disclosure, as political scientist Bryce Edwards urged . **Tikanga impact:** Kaitiakitanga is hard to practise when the rules are written near donors, because the whenua has no donation to give. I have also written on this theme in [Seven Parties Walked Into The Light](https://www.themaorigreenlantern.maori.nz/seven-parties-walked-into-the-light-this-is-why-six-of-them-should-not-come-back-3-october-2026/) , [The Twenty-Eight Percent Earthquake](https://www.themaorigreenlantern.maori.nz/the-twenty-eight-percent-earthquake-how-whanau-maori-are-walking-away-from-the-parties-that-hurt-them-1-october-2026/) , and [Labour's Red-Coloured Cage](https://www.themaorigreenlantern.maori.nz/labours-red-coloured-cage-the-coalition-destroys-maori-power-and-chris-hipkins-refuses-to-rebuild-it-30-september-2026/) . --- ## The Hidden Connections ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b1/cd/b1cd2cb0-95e8-4ee7-ad91-84123e3121bd/content/images/2026/10/eF5752rfBVH1HOFQ.png) 1. A voter's real pain over jobs is steered at newcomers, while the visa rule that lets employers undercut young workers goes unnamed. 2. Earned Māori distrust of media is widened into distrust of science and journalism as a whole. 3. The Disinformation Project links the same networks to climate denial, anti-immigration messaging and anti-Māori racism. 4. NZ First's mining and Paris agenda sits next to donations from fast-tracked industries. 5. A curriculum reset that the Tribunal found breached Te Tiriti sits beside the "Treaty is repetitive" message. 6. The top 1% hold double the wealth of the bottom half, and the "war on woke" never touches it. --- ## Fallacies Named - **False cause:** Immigration is blamed for joblessness when the evidence is mixed. - **Appeal to sovereignty:** Paris sets voluntary national targets. - **Hasty generalisation:** A bad experience with a source becomes "distrust all scientists". - **False dilemma:** "Lesser of two evils" reduces seven parties to two. - **Affective reasoning:** Climate talk "annoys" him, so it is waved away. --- ## Who Pays: Quantified Harm ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b1/cd/b1cd2cb0-95e8-4ee7-ad91-84123e3121bd/content/images/2026/10/The_Wreckers__Lantern_-_Slide_6.png) Wages rose 2.0% in the year to June 2026 while consumer prices rose 4.1%, a gap of 2.1 points [(Stats NZ)](https://www.stats.govt.nz/information-releases/labour-market-statistics-june-2026-quarter/?ref=themaorigreenlantern.maori.nz) . Māori unemployment is 10.8%, against 4.2% for Europeans. In health, the Tribunal found the Crown breached the Treaty. In the classroom, it found seven breaches. On the whenua, extraction cannot be undone. Our mokopuna inherit all of it. > My opinion, and I say it plainly, is that this coalition governs with **white supremacist institutional logic** dressed up as common sense. The factual basis is the Tribunal's findings on the curriculum and on Te Aka Whai Ora, plus the abolition policies below. I also call it **neoliberal** because its policies favour cuts, extraction and donor access over public wellbeing, which echoes Hipkins's "pro-privatisation" charge. These are my opinions, not allegations of individual crimes. --- ## Why You Should Not Vote This Coalition Back In ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b1/cd/b1cd2cb0-95e8-4ee7-ad91-84123e3121bd/content/images/2026/10/The_Wreckers__Lantern_-_Slide_7.png) The election is Saturday 7 November 2026, 27 days from today. Greenpeace lists 25 October as the last day to enrol and 26 October as when advance voting opens [(Greenpeace)](https://www.greenpeace.org/aotearoa/act/election-environmental-policy-scorecard-2026/?ref=themaorigreenlantern.maori.nz) . - **NZ First:** It will table legislation in its first 100 days to abolish the Waitangi Tribunal and replace it with a Treaty of Waitangi Completion Commission, with contemporary claims moving to the Ministry of Māori Development [(RNZ)](https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/politics%5Felection-2026/1593210/new-zealand-first-announces-plan-to-abolish-waitangi-tribunal?ref=themaorigreenlantern.maori.nz) [(NZ First)](https://www.nzfirst.nz/ending%5Fthe%5Fwaitangi%5Fmake%5Fwork%5Findustry?ref=themaorigreenlantern.maori.nz). It would also leave Paris, and it received two-thirds of the fast-track donation total above.\[[nzherald.co](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/the-listener/new-zealand/danyl-mclauchlan-on-election-policies-the-good-the-bad-the-unworkable-pledges-on-the-big-issues/premium/ST7APIBX4JEOVMCELARFIIQJ4A/?ref=themaorigreenlantern.maori.nz)\]\[[1news.co](https://www.1news.co.nz/2026/08/09/greens-propose-24b-marae-fund-when-roads-close-marae-stay-open/?ref=themaorigreenlantern.maori.nz)\] - **ACT:** It will end the Tribunal's jurisdiction over contemporary Crown policy and conduct, then wind it up [(ACT)](https://www.act.org.nz/news/finish-the-settlements-wind-up-the-waitangi-tribunal?ref=themaorigreenlantern.maori.nz). Moxon says these coalition efforts are an attempt to "bury" a body that exposes breaches [(RNZ)](https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/te-ao-maori/1638543/coalition-parties-want-to-bury-waitangi-tribunal-for-exposing-treaty-breaches-lady-tureiti-moxon?ref=themaorigreenlantern.maori.nz).\[[greenpeace](https://www.greenpeace.org/aotearoa/act/election-environmental-policy-scorecard-2026/?ref=themaorigreenlantern.maori.nz)\]\[[nzfirst](https://www.nzfirst.nz/withdraw%5Ffrom%5Fparis%5Faccord?ref=themaorigreenlantern.maori.nz)\] - **National:** It governed through the curriculum and health decisions the Tribunal found in breach. It also voted against the Treaty Principles Bill, and it has not announced a plan to abolish the Tribunal. I note that, because it is true. The coalition agreement did promise to "refocus the scope, purpose, and nature" of the Tribunal's inquiries [(RNZ)](https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/politics%5Felection-2026/1321444/act-sets-out-plan-to-wind-up-waitangi-tribunal?ref=themaorigreenlantern.maori.nz).\[[1news.co](https://www.1news.co.nz/2026/10/10/i-dont-like-the-guy-but-hes-the-lesser-of-two-evils/?ref=themaorigreenlantern.maori.nz)\] - **The record:** Greenpeace gave ACT, NZ First and National an F in every environmental policy area . Real wages fell about 2.1 points behind prices, and Māori unemployment is 10.8%. --- ## Why I Say Vote Green ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b1/cd/b1cd2cb0-95e8-4ee7-ad91-84123e3121bd/content/images/2026/10/The_Wreckers__Lantern_-_Slide_8.png) I say vote Green because their package passes the most tests, not because they are perfect. - **Te Tiriti:** The Greens' manifesto says they will "put Te Tiriti o Waitangi at the heart of a modern Aotearoa founded on real partnership" [(Green Manifesto 2026)](https://www.greens.org.nz/manifesto%5F2026?ref=themaorigreenlantern.maori.nz) . Their Te Waonui a Tāne policy would create a $2.44 billion permanent trust for marae, owned and governed by hapū and iwi [(1News)](https://www.1news.co.nz/2026/08/09/greens-propose-24b-marae-fund-when-roads-close-marae-stay-open/?ref=themaorigreenlantern.maori.nz).\[[wgtn.ac](https://www.wgtn.ac.nz/news/2025/01/despite-fears-of-falling-trust-in-expert-knowledge-a-global-survey-shows-new-zealanders-value-science-highly?ref=themaorigreenlantern.maori.nz)\] - **Climate and nature:** Greenpeace's scorecard gave the Greens and Te Pāti Māori A grades, Opportunity a B and Labour a C . - **Fairness:** The Greens propose a 2.5% annual tax on net assets above $10 million with the family home exempt, and say it would raise $3.8 billion in the first year [(Green Party)](https://www.greens.org.nz/greens%5Fcommit%5Fto%5Ftax%5Fthe%5Fsuper%5Frich%5Fand%5Flarge%5Fcorporates%5Ffairly%5Fcut%5Fincome%5Ftax%5Ffor%5F96?ref=themaorigreenlantern.maori.nz) [(NZ Herald/Listener)](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/the-listener/new-zealand/danyl-mclauchlan-on-election-policies-the-good-the-bad-the-unworkable-pledges-on-the-big-issues/premium/ST7APIBX4JEOVMCELARFIIQJ4A/?ref=themaorigreenlantern.maori.nz). They say they would cut income tax for 96% of people. Both figures are party claims, and the Listener called the plan "a tax switch on a grand scale".\[[mpamag](https://www.mpamag.com/nz/news/general/teen-unemployment-tops-25-as-entry-level-hiring-shrinks-report-finds/592940?ref=themaorigreenlantern.maori.nz)\]\[[aut.ac](https://www.aut.ac.nz/news/stories/trust-in-news-up-significantly-in-2026?ref=themaorigreenlantern.maori.nz)\] - **Migrant workers:** The manifesto says "migrant workers are not disposable" . That addresses the very visa problem NZIER flags. - **The Tribunal:** Te Pāti Māori also scored an A from Greenpeace. My [Seven Parties essay](https://www.themaorigreenlantern.maori.nz/seven-parties-walked-into-the-light-this-is-why-six-of-them-should-not-come-back-3-october-2026/) argues the electorate vote for our people in the Māori seats is mana's own weapon, and the party vote must land where a government that honours Te Tiriti can be assembled . This is my opinion and your vote is yours. Read the policies first. --- ## Rangatiratanga Over Distrust ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b1/cd/b1cd2cb0-95e8-4ee7-ad91-84123e3121bd/content/images/2026/10/The_Wreckers__Lantern_-_Slide_9.png) > Mauri-depleting forces teach a young person to distrust everyone who could help him. > Mauri-enhancing forces teach him to ask who hung the light. The voter ended with "the hope's still there" . I agree. Take down the wreckers' lantern, whānau, and read the ledger they hope you never open. --- ## Disclaimer This essay is opinion and commentary in the public interest (*Durie v Gardiner*; *Lange v Atkinson*). The interviewee is a private individual, is not named, and is discussed only through his published words. The bias analysis is my opinion, not a finding about him. Statements about public figures concern their public roles only. The terms "white supremacist institutional logic" and "neoliberal" are my opinion, with the factual basis stated in the text. I allege no individual criminal conduct. Ministers named say conflicts were managed under Cabinet Office practice. Corrections or complaints will be handled under a retraction protocol. --- ##