Greens' Marama Davidson criticises armed police trial, uplifts and water bottling

January 28, 2020

Marama Davidson also used the opportunity to also condemn Oranga Tamariki uplifts.

Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson used her 'State of the Planet' speech to criticise the deployment of armed police in South Auckland, the lack of action on Māori water rights and Oranga Tamariki uplifts. 

Ms Davidson confirmed her decision to run in the Tamaki Makaurau electorate for the third time. She gained 15.6 per cent of the vote in 2014 and 21.6 per cent in 2017 - coming third in both electorate results after the Māori Party and sitting Labour MP Peeni Henare. 

"I'm proud, and to be honest a little bit sad, to be the only politician pointing out that our South Auckland families don’t need roving armed police, they need homes, decent jobs, healthcare and education," she said today.  

Ms Davidson accepted a petition in December urging the Government to cease the trials of specialist police response teams.

Marama Davidson at Rātana.

"Where was the discussion on this initiative? Where was the honouring of the intention to have better relationships with Māori and Pacific communities? Where is the evidence this is going to work?" she asked at the time. 

"This is about my community, one of the many communities where the armed trials are taking place. This is about my two young boys who are Māori... this is about my uncles, my brother, my father, this is about all of us."

Māori Party president Che Wilson also spoke out against the armed police trials at Rātana last week.

"The biggest criminals are usually white males who wear shirts and ties, but the armed response teams will pick on our people," he told the MPs.

Ms Davidson also condemned the lack of progress on Māori water rights - an issue that had impacted changes on water bottling. 

The  Green Party's policy in 2017  was for an immediate moratorium on new water bottling consents and a 10c/litre levy. NZ First promised a royalty and Labour promised a pricing scheme.

In November, the Government announced there would be an extra hoop to jump through for overseas bottlers, looking at the positive and negative impacts on water quality and sustainability. The Government is still looking at whether to put royalties on bottled water exports.

"When others have stood by and refused to address Māori water rights, I have stood strong on our Green Party position which agrees with tangata whenua having proprietary, kaitiaki and rangatiratanga rights over water," Ms Davidson said today. 

She said she works to "ensure water is treated as a taonga with intrinsic value, rather than a commodity to be sold off to the highest bidder".

Ms Davidson also criticised the Oranga Tamariki uplifts. Earlier this month Children's Commissioner Judge Becroft said there were questions about racism and bias within the state care sector.

"When whānau have had their tamariki unjustly removed by the State, I have called for support not separation," Ms Davidson said. 


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