Orewa Speech

Orewa Speech
Don Brash, then newly-installed as Leader of the Opposition, used the Orewa Speech to broach the topic of Māori-Pākehā relations.

The Orewa Speech was a speech delivered by the then-leader of the New Zealand National Party Don Brash to the Orewa Rotary Club on 27 January 2004. It addressed the theme of race relations in New Zealand and in particular the special status of Māori people. Brash approached the once-taboo subject by advocating 'one rule for all'[1] and ending what he saw as the Māori's special privileges.

Contents

Reaction

The speech was criticised not so much for its substance but for a perceived political intent behind it. It was widely claimed that Brash was "playing the race card",[2] winning support for his party by fuelling racist sentiment toward Māoridom.[citation needed] The speech itself was framed in terms of equality and pragmatism, arguing for dispensing with affirmative action programmes and poorly understood references in legislation to the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi, and ending the alleged "Treaty of Waitangi Grievance Industry". His speech was criticised by lecturer and political writer Jon Johansson as "[w]hether intended or not, the Orewa speech reinforced the ignorant and racist stereotype that Māori were 'savages' before the 'gift' of European civilisation was visited upon them."[3]

The speech resulted in a major surge for the National Party, which had been languishing from an overwhelming defeat at the 2002 election. From 28% in the polls a month before the speech, the National Party jumped to 45% two weeks after it: ten points ahead of Labour.[4] Polls showed that many Māori were comfortable with Brash's speech, and the National Party threw its support behind it, although Georgina te Heuheu was removed as National's Māori Affairs spokeswoman after criticising it.[5] It was instrumental in establishing a public profile for Don Brash, who had only recently become the party's leader.

Subsequent to the speech, Brash's catch-cry "need not race" was taken up by the other side of the political divide, the governing Labour-Progressive coalition. An audit of government programmes was put in place to determine whether there were race-based programmes where need-based programmes would suffice.

Legacy

Brash returned to Orewa on 25 January 2005, hoping to capitalise on the previous year's success, and gave a speech on social welfare and on welfare dependency. This speech, dubbed Orewa 2, failed to generate the publicity of the original. Brash has returned to make annual 'Orewa speeches' every year since, on a wide range of topics.

Nicky Hager's 2006 book The Hollow Men claims that the speech was written, in part, by Michael Bassett, a claim denied by Bassett.

See also

Footnotes

  1. ^ Cumming, Geoff (4 February 2004). "Non-Maori say they've had enough". New Zealand Herald. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=3550487. Retrieved 29 April 2011. 
  2. ^ Armstrong, John (21 February 2004). "Don Brash tells: Why I played the race card". New Zealand Herald. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=3550537. Retrieved 29 April 2011. 
  3. ^ Johansson, Jon (December 2004). "Orewa and the Rhetoric of Illusion". Political Science 56 (2). 
  4. ^ "Poll puts National ahead of Labour". New Zealand Herald. 15 February 2004. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=3549317. Retrieved 29 April 2011. 
  5. ^ Berry, Ruth (4 February 2004). "No surrender vows te Heuheu as she loses role". New Zealand Herald. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=3547313. Retrieved 29 April 2011. 

External links


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Orewa — Orewa …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Don Brash — Dr Don Brash Leader of ACT New Zealand Incumbent Assumed office 28 April 2011 …   Wikipedia

  • Treaty of Waitangi claims and settlements — have been a significant feature of New Zealand race relations and politics since 1975. Over the last 30 years, New Zealand governments have increasingly provided formal legal and political opportunity for Māori to seek redress for breaches by the …   Wikipedia

  • Silvia Cartwright — The Honourable Dame Silvia Cartwright PCNZM DBE QSO DStJ 18th Governor General of New Zealand In office 4 April 2001 – 4 August 2006 Monarch …   Wikipedia

  • New South Wales state election campaign, 2007 — Main article: New South Wales state election, 2007 Election campaign, 2007 Government Opposition Labor …   Wikipedia

  • Gerry Brownlee — The New Zealand politician Gerard Anthony Brownlee (born 1956), generally known as Gerry Brownlee, served from 17 November 2003 to November 27, 2006 as deputy leader of the National Party during that period the second largest party in the New… …   Wikipedia

  • New Zealand general election, 2005 — 2002 ← members 17 September 2005 (2005 09 17) …   Wikipedia

  • Tau Henare — (born 29 September 1960) is a New Zealand Māori parliamentarian. He served as a Member of Parliament from 1993 to 1999 and returned to Parliament in 2005. He has been involved with 3 political parties: New Zealand First, Mauri Pacific and the… …   Wikipedia

  • Political topics in New Zealand — This page lists a number of articles relating to issues, ideas, and events in New Zealand politics.Types of politics*Liberalism in New Zealand *Socialism in New Zealand *Christian politics in New Zealand *Far right politics in New Zealand… …   Wikipedia

  • Outline of New Zealand — …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”