There is hardly a night goes by in Aotearoa New Zealand, when the 47th president of the “dis” United States of America does not appear on our TV. I think the great frequency is partly attributable to the fact that what he says on Monday nights is often reversed by the time we watch the news on Tuesday nights. Irascibility and unpredictability seem to be the name of Trump’s game.
One of the most unfortunate results of what has come to be called “Trumpism” is its appeal to right-wing ideologues in other countries. I would like to briefly share on how this is playing out in Aotearoa New Zealand. Currently we have a right-wing government in which the minor coalition parties who together gained just under 15% of the vote in the general election of 2023, seem to be calling most of the shots. The majority party in the coalition appears more than willing to give into the demands of both minor parties in order to stay in office.
What does this mean?
Reversing legislation that seeks to protect the environment. This has led to greater pollution of waterways, and soon we expect to see deep sea mining taking place off the coast of New Zealand, and mining being allowed in conservation land;
Legislation that seeks to empower employers and disempower workers, for example, less restrictive policies around health and safety requirements in the work place;
Reversing affirmative action, that is, measures intended to empower Maori in their struggles to reverse historical wrong-doings initiated by European settler governments from the 1840s onwards. Thus, the Minister of Education has managed to achieve a certain notoriety by forbidding the use of a beginner’s reading book, At the Marae, as it contains six Māori words.
The present government seems to be aiming at “making New Zealand white again.” This is concerning for Māori who are 18% of the population, and for many non-Maori.
Trumpian anti-woke ideology is alive and well here, and consequently society is more divided on ethnic and economic lines than ever before. We are far removed from a government that recognises and tries to ensure how the teachings of the late Pope Francis and now Pope Leo might inform its decision-making.
Photo Credit: Te Mana Motuhakeō Tuhoe Patch by Robbie Ian Morrison: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:RobbieIanMorrison
Licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
Some rights reserved. Used with permission.
Susan Smith RNDM is a lecturer emerita in The University of Auckland’s Department of Theology. Her PhD was on developments in Catholic missiology after Vatican II. After her retirement from The University of Auckland, Susan also provided NT modules for the University of Newcastle, Australia, and a Women in Leadership module for Duquesne University. Susan lives with another member of her congregation in Whangarei, New Zealand, where both are committed to exploring experientially what it means to live in an eco-community. Both are involved in neighborhood environment organizations. They are particularly interested in what might shape eco-spiritualities in New Zealand.
Thank you for this comparison between the unravelling democracy in America and the similar dismantling of New Zealand. I had no idea. It is so frustrating to see leadership ruled by such racist, cruel, self-centered, power mongers.
Thank you for showing the similarities between the unraveling USA and present New Zealand. I had no idea that another nation was experiencing the outfall of such ignorant leadership.