Opinion of the Day

We've had Quote of the Day, Cartoon of the Day so why not finish the trifecta with Opinion of the Day.

Peter Williams, Magic Talk host, sounds a warning about He Puapua and the threat the plan poses to New Zealand's parliamentary democracy.

"As Winston Churchill once said, apparently, “no-one pretends democracy is perfect. In fact, it has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.”

But the question I think we should be asking in this country is this: is democracy under threat? Now, on the surface, that sounds like an absolutely preposterous proposition. After all, we are a long-standing democracy based on the Westminster or British system of letting the people decide who should govern them. We had our first elections in this country in 1853. They were not perfect though because only property owners could vote.

Over the next 40 years that changed and evolved and by 1893, when women were granted the vote, every New Zealand person aged 21 or older could vote for one nationwide parliament and for local councils. And so, for 128 years, that is the way New Zealand has been governed. We get to vote, and every vote has been of equal value. And theoretically, the majority decides the direction of travel. But are we seeing that system under threat?"

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