This is an extreme reaction to the suggestion of a referendum on the Treaty of Waitangi:
Green Party co-leader James Shaw is warning there could be violence and wide scale social disruption if ACT Party leader David Seymour is successful in negotiating for a referendum on the Treaty of Waitangi's principles.
Seymour has campaigned on ending co-governance and a radical re-think of the Treaty of Waitangi, which he thinks should go to the country in a referendum. "It's something that I think has to happen for New Zealand," Seymour said in an interview on the Stuff podcast, Tova.
The radical rethink of the Treaty has been happening for decades with the introduction of its principles which no-one has been able to define, and the out-going government's imposition of co-governance overriding democracy.
But Shaw said he would be "horrified to see where that could go", especially in light of Australia overwhelmingly rejecting a plan to give greater political rights to Indigenous people in a referendum on Saturday.
"I think you have just seen the equivalent of that in Australia, where you have a majority that has voted to continue to override the indigenous rights there, and I think you could see something very similar here," he said.
A majority winning in a referendum is the way democracies work.
"If that happens, you will see wide scale social disruption - it could lead to violence." . .
Spot the irony in in this criticism of Seymour who is of Maori descent, from Shaw who is not.
Attempting to shut down conversations like this is using fear of dissent and encouraging extremism as a substitute for debate.
Whether or not a referendum on the Treaty is necessary, it must be able to be discussed and debated openly without threats of social disruption and violence.
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