National party deputy leader Gerry Brownlee has launched an attack on the AIDS Foundation over its commitments to the Treaty of Waitangi. Brownlee has described as "politically correct claptrap" an advertisement for a new NZAF board member, which contains a line from the NZAF constitution: "The NZAF is a community based, non governmental organization which acknowledges the Maori text of the Treaty of Waitangi as the basis upon which relationships between Maori and Tauiwi (non-Maori) must rest." "Quite what the 'Maori text of the Treaty' has to do with helping all AIDS sufferers on an equal basis regardless of their race is beyond me," Brownlee said in a press statement. "National says all Kiwis should be treated equally before the law on the basis of their need, not on the basis of their race." This is the second attack by Brownlee on the Foundation this year. In June, he labelled moves by the board to to set aside 50% of board seats for Maori in recognition of the Treaty as “utterly stupid”. The proposal was heavily resisted and eventually withdrawn. Brownlee's attack comes only days after details of the NZAF's November AGM were released to members. A number of remits have been proposed, including calls for the entire board to resign over the board quota fiasco. Another remit proposes that all Treaty references be struck from the NZAF Constitution and replaced instead with a specific commitment to takatapui health programmes as part of the Foundation's work.
Credit: GayNZ.com News Staff
First published: Monday, 24th October 2005 - 12:00pm