First they came for the Māori

But I was too busy making dinner

Image: Karamaha

First they came for the doctors
But I was confused by the numbers and costs 
So I didn't speak up

Then they came for our police and nurses
And I didn't think we could afford those costs anyway
So I focused on my own life

Then they came for the Māori
And I closed my eyes resolutely
Who were Māori to me, and why do their problems matter, anyway.

But then one day I opened my eyes
And looked around
And saw a new New Zealand
A corporatized, privatized, money driven utopia 

My country had become anew

Where only the well to do could afford a pre-sentencing report
So more browns and the poor could render their just desserts

Where only the wealthy could afford the best healthcare
And everyone else can wait their rightful turn, death or sickness be damned

Where every time we  drove on a road we added to the profit margins of a firm headquartered in the US or Switzerland

Where my child's education competed with private charter schools that strive for profit, but on my taxpayer money

Where asset after national asset is privatised, corporatised and we are told this is the only way to save a weak, sick, country that is Aotearoa, never mind that's it's not even mildly true

It's a new land where the well to do, the bosses, the leaders, the rich are seen as successful and worthy of investment

It's the forging of a new America right here in Aotearoa New Zealand.

As the sun sets on the original USA experiment, from failures ingrained from the start, Luxon, Seymour and Peters seek a new one for their masters.

Our fearless leader loves America 
And that is his due

But we don't want to be them. Or do we?

So rest at our own peril
Our ignorance, our apathy, our politeness is their power
And true strength

Rest at our peril
And look out for those who don't have the power to speak up
Or are just seen as not important enough to care for

The great dismantling of Māori rights paves their way.