_{Summarised by Centrist} 

“Parts of the government are obsessed with race,” according to senior Herald columnist Thomas Coughlan in discussing the government’s increasing challenges in managing race relations. 

Coughlan thinks this is diverting attention from core issues like economic recovery and infrastructure. 

“Public attention is a zero-sum game and time spent talking on one issue means less time on another. The divisive race conversation risks cannibalising public attention which the coalition would be best served by focusing on efforts to rebalance the economy and plug the infrastructure gap,” he advises. 

In Coughlan’s opinion, in particular, ACT and NZ First’s focus on race is complicating Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s agenda. 

The government risks losing control over the race debate, which could hinder its ability to govern effectively, particularly as Māori leaders grow dissatisfied with current Crown-Māori relations.

Coughlan notes that while some parties may benefit from the heightened focus on race, National and Labour struggle to gain traction on other pressing matters. 

Editor’s note: What Coughlan refers to as an obsession with race may also be viewed as a wind down after several years of unchecked concessions to Māori activists promoting race-based policies under Labour. 

Three Waters, Māori wards, RMAs, education reform, and Māori Health Authority (to name a few) were massive, unmandated efforts to inject race-based policies into government. 

Moving beyond the previous government’s arguably underhanded attempts to embed race-based policies into government is going to take time. 

Read more over at The NZ Herald (paywalled)