Do Maori own the Reserve Bank of New Zealand? Why does it have a Maori Head on the coat of arms?
Tangata Whenua made this Official Information request to Reserve Bank of New Zealand
The request was successful.
From: Tangata Whenua
Dear Reserve Bank of New Zealand,
Who (or What) owns the Reserve Bank of New Zealand?
I have taken a resource from the RBNZ Website: https://www.rbnz.govt.nz/research-and-pu...
and it reads as follows... "The Reserve Bank of New Zealand has been wholly owned by the New Zealand Government since 1936.
Although it has statutory independence to carry out its functions under the Reserve Bank of New Zealand Act 1989, the Reserve Bank is accountable to Parliament, and provides an annual dividend to the Government."
How does the Government own an entity that is completely independent of the Government? And if it is wholly owned by the Government then who authorised you to put a Maori Head on your coat of arms to represent King Tawhiao?
Thanks in advance,
Tangata Whenua
From: RBNZ Info
Reserve Bank of New Zealand
13 August 2018
Tangata Whenua
Via FYI.org
[FOI #8477 email]
To whom it may concern,
We have received your request, made under the provisions of the Official Information Act (the Act), seeking:
Who (or What) owns the Reserve Bank of New Zealand?
How does the Government own an entity that is completely independent of the Government?
And if it is wholly owned by the Government then who authorised you to put a Maori Head on your coat of arms to represent King Tawhiao?
Subject to the provisions of the Act, you will be notified of the outcome of your request as soon as practicable, but not later than 20 working days after the date of receipt.
The Reserve Bank is resourced to meet disclosure obligations for a reasonable level of Official Information requests and generally will not impose charges for small, simple or infrequent requests. However, the Act allows us to charge for preparing information provided in response to requests and the Reserve Bank believes that requesters should bear some of the costs when requests are made for very large amounts of information, where a response to a request is particularly complex, or where individuals or organisations make very frequent requests.
If our initial assessment of your request finds that the work involved in responding to your request is likely to be chargeable, then the Reserve Bank will contact you to discuss refining the request to a smaller scale or scope that is less likely to involve charges. Further information is available on our website, here www.rbnz.govt.nz /research-and-publications/official-information-requests#Charges.
Yours sincerely
Naomi Mitchell
External Communications Adviser
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Tangata Whenua left an annotation ()
Luke it seems you are not aware of what created the NZ Government and the Reserve Bank of Everywhere. Both are creations of Statue so statutory independence means one statute is independent of the other and if this is true then Government and the Bank are not one entity but two separate entities. Nobody comes to you to seek information about the Bank because you are not mandated by the Bank or the Government to represent them. Your views only apply to YOU, they do not represent the Reserve Bank of NZ
From: RBNZ Info
Reserve Bank of New Zealand
20 August 2018
Tangata Whenua
Via Email: [FOI #8477 email]
Dear Tangata Whenua
On 13 August you requested information under the Official Information Act relative to:
Who (or What) owns the Reserve Bank of New Zealand? How does the Government own an entity that is completely independent of the Government? And if it is wholly owned by the Government then who authorised you to put a Maori Head on your coat of arms to represent King Tawhiao?
Much of this information is already on public record, please refer:
1. The Reserve Bank is wholly owned by the government of New Zealand by statute, which also gives statutory independence to carry out its functions. The current legislation, in effect since 1989, is here: http://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/publi...
2. A paper describing the origins of the Bank and some of the similar acts on which operations were based between 1933 and 1989 is here: https://www.rbnz.govt.nz/research-and-pu...
3. With the exception of a small file known to contain early draft sketches of the Coat of Arms, and associated correspondence on design, the Reserve Bank does not retain records from the early 1960s when the coat of arms was developed; however, information on the coat of arms, including the reasons for including Tawhiao is published here: https://www.rbnz.govt.nz/about-us/our-co...
4. The file of draft sketches is held physically in the Reserve Bank of New Zealand’s Wellington building, but this is currently inaccessible while the building is closed for asbestos remediation. We do not believe it contains any information pertinent to your question.
The Reserve Bank considers that this correspondence fully responds to your OIA request.
Under section 28 of the OIA, you have the right to complain to the Ombudsman about the Reserve Bank’s decisions in relation to your request.
Yours sincerely
Matthew Wright
Communications Department
Reserve Bank of New Zealand
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From: Tangata Whenua
Dear RBNZ Info, thanks for your response. However it is unsatisfactory and if we cannot reach a peaceful resolution collectively then i will have no other option but to contract a third party into the discussion. That third party being the Ombudsmen.
Matthew Wright
Communications Department
Reserve Bank of New Zealand
Thanks for disclosing that the RESERVE BANK OF NZ is wholly owned by government and not partially owned. I am satisfied with the knowledge that government holds full and exclusive ownership of and all liability associated to the RESERVE BANK OF NEW ZEALAND.
In response to my next question "who authorised you to put a Maori Head on your coat of arms to represent King Tawhiao?"
you replied... "With the exception of a small file known to contain early draft sketches of the Coat of Arms, and associated correspondence on design, the Reserve Bank does not retain records from the early 1960s when the coat of arms was developed; however, information on the coat of arms, including the reasons for including Tawhiao is published here: https://www.rbnz.govt.nz/about-us/our-co...
I notice you provided information on the coat of arms, including the reasons for including Tawhiao is published here: [LINK PROVIDED] however, you failed to disclose "WHO" authorised you to put private property belonging to Maori on a government bank? All crown nz government property bears the NZ COAT OF ARMS so this leads me to believe that you are deliberately misleading myself and the public.
I will try one more time. Who authorised you to put a Maori head on your coat of arms to represent King Tawhiao? Like who actually signed that off? Where is the document? If you are going to make such outrageous claims, the burden is on you to provide proof of claim. Does any such proof exist or are you in serious violation of copyright / patent laws?
It is my belief that the Reserve Bank of New Zealand does not have the lawful authority to steal private property belonging to Maori and therefore must compensate Maori for use of our private property WITHOUT our consent.
I am grateful this platform is public.
Yours sincerely,
Tangata Whenua
Mr Rodgers left an annotation ()
What makes you think the image is private property?
Does the image have a known author and is that author still alive or has died within the last fifty years?
If not there is no "private property" or copyright.
From: Tangata Whenua
Mr Rodgers, my statement was based on the 1995 Tainui Settlement when Queen Elizabeth II signed in triplicate the royal crown apology. In that settlement Queen Elizabeth apologised unreservedly to Maori. It was the first law the queen had ever signed in Public but my point is, it was Maori she apologised to unreservedly, meaning without the reservation of any right. Tawhiao was the second King and he is currently succeeded by Tuheitia
Why say sorry and offer hundreds of millions of dollars in settlement for all the treason and genocide against Maori if Maori science, Maori technology, Maori land, Maori intellectual property rights, Maori language, Maori culture, Maori designs all belong to someone else?
It makes more sense to apologise to the Sovereign with exclusive ownership of the land, images, lives, property etc that was stolen. According to Queen Elizabeth II and the New Zealand Government, that owner is Maori. not my personal opinion, it is a qualified fact documented on historical public record and Maori still live to this day.
Now it's my turn to return a question to you Mr Rodgers. What makes you think that you have any right to ask about Private Property belonging to Maori? What Hapu are you from?
Tangata Whenua
Mr Rodgers left an annotation ()
I belong to no hapu nor do I need to be. As you point out yourself this is a public forum.
But while it allows people to aid a requester, it is not a forum for debate. So I confine myself to reiterate that an apology for previous wrongs does not confer exclusive rights on images to the Maori people any more that the English people have any right to complain about the NZ government using their ancient heraldic images.
From: RBNZ Info
Reserve Bank of New Zealand
Dear Tangata Whenua
We refer to your correspondence of 8 September 2018 in which you asked "Who authorised you to put a Maori head on your coat of arms to represent King Tawhiao? Like who actually signed that off? Where is the document?".
We have treated this request under the Official Information Act 1982 (OIA) and note this request is a reiteration of your initial request of 13 August 2018 which the Reserve Bank responded to on 20 August 2018.
As mentioned in our response of 20 August 2018, we do not believe we hold any further information except that previously provided to you. Therefore, any further information you require from us will have to be refused pursuant to sections 18(g)(i) and (ii).
Under section 28 of the OIA, you have the right to complain to the Ombudsman about the Reserve Bank’s decisions in relation to your request.
Yours sincerely,
Naomi Mitchell
Naomi Mitchell
Acting Head of Communications | Reserve Bank of New Zealand | Te Pūtea Matua
www.rbnz.govt.nz
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Luke C left an annotation ()
Nowhere in the links you provide does it say the bank is "completely independent". It says it has "statutory independence" which means it carries out its statutory functions independent from the executive. Stautroty functions are those that will be listed in the Reserve Bank of New Zealand Act.
Link to this