Real estate agents operate under the Real Estate Agents Act, needless to say overseen by a farcically large Wellington bureaucracy.
The Act’s expressed objectives are the regulating of real estate agents, the raising of standards and to provide a disciplinary process to deal with complaints, all plainly worthy.
By law agents must renew their licence to practise each year. Now brace yourself.
This year the licensing authority has come up with a new angle, specifically that henceforth for agents to renew their licenses they will be required to undertake and pay for a special study course in “the maori world view (maori customs, protocols and the maori language)”.
To that end they’ve engaged an outfit called Te Whare Wananga o Awanuiarangi, described as an educational institution, to deliver this nonsense for a fee. They will do this by making agents watch an online video for an hour and a half and in return, at $29 per agent, will pocket circa $600,000.
This rubbish is simply trendy gangsterism against a currently hard-pressed service industry. It’s also ludicrous. There is no bloody maori perspective on buying, selling or renting property.
These are tough times for real estate and over the next two years I suspect their numbers will reduce by at least a third and possibly more as reliant on commissions, agents find their income falls to zilch.
That aside, given their often irrational obsession with property, why not a compulsory study course on “Chinese customs, protocols and language”? If not, why not, after all I’d wager for every real estate transaction with a maori there’s at least 20 with members of our Chinese community. Imagine the carry-on if it were they subject to this rubbish as diverse commentators would rightly protest at its absurdity.
This nonsense is a disgraceful burden on the currently hard pressed real estate agency business and requires Ministerial intervention to put a halt to it.
23 Comments
Our socialist government is imposing and encouraging an ever-expanding “woke” busywork industry that is a substitute for productivity for their luvvie supporters who have no idea what real productivity is. It is effectively a compulsory levy on private businesses who, as you point out, are already struggling in the current climate of increased costs and economic doldrums. Roll on October.
Couldnt agree more Bob, whats this got to do with real estate?We are forced to do 20 hours of learning every year , some of it highly repetitive just so we can keep our licence at a fee of $724.50 pa. It used to be $33 pa. Maori culture is fine but forcing people to learn it so they can continue their employment is not.
How did we let this happen? I agree wholeheartedly.
When you have overstaffed bureaucracy, they have to come up with another revenue stream to keep themselves in business…
And why not attempt some more maori indoctrination when you have a government that supports this..
Its time to name and shame the public servant behind this waste of time…
Agree 100% ….the agents need, as a combined voice, refuse to participate
Problem is; if you refuse to complete this farce, your licence is AUTOMATICALLY cancelled for not fulfilling the prescribed Professional Development hours for the year. That is the Law. They have you by the short & curlys.
Absolutely, tell the authority to shove it…What a loan of total horsesh**!!!!
Bluntly-If the Agencies are silly enough to pay it they only have themselves to blame. Best thing to do with stupid laws is ignore them.
Absolute rubbish. One example of how this Maori crap has got out of hand is to watch the expresion on Andrew Saville’s face as he begins to read the TV One Sports News and is FORCED to gabble on for 20 seconds reading a load of Maori which no one understands.
One further comment . The term Gangsterism is spot on. It reminds me of the bribes one has to pay in certain countries to get anything done. Why not just have a fixed annual fee akin to a vehicle tax and call it the Maori Wonderfulness Tax. Attach it to your windscreen or scan it when entering a building.
I’m the owner of a small commercial real estate agency. During the last 30 years, I’ve dealt with just one Maori Vendor who was also a Solicitor. There were no cultural barriers. We greeted one another by handshake and his nose stayed well away from mine. According to the 2018 census, Asians make up 15% of the population whilst Maoris make up 16%. I predict the 2023 census will show there are more Asians than Maoris. Will Real Estate Agency staff be required to do a cultural course based upon Asians in the near future? We know the answer.
OMG we are being subjected to covert racism and what will be the benefit to New Zealand’s. I’ll tell you None. I have been paying each year to keep my Real Estate licensee license but will not be renewing it.
This is truly appalling. Only charging $29 for this compulsory learning? Should be at least $500 per head – the Te Whare outfit is obviously not being run on a commercial basis. Who will bail them out when they inevitably go under? Any spare taxpayers out there?
Of course, according to the co-leader of the Greens, it is all the cis white males’ fault.
Shame on you (and me) Sir Bob.
Don’t be so harsh people. Remember that 4% of NEW ZEALAND’S population choose to speak maori and 96% choose NOT to speak maori. Can someone tell me who is writing this new language??
A plea to all you land agents out there. Refuse to pay the $29.00 and if they try to play the video walkout of the room with your index in the air.
Taewamark@gmail.com
Call it what it actually is. More in your face crap.
There is no conceivable useful reason for this nonsense, which renders it nothing more than an appalling example of extortion and blackmail. This, friends, is the real face of “co-governance” – a nation riddled with corruption.
It is definitely a complex problem (one problem that was not mentioned is the greed that has over run the whole land agent industry). The shame of it is that we can not sit down, listen to each other’s positions, talk about why they are coming from where they are coming from, and why we are coming from where we are coming from – and then work on a workable solution.
I agree with all the folk who have bothered to respond. Thank you Sir Bob for bring ing this absurdity to our attention. Note no mention of it in mainstream news.
Thanks fro bringing this to our attention Bob. I note there has been no mention in the news media – is this because of a (now) inbuilt fear they will loose their share of the $50k Govt Grant for not towing the line.
Spot on Sir Bob, another ridiculous example of this madness we all seem to be tolerating….Why??
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