advantages of maori supercityseats

A fantastic article on why maori should have seats on the supercity.

"What we are missing is a greater opportunity to go forward in partnership, innovating a great legacy for this potentially great city, enabling true and meaningful Maori representation and leaving any perceived grievance or injustice far behind."

"... No matter how imaginative Pita Sharples and Rodney Hide become with alternative structures, the fact remains that a Maori voice will be subjugated to a subordinate rendering, more of the same as we have today with powerless standing committees and advisory roles."

And this is a beautiful point

"Just imagine for a moment if we adopted a true partnership between manawhenua and the council led by Ngati Whatua and Tainui. We could do away with all that ridiculous carry-on regarding consultation. There would be a clear voice at the top table. Decisions would be efficient, robust and sustainable, significantly minimising the "raruraru" or need for so-called Maori activism. Anger and frustration might well diminish, and other ethnic voices would start to be heard.

The fact is this city is increasingly multicultural, and there is a demonstrably workable model for the indigenous people of a nation to pave the way for minority voices to be heard."

Thats right - maori will be able to assist all minorities

"We seek a seat at the top table of this potentially great city because we believe in progress. But still we have let a noisy, bigoted and short-sighted minority voice win out again with some determinedly last-century thinking about governance.

So are we to be just another Adelaide, another Melbourne, Sydney or Brisbane? With a sound manawhenua partnership, Auckland could be unique, a great city that people from around the world would flock to.

Exactly

Any New Zealander asked overseas to demonstrate what is unique about their country will always default to the haka, or describe aspects of the natural resources of Aotearoa. They are hardly going to highlight rose gardens or colonial architecture.

Wake up Auckland! Wake up New Zealand. Here is the opportunity.

Honour the indigenous people of this land, not with any sense of loss, not out of guilt, not begrudgingly, not for political correctness. Not for any other reason than as a unique, progressive and innovative people we can take this wonderful place forward economically, socially and environmentally."

Strong words and challenge from Naida Glavish. I tautoko her words.