the past is teaching us

I've wanted this for so long and now it is here - what a fantastic series this will be judging from the first episode - Kairākau.

Māori TV

The director of an explosive new series on Māori Television says language and culture were the most important pillars in creating the series. Rangi Rangitukunoa directed Kairākau which depicts stories of Māori warriors from the past.It's been a labour of love for Rangi Rangitukunoa for the last nine months. Now that work has come to fruition.“The difference between this show and others is that it is entirely about the Māori world, the language, Tūmatauenga and acting. More importantly though, these are true stories, we didn't just make them up,” says director Rangitukunoa...“As Māori, we should stand proud in telling our stories. Some people might think this programme is just about fighting, but actually it's also about our ancestors and bringing their stories back to life,” says Rangitukunoa.

Yes and these histories will now get a wider audience and that is the way it should be - this is our history, this is our heritage, these are our warriors and heroes. Check out the facebook page too.

So I recommend you watch and we can all learn together, and as we learn, we will grow closer, we will grow tighter and this is the way of the future - by understanding our past we will move to the future - there is no other way to do it.

156 years ago the shot was fired

A day to remember - our history is us and until we acknowledge our history we will not move on. Change the flag??? - change the attitudes, the attitudes to remembering out history.

156 years ago today, the first shot in the Taranaki land wars was fired. The conflict resulted in Taranaki iwi suffering massive loss of life and land. This flashpoint was also the precursor to the NZ Land Wars where millions of acres were confiscated from tribes throughout the North Island. Today, the event was commemorated in Waitara, the site where fighting first broke out.

The beautiful thing is if we do remember we can  bind us all together tighter as a country, as a people.

anything is not better than nothing

Differing viewpoints are valuable. Hone Harawira has a view on the flag debate

“The NZ flag is the one flown by every government since the 1860s that has ever stolen our land, laughed at our Treaty rights, destroyed our spirituality, stomped on our culture, imprisoned our people, and tried to kill off our language.” 

“It’s the flag of colonialism, given to us and every other colony by the Poms back in the 1800s. 80% have since dumped it; only the colonial urchins like Aussie, the Cooks, Tuvalu and us still fly that ugly little Union Jack that represents the country that called us to war when they needed help and dumped us when they wanted to join the European Union.

That is all very true and this is the truth of the situation. The Union Jack represents so much suffering for Māori, so much lost and destroyed. It is the best representation of that imo because it directly relates to those times and connects us visually and internationally as a colonised country. The Union Jack must go - of that there is no doubt.

The question then is what will replace it - and the poor attempt and rigged selections are not the answer to that. The cost, the vanity project of the PM, the lack of consultation and real discussion, the celebrities, the endorsements, the play on emotions, the contrived nature of the whole process including the final design say that NO this is not the correct or even near desired alternative. It simply is not good enough for anything.

As I said on another post

I'm pleased that I have voted for our current flag against the other one put up by key and his supporters. For me the tino rangatiratanga flag is my flag. The union jack has so many connotations relating to the colonisation of this country and I cannot get enthusiastic about it at all - I don't like it. But until we as a country are ready to embrace our past and move forward in partnership, as promised by The Treaty, then I will vote for the flag that actually represents us the way we are - warts and all. And there are lots of warts indeed. There is much work to be done to pave the way to allow a true flag for this country to come forth - I'll be working towards that.

and it is worth noting that Hone are in 100% agreement on a few things

“I’ve already chosen the flag that fits best with my heart, my soul, my life – the Maori flag. It’s the one that we designed, it carries the colours of my world, and it speaks of our history, our place in the cosmos, and the possibilities that lie ahead of us all.” 

“And it was the flag that Maori people overwhelmingly chose when we ran our own flag referendum (government spent $28.57 on the whole shebang).

and sometimes not 100%

“And don’t buy the drivel about us losing the Treaty if we change the flag. We lose the Treaty the day we lose the balls to stand up and fight for our rights, not because somebody wants to change the NZ flag.” 

“Changing the flag is a conscious decision to say goodbye to our colonial past and say hello to a brighter future. Maori people have already done it. Might be time for the rest of New Zealand to follow suit”

Changing the flag imo will make it harder to implement The Treaty. It will be another blocker that those who don't want true partnership will use to delay and disrupt that implementation. Sure they will do that anyway but why give them another tool to use.

Difference of opinion is valuable - it helps to see and hear other views. It is healthy and necessary. I feel good within myself about my decision - I want to change the flag so, so much but until we have a proper flag that truly represents us I will stay with the one we have.

inequality - oppose and change it

It is International Women' Day today. The inequality that women face, pretty well everywhere, is unacceptable to me, as a man, All men must bear responsibility for this inequality and all men must work with women to oppose and change the inequity. I wish all of the women of the world a better today and an even better tomorrow. Today I am going to contemplate the powerful and important women of my life. My mother, my wife, my sister, my nieces, my grandmothers, my tūpuna, Papatūānuku , Hineahuone and Hine-nui-te-pō.

Facts about the day - where it came from and why it is still needed from The Independant.

Socialists first put forward the idea of advancing women's suffrage through a day to mark women's enormous contribution to humankind.
An annual "international women's day" was first organised by the German socialist and theorist Clara Zetkin along with 100 delegates from 17 countries in March 1911...
Today, when only a fifth of parliamentary seats are held by women and only 19 heads of state out of a possible 196 are women - only seven more women than 20 years ago - there is much progress still to be made.
The number of female cabinet ministers has at least tripled between 1994 and 2014 - but remains low compared to men, at only 17 per cent...
The United Nations first began celebrating the day on 8 March in 1975, and each year has given focus to women's status around the globe.
The current goals fit in with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The new agenda, which is meant to build on the unfulfilled Milennium Development Goals, has a stand-alone goal just for the empowerment of women and girls as a core means of tackling economic underperformance, global overpopulation and poverty worldwide.
It also celebrates the achievements of women throughout history...
Aside from the older motivations surrounding political office and the pay gap, there is also increasing awareness of the disproportionate amount of abuse women suffer at the hands of others.
An estimated 120 million girls and women under the age of 20 have been subjected to forced sexual intercourse or other forced sexual acts - around 10 per cent...
More than a third of women worldwide have also experienced physical or sexual violence at some point in their lives, with this being most common between a woman's teenage years and menopause.
Meanwhile, nearly a quarter of a billion more women are in the global workforce today than a decade ago, but they are only earning what men did in 2006, according to the World Economic Forum.
And one in 10 married women are not consulted by their husbands on how their own cash earnings will be spent.

The inequality women face is almost absurd if it wasn't so devastating - come on humanity GROW UP

good decision by Landcorp

This is good news that Landcorp are backing away from giving forest to dairy. The benefits of forest hardly need saying but we will be, and are, thankful for all of the remaining forests. We must stop the chopping wherever it occurs.

From RNZ

State-owned farming company Landcorp has confirmed it is backing away from a massive planned dairy conversion in the central North Island... 

RNZ News earlier reported that Landcorp had come to the realisation that the environmental impacts of its conversions in the Waikato were simply too great. 

Mr Carden said 14500ha of former forestry land earmarked for dairy farming at the estate would now have alternative uses.

We must plant more forests. Planned and unplanned forests. We must dig up the berms, the verges and plant communal fruit and nut trees, as well as assorted gardens. We must enforce that 20% of all land is converted to forest - and not pine trees. We must focus also on reclaiming wetlands - those essential places where land becomes sea. A transition zone. Our future depends upon this.

a terrible story, retold

The voice of reason is still struggling, so to help out

imo saying one set of atrocities against an indigenous population is better or worse than another set of atrocities against another indigenous population is not the way indigenous communities think about or remember or frame these things. This is a construct designed by colonisers and their descendants to miminise and justify their actions or maybe just to mitigate guilt. Totally understandable and almost subtle because as people do, they can use this to go to a better/worse dichotomy and this leads to the "what are you moaning about" lines. There are many other reasons too, such as the intensely personal side of the lived knowledge of the past.

To then say stuff like, 'tell that to the victims of genocide' shows an extreme defensive mode where attack is the only alternative. The point I make in the first paragraph is pretty basic but only if you listen.

And please don't think for a second that I am unaware of 'intent', 'the end of empire', 'genocide' and 'atrocities'. I am, and each of them was a blot on us all. The suffering that has occurred is immeasurable , almost unknowable, and it is known.  Indigenous communities around the world, even today, face each and every one of the destructive forces aligned against them. That s why indigenous communities should stick together and work together and build new /old ways of thinking for this troubled world.

The measurement of atrocities is more than numbers although the numbers do tell a terrible story, just not the full story. The comparison of what has happened to indigenous communities through colonisation, compares suffering to suffering, not numbers to numbers imo.

Rest in peace Berta Cáceres (Lenca)

It is such a terrible crime that Indigenous Honduran leader Berta Cáceres (Lenca) was murdered recently. My heartfelt condolences to everyone feeling the loss especially her family.

From Indian Country Today

"Cáceres was internationally known for winning the 2015 Goldman Environmental Prize for her advocacy on behalf of the Lenca people, who have been battling against the construction of the Agua Zarca hydroelectric dam on the Gualcarque River, as well as her frequent opposition to the U.S.-sanctioned coup government and subsequent administrations of Honduras."

... "Cáceres was the Director of the National Council of Indigenous and Popular Organizations of Honduras (COPINH), which has been in the forefront of protests against the dam being constructed by the DESA Company of Honduras. Cáceres and other activists assert that the Agua Zarca project would cause great harm to the Lenca community known as Rio Blanco through displacement of the people and environmental damage to an area considered sacred by the Lenca."

Going up against the corporate interests is very dangerous and she knew that, having had many threats made against her. Still she fought the fight for her people.. We have all lost a powerful and effective advocate and passionate warrior for indigenous rights and environmental rights. Rest In Peace.

And we must fight on in our ways to continue the work - that is what we must do.

change your name or lift your game buddy - updated

Sadly, rude and offensive behavior continues from the inappropriately named te reo putake - of course the macron is not used - why should it be - after all this name is just a type of brownwash - where stuff gets 'used' to further an agenda which is not aligned with tangata whenua. So voice of reason can change his name to te reo pukake to piss off the right wingers. Now why would they be pissed off? because someone with a Māori sounding name is getting into them? Yeah I suppose that would wind you up. But has there been any consideration for Māori in any of that - no there hasn't. Why not? Same reason the macron isn't used - it is not the point and that is why it is brownwash. This is part of the reason why my voice is not heard on The Standard anymore.

The Standard is a good essential, left wing mostly, blog and I do recommend visiting it, as I do.

Just to confirm I have agreed a few times with voice of reason's comments over the years and I am quite happy with robust debate, even abuse and swearwords where appropriate. But if you are going to appropriate a Māori sounding name then that bestows obligations to Māori whether you like it or not - live up to that and everyone will be better off.

Footnote. Poor voice still doesn't understand the issues as he explains here - this is typical from him and I notice he's having a go at another moderator too. Just to help him I'll repost the last-ish comment i made to him that he deleted and see if he can understand that.

"You, voice have belittled me with your “real genocide” line and that I, by trying to explain things to you, have diminished those who have suffered “real genocide”. DO YOU GET THAT? Now you can say I shouldn’t feel belittled but I have given you concrete example of why I do feel that. DO YOU GET THAT? Now you say you haven’t even been able to make sense of the discussion – ” Seriously, this discussion has made little sense from the get go”. That shows me you have been arguing in BAD faith for NO good reason. That shows me you are a self righteous prick of the first order."

Nelson Happyzine talks - will be great!

Come along Nelsonians - this will be awesome.

Footnote - A great event - so proud of my love Charlotte and well done Nelson. Next ones this year Dunedin and Auckland.

the moment has passed

I feel good. I'm pleased that I have voted for our current flag against the other one put up by key and his supporters. For me the tino rangatiratanga flag is my flag. The union jack has so many connotations relating to the colonisation of this country and I cannot get enthusiastic about it at all - I don't like it. But until we as a country are ready to embrace our past and move forward in partnership, as promised by The Treaty, then I will vote for the flag that actually represents us the way we are - warts and all. And there are lots of warts indeed. There is much work to be done to pave the way to allow a true flag for this country to come forth - I'll be working towards that.

Politically John Key will suffer from the loss of his pet project - as much as he has tried to distance himself now, he is linked hook, line and sinker to this and he won't get off. Of course Key is the master at sliding away, so any negative effects will be quickly forgotten by the anonymous middle - that fertile ground for centre right and left parties.

I've been biking to work and that has really helped me. I feel that I am contributing, in a small way, to the betterment of the world. I am doing it not just talking about it. These small steps are important - they give a sense of hope, they lock us into the 'now' whilst reinforcing the past and the future. Every small step, where we make a decision and then do it, is significant and necessary - without the small step there is no big step.

I work with mindfulness and what a gift that is. Being in the moment and practicing that daily. Once again it opens up the past and the future - which can be surprising when mindfulness is about the moment, about allowing, about non-judging, about accepting. This accepting is also reinforced by being aware of the dialetic (a method of examining and discussing opposing ideas in order to find the truth) and this can be done internally. I accept the way things are AND I want to improve them. It is amazing the power of accepting AND wanting to improve. Within the two ideas I find infinity. And believe it or not that is once again a place where the past and future can be found.

The past and future are linked to this moment. The past and future are linked to us.