all are insulted by the dipton-dipstick

Divide and conquer is always a strategy employed by those who want to destroy tangata whenua. Robert Guyton was at Te Rau Aroha marae in Bluff and heard Deputy Prime Minister Bill English say this

robertguytonblog

"If the northern tribes could run a marae properly, New Zealand might have a more positive view of the Treaty."

What English is so ignorant of is the interconnectedness of Māori - we are all related. This meme of southern verses northern Māori is common as muck and often used to try and divide - I've heard it a million times and it doesn't work, it does the opposite - it binds us together. The dipstick from dipton has shown us, with this comment on a southern marae, what a lowlife he is and we can be thankful for that, even though anyone of a thinking disposition knows it already.

Hattip - robertguyton

their swords are sharp

Maps has some awesome posts up at the moment and this one which outlines a discussion between Labour candidate Carmel Sepuloni and Maps, was especially interesting.

Carmel, who had parked a car emblazoned with campaign slogans beside the cafe, was initially very friendly, asking me about myself and about my voting intentions. When I went beyond pleasantries, though, and began to ask some questions about Labour's policies and election strategy, she quickly became defensive. Although Carmel talked with me for five or so minutes, she asked me not to repeat some of the things she said. This request seemed to me very odd: we were talking, after all, about the details of a general election campaign, not about some sensational murder trial or international spy ring.

and for some humour Rob Guyton is constantly exercising his wicked sense of that quality and this post from him, entitled "this man suffers from worms" is a good example. His blog is aways interesting and offers strong green perspectives - plus that sense of humour.

wetlands massacre

Wetlands under threat from the bottom of this country to the top. Why oh why are we letting this happen - growing cows for money has a lot to answer for.

Rob Guyton has good information on the threat to Waituna Wetland in Southland, including reproducing some letters to the editor.

Environment Southland might try to halt further dairy farm development in the Waituna catchment in a bid to prevent the area's internationally significant lagoon from suffering irreversible damage. Monitoring of the lagoon, southeast of Invercargill, revealed high levels of nitrogen and phosphorous in sediments were threatening to "flip" the lagoon from an ecosystem with clear water featuring aquatic plants and fish species to one with murky, turbid water dominated by algae. When The Southland Times visited the lagoon this month with Environment Southland water quality scientist Kirsten Meijer, she showed us black mud on the edges of a tributary to the lagoon. "There's a lot of sediment going into the lagoon and the mud goes black (instead of being brown). It smells like sulphur, no oxygen, nothing can live in it," she said.

And further north in the Waikato

Hundreds of thousands of fish were found dead in the Whangamarino Wetland, near Te Kauwhata, last week. The fish were killed by low levels of dissolved oxygen in the water, according to the Conservation Department. "The drought at the end of 2010 exposed large areas of the wetland and rapid plant growth occurred in areas usually under water," Mr Hutchinson said. "High rainfall in January, compounded by the baked dry ground in the catchment, meant water rapidly ran off into the wetland and water levels remained consistently high for about three consecutive weeks." Mr Hutchinson said resulting decomposing plant matter started a bacterial process which depleted oxygen in the water. "This was shown further by the layer of oily scum present on the surface of the water, which was natural oils released by decomposing plants, the dark black colour of the water and the soft, wilting emergent vegetation starting to break down," he said. "The decomposition is also identifiable by an unpleasant smell, very similar to that from a compost bin." But a wetland resident, who did not want to be named, said the decomposition smelled more like sewage. "I have lived here since the 50s and I have never seen anything this bad before," he said. "It's an environmental disaster. This wetland is dying."

So down south dairying is identified as a major if not THE major factor in the degradation of the Waituna Wetland and black mud is an identifier, but in the Waikato, one of the most intensive dairying areas, the black mud is supposedly because of the drought and then big rains - I'll let you draw your own conclusions...

I have posted about wetlands here.

uplifting and worthwhile

This post from Robert Guyton is brilliant for a number of reasons - it talks about wetlands, those places that are so important for the ecosystem - a transition zone that is both water and land. The wetland was saved from destruction and restored with love and when the name was being discussed - local tangata whenua were consulted and they gifted the name, and other names which describe what happened in those areas beautifully. What a fantastic model for how to do things in this country - everyone benefits. Local tangata whenua feel respected and included and this builds stronger bonds between and within communities. The mauri of Te Wai Korari wetland is strengthened which flows through as mana to the kaitiaki. When Rob wrote to local maori - he gave them the time to reply when they were able and this took some time. Respecting that others work differently and that part of truely respecting is to allow response and recriprocation when the other party is ready, not when we are ready. Just think how many misunderstandings and conflicts could be avoided if we allowed others to respond, in their way, when they were ready. I think about the so called golden rule of "treat others as you would want to be treated" and it is wrong. The phrase should be "treat others the way they want to be treated".

From the post on Rob blog,

"... Expectantly. After several months and a hui that involved discussion on the issue, a beautifully handwritten letter arrived from te tari runaka. Yes, they said, the area was named long ago and yes, they would like to gift us the use of that name. Te Wai Korari. The nectar of the harakeke flower, named from the practice of collecting wai korari from the flowers to be drunk as a ‘cordial’ by children and adults alike, back in the day when sugar was truly a treat, not a mainstay like it is today. So Te Wai Korari it is. Our panel marking the entrance to the wetland is painted with nga rau harakeke me nga korari, puawai hoki, flax leaves, flower stalks and blossoms and the beautiful name. "

This gift of the use of the name has added context and dimension, depth and connection. Imagine what this country could be like if we did that - added the maori names and context to most if not all places and considered as a gift from maori to everyone. The names are there, the histories are there - they are known. It the right of all who call this country home to be able to learn the histories and the correct and meaningful names for different areas.

Visit robs blog it is awesome - Thanks for the post and keep up the great work Rob. Kia kaha.

Happyzine will post Robs story - if you wish to read positive real stories about people like you, doing exciting and good things in this country and around the world then I recomend visiting Happyzine. If you cannot be bothered with the endless negative news on the TV and want to read some positive media then try Happyzine. If you want to write your stories and contribute to a better world then Happyzine is the answer, it cannot be praised highly enough IMO.

We need to build our networks and share our stories.

Good blog - robertguyton.blogspot.com

I'd like to recommend a blog that I have come across recently.

RobertGuyton is well worth a read - I have found many connections - from Murihiku to sustainability, from green living to environmentalism. And all from a deep south perspective - Good on you Robert - keep up the great blog.