nah, the children stay with us

These proposed changes are the next step in the attempted obliteration of Māori culture

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Dame Tariana has spoken at a number of hui recently about her concerns regarding the Children, Young Persons and their families (Oranga Tamariki) legislation currently before Parliament.She is concerned the proposed amendments give Children, Young Persons and their Families (CYPFS) the legal power to determine who will raise tamariki Māori who have been uplifted from whānau. Under current legislation CYPFS must look to the extended whānau and hapū to place these tamariki. She says that will change under the new proposals.At the New Zealand Māori Council’s Waitangi Rua Rautau Annual Forum held recently said the devil is in the detail and concerned with amended Section 5 which includes the qualifier “wherever possible”.

Yep never mind that ANYONE has to be checked and ensured that they are safe to take the children - and that includes all caregivers. The facts are that this legislation is very, very bad for Māori.

Some background from "Hands off our tamariki Ōtaki hui, held 12 October at Te Wānanga o Raukawa and published widely including on He Hōaka

On Wednesday, October 12, a hui in Ōtaki discussed the changes Anne Tolley has proposed to the Children, Young Persons and their Families Act, removing the clauses that consider the effects of decisions on whānau, and that prioritise placing a child within their hapū or iwi. 
Those clauses came out of the 1988 report Puao-te-ata-tu. After extensive research around the nation, Puao-te-ata-tu found that ‘institutional racism’ was at the root of Māori social welfare problems, and predicted that the Crown would continue to fail Māori unless this was fixed. The report found that Māori succeed when rangatiratanga is recognised and supported, and recommended that Māori should be resourced to solve the problems Māori are facing...

Removing the clauses from legislation is simply another colonising act of control. The proposed changes are inconsistent with the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, to which New Zealand is a signatory. In particular, the changes are inconsistent with article 7.2 which recognises “the collective right to live in freedom, peace and security as distinct peoples and shall not be subjected to any act of genocide or any other act of violence, including forcibly removing children of the group to another group.” 

This issue is still there, is still hot.
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Dame Tariana said the legislation cannot be allowed to proceed and if need be she would march.“If we can walk for our land, (and) if we can walk for our foreshore, we can certainly act for our tamariki”.She is devastated with less than three weeks out from submissions closing the new legislation severely affecting the aspirations and ambitions for all tamariki and mokopuna have barely raised a mention in the media. The Bill has been referred to select committee and the deadline for submissions on the Bill is 15 February. 

The time has come - we cannot stay silent or still anymore - we will march and we will fight for our culture and we will win - WE WILL WIN!!!

the white man's island

Some think that racism is not here in this country or that we are somehow better than other countries around this area. But they completely forget about colonisation and the severe, utter destruction it brings to indigenous peoples. The following exchange between a meat selling, rugby league loving Knight of this country Sir Peter Leitch aka The Mad Butcher and a young Māori woman on Waiheke Island illustrate so much that is hidden.

Māori Television

Lara Wharepapa Bridger, 23, says she was at a vineyard on Waiheke Island earlier this week with her mother. Leitch, famously known as The Mad Butcher, approached the group about not drinking and driving.  He doubted that they were locals, which sparked Bridger to tell him she was born on the island. This promoted  Leitch to make the comment – which he describes as light hearted banter but Bridger took as a racist taunt. 

The exchange upset Bridger, who posted an emotional video on Facebook last night to express her emotions."He said specifically to me, 'this is a white man's island, you need to go.

Now leitch is not disputing this - he is calling it light hearted banter. And THAT is where the major problem is in my opinion. Leitch has zero idea of the impact of colonisation upon tangata whenua - the losses of so much including the mana of saying, "this is my land". He does not have a clue - why would he? He did make this statement

In a press statement, Letich says he “apologised unreservedly” when he discovered that Bridger was offended by his comment.“There is no way I can ever be accused of being racist,” he says.

Oh dear apology FAIL leitch - you ARE racist for saying that to a young Māori woman. You believe your own hype - "my partner/wife/friend/teammates/aquaintances/workmates and so on are Māori/Pasific Islanders/Asian/Aborigine and so on - I CANNOT BE RACIST!!! 

and to top it off we have the sight of michelle boag - a horrible National Party ex pres, stalwart saying

But Letich media spokesperson Michelle Boag, says that his comments can’t be racially targeted because Bridger is “barely coffee coloured” referring to her being a light-skinned Māori. She also claims that Bridger has come forward because she wants to be famous.

what a disgusting piece of work boag is - and notice this - this is how racism and colonisation work - they 'other', they use the results of colonisation against you as in skin colour, they use best intentions against you, they use anything and everything against you - why? Because ANY realisation from indigenous peoples of their rights is considered dangerous, is a threat, and ultimately is a source of shame to them because underneath their racism is the knowledge that their ancestors took, that they take and that as they take others lose, sometimes even their cultural identity.

Newsflash racists - we aren't taking that shit no more - we will call you out every, everywhere and on all media. 

use tikanga not leaks

It is time to talk a bit about Ngāi Tahu and the situation at the top.

Sir Mark Solomon is stepping down after 19 years as Kaiwhakahaere, leader of the Iwi. This is a big thing, especially as there are now 'issues' in the media. 

I am of the mind that Mark has been a good leader that has helped the Iwi and that it is a good time for a change.

In recent times I have been especially impressed by Mark. The historical sexual abuse case has shown his leadership. He has said

Sir Mark said he had been campaigning for some time to stamp out all forms of violence and abuse within Ngāi Tahu communities.
On the runanga website, Sir Mark said the descendants of Kurī, the hapū in Kaikoura, were facing a challenging time.
Sir Mark, who is from Kaikoura, said his whanau had found it difficult living within the community, knowing some of their whanau had been perpetrators - or victims - of sexual abuse.
It has been reported a kaumatua has been convicted on sexual abuse charges.
Sir Mark said the hapū was addressing the issue as a community, rather than ignoring the issue and sweeping it under the carpet
the complainants are some of the bravest people he knows.

I also read the letter he sent to all members of the Iwi and within it he was accurate - all communities have sexual abuse victims and perpetrators, this is a community issue and the victims especially need support, they need to know they are supported and loved by the community, the community that includes relatives and friends of the perpetrator and that individual too. This issue within that community is the visible side of sexual abuse and it is within all of our communities. Don't be fooled into thinking it is rare - it isn't.

Mark resigned as chair of Takahanga, he said he will not seek re-election as the Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu Representative for Kaikoura and thus his time as Kaiwhakahaere is completed.

and now we have leaked confidential letters showing a real conflict - perhaps personal, perhaps ideological but definitely public now.

A confidential memorandum has been leaked containing a raft of allegations by chairman Sir Mark Solomon that the perception of nepotism and corruption were creeping into the way the iwi conducted itself.

I think the tense is wrong in that statement - "were creeping" nah it creeped a long time ago and guess what? I don't think it is necessarily a bad thing at all.

This bullshit of the "best person" for the job is imposed rubbish that just creates roles for non-iwi members - those roles could and can be filled with Iwi members - and that is what I would like.

I know nepotism has a bad name - and it is a pain when you are not in the inside running - and I know about that from bitter experience but the fundamentals are correct - use people you know, trust and can rely on.

The response from Chief Executive Officer of Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu Arihia Bennett was very good

asking him to show restraint in his statements, or have the integrity to state them openly and with supporting evidence.

It is interesting to note that in her Iwi profile she writes

“Ko te whānau te mea tuatahi – Family comes first; everything I touch and do must be about the whānau way.”

So we get to the same spot as we have been in the past - and the media will lap it up because they love controversy.

What do I think about it all, whose side am I on?

I wish they'd just get their shit together and use tikanga to sort out their differences not leaked documents like some slimey politician. And at another level I just don't care - when you are in the mode you think you are a big fish, you think you matter, you think you are important - you aren't, you are just another cog, another descendant - our mana is your mana - sort your shit out top table!!!

the illusion of consultation

So arrogant and so wrong - Te Ururoa Flavell you have let us down and now your legacy has been set and it is a sad, paltry legacy.

Māori Development Minister Te Ururoa Flavell is pushing ahead with his controversial proposals to change the way Māori land is handled.

He has introduced the Te Ture Whenua Māori Bill into Parliament, one month after the Waitangi Tribunal criticised the extent of consultation and recommended more engagement with Māori before changing the law.

Oh no he doesn't care what the Waitangi Tribunal says and what do they say?

The Tribunal report upheld several concerns claimants had about the bill, the key one being that consultation wasn't up to scratch. 

It warned that the Minister needed to go out and get enough support from Māori or risk breaching the Treaty of Waitangi.

the minister responds

But Mr Flavell said since that hearing, he has held 22 public hui and 14 wānanga, the bill has been tweaked, and he has that vote of confidence.

This minister is not trusted, his assurances are meaningless, his word is false.

What is this Bill all about?

The new bill aims to give landowners more say and ultimately make it easier for them to use their Māori land.

by 'use' think 'sell' and thus the whittling away of Māori land continues - by overt and covert means the greedy will try to get it all and the greedy will try to sell it all and stopping this will be the people, tangata whenua. And the greedy will be stopped.

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.

our stories our way

Karol has written a good piece on The Standard about the plight of our movie industry - well worth a read. 

My comment was

personally I’d like to see more stories from our deep heritage. The stories of the land, of the people on the land – the heroes, the sacrifices, the naming of everything – I really can’t see why people wouldn’t be into it. But I’m not thinking doco’s I’m thinking ‘crouching tiger’ – action. Forget the America’s Cup and put the money into scriptwriting with tangata whenua.

It is worthwhile considering this and it's not so far fetched - it would take faith and generosity but our society as a whole would benefit. Tangata whenua would benefit, the film industry would benefit, we would have more mutual understanding and knowledge and fun. Actors, scriptwriters, extras, locals - it is hard to think of a group that wouldn't benefit really. Even discussing the idea might help us.

Manawa Hou - great initiative

Tangata whenua face many challenges in today's world and one of them is how to instill cultural knowledge in our youth, many of whom live away from the rohe and their traditional tribal lands. Ngāi Tahu have developed a great initiative to facilitate this called Manawa Hou

a youth initiative designed to pass on knowledge of traditions, history and stories, to help rangatahi get a sense of their Ngāi Tahu identity.

These rangatahi are immersed in their culture and

learnt about Takahanga Marae and toured the historic Kaikōura Peninsula. They stayed on Te Ati Awa's Waikawa Marae; and they visited the ancient Kaihinu Pā site in Tory Channel – the first Ngāi Tahu settlement in Te Waipounamu.

as Tā Tipene O'Regan says

The idea of the hīkoi is to take them to a few places of our forebears and ancestors and help them to develop a sense of who they are as Ngāi Tahu. To let them practice and enjoy some of the cultural traditions and be participants rather than observers. It's also important that the rangatahi meet each other, so that the inter-relationships within the tribe are on a personal level rather than just on a theoretical, academic basis - so they know each other as people.

What an awesome program and so very important to help our people reclaim their heritage and build their relationships with the iwi.

Te Karaka

Manawa Hou is a long-term programme with the vision of eventually having four per year in different parts of Te Waipounamu. Place-based learning is the main characteristic of Manawa Hou, with learning taking place outdoors on marae and in other places of cultural significance.

 Check out the videos

the real threat

The consultation hui on the sell off of state assets are almost complete and Bill English the Deputy Prime Minister says that

Radio NZ

there has been general acceptance at consultation hui that the Government will proceed with the partial sale of four state-owned enterprises, but will protect Maori interests.

so Māori recognise that the sale will go ahead whatever the people say. Somehow Māori interests will be protected. Let's not forget this is the man who says the proceeds of the sale are a guess and not even the best guess and this is the person who deliberately tried to divide Māori on Waitangi Day.

I don't believe english or his guesses and this one regarding the hui is is wildest yet.

English, his position and attitudes are a bigger threat to Māori than Paul Holmes and his racist rant. Anyone who knows anything about this country knows that holmes was expressing a view held by many, often in subtle and hidden ways. Business as usual in other words for those of us fighting for equality.

the slippery snake slithers away

So key ran from Waitangi because he couldn’t be heard – good job I say and well done to the protestors, who at personal risk fronted him, and let him know in no uncertain terms what some of us feel about him. This protest was legitimate and necessary because the state and its representatives are treating tangata whenua disrespectfully as evidenced by the announcements this week of the proposed removing of clause 9 in the new legislation flogging off state assets and the job loses at TPK orchestrated by The Māori Party and the gnats.

Key wants to control the narrative and he wasn’t able to and that is great. This is the way to do it because his narrative oppresses Māori and reiterates inequality and unfairness. Some argue that it is better to be nice but where has nice got Māori?

Some argue it has played into key’s hands by solidifying support from middle NZ against horrid Māori but that doesn’t matter because they are already at that place. If it has played into his hands then THAT is what should be addressed – the fact that he has an anti-Māori agenda and sinister intentions towards tangata whenua. The protestors got it right by forcing the slippery snake to slither away.

good call from Mana

An awesome Press Release from the Mana Party on oil exploitation and the gnats, entitled "National: The Party of Irresponsibility and Greed" summed up by Mana Party Ikaroa Rawhiti candidate Tawhai McClutchie, who is calling for a complete cancellation on oil and gas development in New Zealand. I agree and support this call and for all the reasons listed by Tawhai

Scoop

what we have iis the irresponsible behaviour of National tendering to the highest bidder for more ways to compromise our environment. Their greed is insatiable.

The people of Ikaroa Rawhiti should be concerned with the evidence in Tauranga. We see a Maritime Authority sorely unprepared to deal with oil spills. A government proving that they don’t know how to prevent a spill don’t know how to stop a spill and don’t know how to clean up a spill. And yet they’re planning to sell more oil permits?

Tauranga Moana needs to be a wake-up call. Our country should be developing more widespread, community-based sustainable energy alternatives. Not only does it behove this country’s clean, green image, such sustainable energy alternatives help break our habit of oil dependence, puts power back into our people’s hands, and it is healthier for the environment and wildlife. All future oil operations must stop!

Yes the arguements for further exploitation are based on selfishness and greed and the myth of unending growth, which is false and illusory - it just isn't going to happen - peak oil and the effects of climate change are happening now and the world as we have known it is changing, drastically.  Community and connection are the only answer to their lies and this Press Release is part of the solution to the problems many refuse to acknowledge.

edge to edge

To be upfront - I don't rate John Tamihere and that doesn't mean I don't appreciate the good he has done for Māori - I just feel the negatives outweigh the positives - Tamihere doesn't speak for me. Which is what he says about Professor Mutu and that is why he entitled his post "Mutu doesn't speak for me". Tamihere calls Professor Mutu a reverse racist and I don't care about that because as I have mentioned, racism = prejudice + power and if you think a Māori woman within academia has power you would be incorrect. So the worst that anyone can say about Professor Mutu is that she is prejudiced and I have no issue with that. Tamihere makes this statement

Sunday News

no one can tell me that my mother, a Pakeha third-generation Kiwi, is a guest in this country. There is an acknowledged rule throughout the Pacific and in Maori. That rule asserts if you can retain occupation of land for three generations or more, you have rights to assert mana whenua. In effect, you become tangata whenua. To make out that we have special rights above all others into the future, solely on the basis of ethnic supremacy, is wrong from a Maori cultural perspective.

So what are you saying john - that everyone is tangata whenua now - if they have lived on their land for 3 generations, because if you are - you are wrong. We are all guests in this country at times - if you visit a new marae you are a guest, if you travel to another area you are a guest - guest isn't a swear word it is a term of honour because of the reciprocity of obligation and responsibility attached to it. This term 'ethnic supremacy' is also inflammatory and incorrect - it is not about supremacy it is about equality and any Māori who frames it incorrectly is treated with suspicion by me.

Tamihere disqualified himself from any credibility back in 2005, when he crudely described women as 'frontbums'

"I don't mind front-bums being promoted, but just because they're (women) shouldn't be the issue, they've won that war,"

he also said in that investigate interview that

that while he was revolted by the Holocaust, he was sick of hearing about Jews being gassed and killed in order to make him feel guilty.

That argument is used against Māori as in, "stop talking about the past colonisation to make us feel guilty".

He continues to diminish himself when in a recent post he said

It is true oil will run out and it is true it produces everything from plastic to tarseal and drives all economies. It is true we must seek alternative energy. But on the way to this happy little world, we had better start using our resources on the way.

So for tamihere drilling and descecrating Papatūānuku for oil and gas is okay because it is all going to run out anyway - what a disgusting, selfish, exploitative attitude - the same mentality that has got us into this hole we are in now.

So John Tamihere you definately don't speak for me - you are not a deep thinker,  your conclusions are wrong and incomplete - based on prejudice and your opinions are inconsequential but you are part of the Māori Nation just like Professor Mutu.

I'll listen to Professor Mutu not to you.

misreading the depth

The prime minister of this country, john key, has "not ruled out" sending the navy and airforce to protect petrobras from the activists who have stopped them.

The activists are part of a bigger struggle to protect the land and seas and support tangata whenua in their fight for justice. The police are circling the flotilla. Crown law has been asked to 'research the legal options' available, oh yes - they are scared.

key uses the argument that petrobras has a legal right to explore, granted by the government and that must be upheld. Yes we know you gave them that right key - you can cut the act. You gave them the right, for your money reasons, and you will support their right to explore, for the same reasons.

But you have made some mistakes that will topple your plans - disrespecting tangata whenua, disrespecting the people of this country who care about the environment, the land and sea and the world our grandchildren will inherit. You and your mates have misread the depth of opposition to this folly.

This is just the beginning...

Good posts here at The Standard and Pundit

frack off exploiters

Fracking or frac'ing - it doesn't really matter how we spell it because it spells trouble. They are drilling at Waitangi Hill near Gisbourne and they have made some exciting (for them) discoveries. Our water, our land and our people are under threat. They say the water is protected, they say they meet stringent environmental standards but Iwi and hapū and others are opposing these exploiters - we must support them and help them.

What is fracking?

From John Pfahlert Petroleum Exploration and Production Association of NZ Executive Office Gisbourne Herald 3 march 2011

Hydraulic fracture stimulation, or “frac’ing”, is used to stimulate underground hydrocarbon-bearing reservoirs to increase the flow capacity of the rock to gas and oil. “Frac fluid”, which primarily consists of a water or hydrocarbon base and sand, is pumped down the wellbore into a designated section of the well at high pressure to fracture the reservoir rock. The sand is a washed and sieved quartz sand or man-made ceramic particles. The sand is used to hold the fracture open to provide a pathway for the fluids to flow into the wellbore for extraction at the surface.

Frac’ing currently being undertaken in New Zealand is at depths well below the deepest groundwater aquifers that are used for drinking water or irrigation. Therefore, any proposed frac’ing operations cannot affect groundwater. Shallow aquifers are protected by installing a steel casing or liner into the wellbore below the depth of the deepest freshwater aquifer to be encountered by the wellbore. The casing or liner is cemented into place, isolating the surrounding rock and aquifers from any of the fluids entering the wellbore.

The East Coast of this country has the exploiters quite excited 

March 30, 2010 - New Zealand oil and gas producer and explorer TAG Oil Ltd. (TSX-V: TAO) announced today that the first stratigraphic well in TAG's initial three-well Waitangi Hill program has been drilled to a total depth of 171m. The results, including "free oil" in core samples, further indicate Waitangi Hill as an area of active oil and gas generation and expulsion. The Waitangi Hill-2 well is located within TAG's 530,000-acre permit area in the northern East Coast Basin of New Zealand, where TAG is pursuing both conventional and unconventional fractured oil shale prospects. The objective of these Waitangi Hill stratigraphic wells is to begin collecting the modern data needed to enhance the Company's ability to appraise a conventional development of the historical Waitangi Hill shallow oil discovery, and more importantly, to further assess the viability of the underlying Waipawa Black Shale and Whangai Shale source rock formations as unconventional targets.

Who are TAG Oil?

TAG Oil Ltd. is a Canadian-based company with international operations in New Zealand. The Company holds a drill-ready prospect inventory that covers more than 3,500 sections of land in the Taranaki and East Coast basins, including a 100% interest in the producing Cheal oil and gas discoveries now under appraisal and development. In the East Coast Basin, TAG is planning a drilling campaign to further investigate the major unconventional resource potential that has been demonstrated in the Waipawa and Whangai fractured shale source-rock formations that are widespread across the Company’s acreage. The geological characteristics of these formations compare favourably to oil-rich shale formations such as the Bakken Shale in the Williston Basin and Liassic Shale in the Paris Basin.

Check this video out from TAG Oil - they are very excited about 'the whole area'. Not just Waitangi Hill but all of the Waipawa and Whangai country.

We should be very alarmed by this as this letter writer to the paper in Gisbourne has said

You seem to be missing the point, John. You have a lot of facts about this oil and gas business yet you have no facts about the East Coast people (iwi/hapu) who live in these areas and may be affected by any mining or drilling.

I’ll tell you some facts. It is a fact that two of my rangatira Koia-uru-te-rangi and Rawiri-Rangi-Katia signed the East Coast Treaty (Te Tiriti o Waitangi) and the Treaty they signed with the Crown protected the people, culture, lands and sea.

They did not sign a Treaty that would allow their people to be murdered, their lands stolen, their culture destroyed and their rights as tangata whenua taken away.

Governments have never honoured the East Coast Treaty because they are not worthy. Instead, through history, they have changed Acts and laws to justify their mistreatment of the Treaty partner.

Today we are still protecting our culture, lands and sea, John, because Maori are the land, mountains, rivers and sea. That is the culture that makes us who we are.

Mining and drilling may place our way of life at risk.

This crazy National Government has forgotten the written agreement between Maori and the monarch of Britain. But us Coasties have not forgoten, John. It is our right under Te Tiriti o Waitangi to say NO to drilling and mining along the East Coast. Just because an out-of-control government gives out permits does not mean they can trample over a legal document between a Queen and East Coast Maori.

All of us must support iwi and hapū fighting against mining and gas and petroleum exploration. And we will join them in stopping this abomination. What consequences can we expect if they go ahead - they say it is safe, they say the water will be protected, they say no one will even notice. They say lots of things and they say them so that they can exploit and make money. The consequences are too high to contemplate. This award winning documentary teaser for Gasland doesn't pull any punches.



Won't happen here? Can't happen here? Just watch them go hard to make more money and destroy more land and people. The only thing stopping them is us.

Hat tip - Archive Fire

Kaiwhakahaere message

I am reproducing this message from Mark Solomon, Kaiwhakahaere of Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu, about the Christchurch earthquake.

Tātangi nei te reo o apakura ki ōku taringa
He aituā e kukume i ngā taura o ngākau mōmotu
i te kukumetanga mai o Rūaumoko i ōna here ki te mata o te whenua
Nei te tangi ki ngā tini aituā kua wehe ki te pae o ngaromanga
Waiho mā mātou nei e apakura tū te ao, tū te pō
Nā reira nei te mihi ki a tātou Ngāi Mōrehu
Me pakahiwitahi tātou kia kiia ahakoa te taumahatanga o te wā
Āe rawa atu nei, kei te ora tonu te manaakitanga me te aroha ki tēnei whenua

 It has been such a tragic week and my thoughts are with all those who have lost family and friends in this earthquake. I also wish to acknowledge those who are, injured, unable to live in their homes, are living in damaged homes and so on. All residents of Christchurch, Canterbury and in the wider community have been affected in some way.

So far this website has been used to convey only essential-service messages and information about marae accommodation and respite. However, today there is a lot more resource around and a few extra minutes to dedicate to a quick update.

About 30 Te Rūnanga Group staff are working furiously at the new Wigram Hub to re-establish our core businesses and operations. This includes the Tahu FM crew. We are here because we have no access to Te Waipounamu House in the Central Business District. We do not expect to have access for many more weeks, possibly months to come. But this has not stopped us from delivering the mahi required at this time. The Ngāi Tahu/Iwi Katoa/Te Puni Kōkiri/Māori organisation relief effort is a combined and coordinated effort and linked in with the greater Civil Defence relief effort across the city. Many people are inputting into this effort whether from their homes, marae, or from the Ngāi Tahu Wigram Hub.

There are many from outside the city and all across the country who are also contributing and I thank all Iwi, Māori organisations, and all others for their generous donations. I also thank the many Cantabrians, New Zealanders and international citizens who are here on the ground doing their utmost to help us recover. The Red Cross Emergency and Hardship Grant is helping to address the immediate and dire needs of whānau who are without water, power or sewerage services. It is hard to adequately express how proud I am of our whānau and our wider community, you are simply extraordinary.

Over the days and weeks ahead, there will be time to report on this relief effort and I will post regular updates in this space, in the meantime, continue to take care of each other.

 Aroha ki te tangata

Mark Solomon.

We must look after the people - that is the priority.

Maori Party panui - keeping our promise

I dislike being negative about the maori party - hell I voted for them and have supported them and specifically Pita and Tariana from nasty attacks - on The Standard for instance.

I have recieved a panui from them about their position on the alternative to the Foreshore and Seabed Act.

In the interests of fairness I'm going to put most of it up, and in the interests of brevity I'm pulling all the bullet points into paragraghs

Keeping our Promise - Marine and Coastal Areas (Takutai Moana) Bill

Tena koe marty, nga mihi nui ki a koe - We made a promise during the 2008 elections to repeal the 2004 Foreshore and Seabed Act and restore access to the courts. When we entered into a relationship with the National Party, our promise became a milestone in that agreement. That milestone has been a key priority of our work in Parliament over the last 18 months. The Bill, which delivers on our promise, is at a crucial stage and the public has been bombarded with negative messaging that has gained traction. marty, we hope you will be able to take the time to read through the points we make below. It is imperative that our constituents get information directly from the Maori Party that is not skewed with misinformation but instead focuses on what the Bill is trying to achieve and what outcomes there will be for tangata whenua and all New Zealanders.

Kia ora.

KEY FACTS

Abolishes Crown title and recognises customary interests (mana tuku iho) of all coastal iwi. Customary interests include a right to protect wahi tapu; and a right to be consulted on conservation and resource management. Allows iwi to claim customary title. Customary title is a property right that includes customary interests plus all minerals except gold, silver, uranium and petroleum; all newly found taonga tuturu, development rights, and a right to develop a plan which regional councils must recognise and provide for. Restores the right of access to court. If negotiations with Ministers do not reach agreement, tangata whenua can take their title claims to court. The Crown has to prove customary rights were extinguished, not iwi.

KEY STATEMENTS

To turn our back on this Bill, would be to break the promise we made to our people in 2005. If the Bill isn't passed, the law that deprived our people of their day in court, of their mana moana will remain in force. Is this what the people want? Is this why we marched? The Bill does not give us everything we wanted, but it is a step forward. If others have a better plan for repealing the FSSB Act, let's see it. The Bill reopens the door that was slammed shut in 2004, and allows tangata whenua to have a longer discussion on customary rights. The Bill does not settle the issues, but it keeps them alive. The Maori Party can advocate for customary rights and tikanga, in the Bill, but only tangata whenua can negotiate and settle matters of mana tuku iho. The decision to support or oppose the Bill is a matter of strategy: do we take a step forward, knowing we still have a long way to go? Or do we retire from the battlefield, and try to rejoin the fray some time in the future? That is the choice facing Maori people, and we will be guided by them.

CHANGES FROM SELECT COMMITTEE

The Attorney General will be recommending the House amends the Bill to require any recognition of customary title through negotiated agreement be given effect through legislation. This means that every such agreement will be subject to full Parliamentary and public scrutiny. This will dispel any concerns about future governments doing shoddy deals.

There are some frequently asked questions and answers like these ones

Can the Government decline customary title over lands that have been confiscated?

If an iwi is declined title, it will not be because their land was confiscated, so no the Government and Court can not decline title solely on the basis of confiscation. Iwi who have had their land confiscated are still eligible to claim customary title.

Why can't we just repeal the Seabed and Foreshore 2004 Act and create a Marine and Coastal Bill to replace the 2004 Act with conditions that are more acceptable to Maori?

Repealing the Act but not replacing it will cause uncertainty and the law cannot allow uncertainty. Therefore Parliament cannot repeal the Act without replacing it with legislation.

Can a moratorium be placed on mining licences that affect the foreshore and seabed?

The Maori Party asked for this but the Government declined it.

I'm not going to fisk this but let it stand as is.

It is interesting to read their framing of the debate - accept what we can and fight for more another day, if you've got any better ideas then lets hear them and so on. Unfortunately my opinion has not changed and I am opposed to this Bill and amongst my reasons for opposing it are the impossible (see good comment from BB in comments) hurdle of actually getting awarded customary title, and the legislation solidifies maori rights as inferior to private owner rights.

The maori party have said they will abide by the wishes of the people "we will be guided by them" (the people) - now the battle for those wishes is engaged in earnest.

Aroha mai for all the crossing out but I decided when I started the blog that I would stand by what I write and not delete.

lines being drawn

We are beginning to hear and see more examples of maori asserting their mana and kaitiakitanga within their rohe. We saw it here and also here.

Tangata whenua have stated that they don't want filming of the the hobbit on Mt Ngauruhoe.

... five weeks out from the scheduled start of filming for The Hobbit prequel, local Maori are set to put their foot down and refuse permission for the Oscar-winning director to use the central North Island mountains again. The iwi considered them sacred.

It's a pity they don't provide more context around the last sentence. I don't imagine it will adjust the views of the filmmakers but it would help the public understand, perhaps. Of course the filmakers just move to another mountain - I wonder what tangata whenua will say when they come to their ancestors.

Interesting to note that

Peter Jackson's production company has been allowed to divert water from a Waikato stream to create the lush green pastures of Middle Earth - in the middle of a hot New Zealand summer.  Environment Waikato, the regional council, has granted consent for 3foot7 Ltd to take up to 890cu m of water a day from a lake and stream in the Hinuera Valley, near Matamata. It will be used to irrigate 4ha of land planted on the Hobbiton set - the home from which Bilbo Baggins will set out on his quest in The Hobbit. This will give a rich green appearance to Hobbiton, reminiscent of Tolkien's beloved English countryside.

We really are bending over backwards to help them make money, aren't we.

fish off the rocks mate

You have to laugh at the absurdity of this - A russian billionaire wants to build a 230m concrete path across coastal rocks so he can go deep-sea fishing from his Northland getaway during his twice-yearly visits. He wants to be able to get his quad bike down there and will paint it natural colours - so it will blend in. At the end of the path will be a pontoon - 4 metres by 14 metres. He is a bit of a keen fisherman apparently.

So who opposes this and why
From NZH

The Department of Conservation and Historic Places Trust are opposing the resource consent application to build the path and a floating pontoon.They say the plan will have more than minor effects on the environment and is contrary to parts of the Resource Management Act.

and

the Northland Regional Council is recommending it be approved

I wonder if tangata whenua have been consulted because if not then that needs to happen ASAP. I hope this grotesque vanity will not be built and that the russian billionaire enjoys this place the way it is rather than remolding it.

Have you considered Papatūānuku?

News that some iwi leaders including Ngāi Tahu's Mark Solomon have been in talks with the government on mining is beyond disturbing. They argue that they want to be at the table and that they already have expertise in utilizing natural resources. They also say it is just talks, they will go to their iwi for consultation if any plans are developed. It all starts with talks and I just don't think this group are gullible enough not to understand the political implications of their move. But have they considered the cost to maori and the values that have sustained us for generations. Have they considered Papatūānuku?

Solomon says , NZH

"It's about getting all the best information you can and acting responsibly as kaitiaki (caretaker) for protecting the land and if there is an economic spin out of it, that is good because that also goes back into the community."

Protecting the land does not include mining, no matter how much money you get for it. There are lines and this is one and it is unbelievable that they don't see this - it is further evidence for those that believe they have been subsumed by the power and become part of the problem, not the solution.

There is no mandate from manawhenua for this, whether it's talks or plans - none! The lines about building economic status are complete bullshit if that status is built on the cutting and drilling of Papatūānuku for money - that is not following the kaupapa, that is the opposite of the kaupapa. There can be no wealth without the whenua and will mining support or destroy the mauri of the whenua? There is no mana in this - just a wasteland where mana is absent.

TV3

"Ngai Tahu would look at anything, as long as it's sustainable," says tribe leader Mark Solomon. "If the environmental impacts are negligible, then we would look at it."

Really, anything?

For some iwi to even begin the process of considering mining Papatūānuku for money is a demonstration of an unwell mentality. A well mentality is one that is centred in the maori world view of interconnection, mana, tapu, mauri, wairua and whakapapa. How does this activity fit with our values? It doesn't! Why have we fought our claim - so that we can desecrate our mother? NO!

This will be fought tooth and nail I promise you that.

english looking after his foreign mates

Irishbill at the std asks the question, "What do the maori party think of this announcement."

"A slackening in foreign investment rules aimed at showing the world "New Zealand is open for business" will make it easier for overseas investors to buy assets such as Auckland Airport."

"Finance Minister Bill English yesterday said the Government was dropping criteria preventing the sale of "strategically important assets" into foreign hands as part of a raft of changes aimed at encouraging greater foreign investment."

I don't know what the maori party think but I do know what i think and that is, that this is a disgrace. This country is not yours to sell english. You want to finish off the job for your overseas masters/mates and ensure that all of our resources are owned by overseas interests - well you have a fight on your hand diptonboy, a big fight.

"The Government will introduce a new right to veto on the grounds of "national interest" - but Mr English expected it to be used so rarely that he could not think of a case which might require it to be invoked."

Heads up english national interest = maori interests

english says
"Let's get practical - we need the money because we need the jobs. Essentially our message is let's stop being defensive. Let's tell the world we are open for business, this is a great place to invest, not a place that says 'well you look different from us so we're going to make it as hard as possible'."

You are a failed leader and it is easy to see why you were dumped as leader of your party and replaced by key. We will lose jobs when we are owned by overseas people english - it's ABC's but you don't care about that - all you care about is your pension, and your overseas mates.

Whenua to whenua

I like this idea of creating a place where whenua (placenta) can be buried and a tree planted.

"A former Nelson midwife who could not bear to see placentas thrown out is the inspiration for a new dedicated placenta planting ground to be established in Nelson at the Centre of New Zealand."

"The NZ College of Midwives' Nelson-Marlborough chairperson Andrea Vincent had been instrumental in setting up the placenta burial garden, working with iwi and the Nelson City Council to establish it.

Ms Vincent said Ms Rowan's campaign to not throw away placentas was similar to the Maori custom of burying the placenta in a place of significance to their ancestors, as this reinforced the relationship between the newborn child and the land of their birth.

"Ms Vincent said the burial area at the Centre of New Zealand, which she thought was possibly the first designated burial ground for placentas on public land, would provide families with an opportunity to plant a tree over their child's placenta as a permanent reminder of the birth in a special Nelson place."

So all good. They have checked with local tangata whenua and worked with them and the local council. What a good way to create deeper understanding and a strong connection with this land AND plant some more trees.