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.
A comment from Stevie on Te Karere Ipurangi
"Kia ora koutou, good to see Ngati Apa receiving redress. They have fought a long battle with a evasive, dismissing and disingenuous Crown unit. To show the level of the Crowns disingenuousness, on the same day they forked out $28m in land and putea to Ngati Apa, they forked out $25m to Peter Jackson and Warner Brothers after about 2 days of negotiations to get a movie made here."
That point is really stark - just think about that point a bit - the differences between a movie and redressing wrongs 150 years old which alientated people from their land, their communities and their ability to shape and control their own destiny.
Whatever the actual numbers, the fact is that after 2 days they found the money and the tax breaks meanwhile tangata whenua continue to have to fight for the scraps the crown determines will fall off the table. What about the priorities?
Why are we not having national discussions every time a claim is settled, even if it is for a fraction of the value taken? Imagine discussions about what actually happened, why the claim was made, and how the settlement addresses this. Histories could be shared and understanding increased. Tangata whenua connection with the land, including the traditional names, re-established, adding and sharing context for all who live here, a celebration of a wrong acknowledged, a chance to move forward together.
