they can't break us

Great news that political prisoner Tame Iti has been released from prison. The injustice of his sentence is there forever but as Hone says Tame has increased his mana. 

RadioNZ

Mana MP Hone Harawira was at the marae to welcome Iti and believes he has come out of prison a stronger man.

"I think his mana has been enhanced by what he's gone through because those are lessons you just can't get on the outside. He's learnt from that, he's grown from that - he's a better man for it.

"And we as a people - Maori people in particular - are going to be better off for having a leader like this go though those experiences and come out as strongly."

Mr Harawira said Iti has successfully survived all that the state could throw at him.

I really like the attitude of Tame Iti

He held no resentment about being in jail nine months, saying he enjoyed his time there and was able to work and be creative with his art.

Iti said he was inspired by reading a book about former South African leader Nelson Mandela and wants to write one on the history of political prisoners in New Zealand.

His lawyer Russel Fairbrother said an application has been lodged with the Supreme Court to overturn the conviction and sentence.

Tame Iti is a man of mana for fighting for his beliefs and not being bowed and broken by the state. Good news also that fellow political prisoner Te Rangikaiwhiria Kemara has also been granted parole and will leave prison on Monday.

Dr DOC

I can hardly get my head around the news that Department of Conservation (DOC) has just cut down a 500 year old tree to extend a nearby tramping hut. This is just insanity - these trees should be venerated and worshiped for the aspects of nature and life they display - they are not firewood. Just so disgraceful that DOC would do this and the excuse used by the manager

NZH

DoC Buller area manager Bob Dixon said the department had invested $75,000 transforming the 1960s ex-forestry hut.

Moving the hut would have been "phenomenally expensive" in a constrained site; "and we have plenty of trees". It was standard operating procedure when there was a risk to people.

"We are not interested in Mr Lusk grandstanding, particularly when the safety of people is uppermost."

and what has Mr Lusk said

"DoC's excuse was health and safety," Mr Lusk said. "But it's been there for 500 years and (survived) about 20 major earthquakes."

Indeed - it is just a line about health and safety - the money is where the real motivation came from. This mindset of disrespect to nature and our connection to it, has contributed to much of the ill within our societies as we create distance from nature - if you don't know it then it is easier to destroy or exploit or kill.

This is not our nature position, this is imposed and alien to our natural sensibilities - the system we have created is just that - created. And it can be uncreated as well, over time. This must be done to get the balance back.

This tree was our tree - a living entity that deserved protection - shame on DOC for cutting instead of caring.

Thanks Mike in the comments for this photo and that information 

underreported struggles 69

More essential underreported struggles from Ahni at Intercontinental Cry. This information is very important because it builds on the attributes that we will need no matter what happens in the world. Community of all types are the answer, binding together in common cause whether tribe, family, whānau, or any other combination that works. Using group knowledge as displayed in many of these articles showing the struggles of indigenous people around the world - they are our struggles too and we must support their fights for equality and learn from their successes.

underreported struggles 69

Nearly 70 indigenous leaders from Mato Grosso do Sul and various other regions of Brazil delivered the names of more than twenty thousand people to Brazilian authorities, who endorsed the petition “I support the Indigenous”. The unprecedented solidarity petition--which arrived in the midst of increasing violations of indigenous rights in Brazil--demonstrated a welcomed shift in attitude towards Indigenous Peoples by urban populations in Brazil and by the International community.

The US departments of Agriculture, Defense, Energy and Interior signed a memorandum of understanding to start protecting sacred sites. The agreement came just a couple weeks after thieves made off with rock carvings from a sacred Paiute site in California's Sierra Nevada. There was some question, however, concerning the seriousness of the inter-department pledge, given that more than three dozen sacred sites are currently threatened across the US.

More than 600 people from the district of Cañaris, province of Ferreñafe, Peru, blocked a highway and detained three geological engineers employed by the Canadian mining company, Candente Copper. The protest was undertaken in response to the Peruvian government's failure to recognize a community vote in which 95% of participants rejected the company's presence.

Visit Intercontinental Cry to read about these issues and many others.

when it rains don't go swiming

I am very concerned about our rivers and I know I'm not the only one. When I say rivers I really mean water - that essential component of life that should be available to all. Part of my concern is due to the dairy farming and the excessive cowshit flushed into the water systems. When it rains don't go swimming because many stormwater systems just cannot cope - and that is with human and animal waste.

The story below illustrates the animal waste situation well. (pun intended)

Stuff

At least 138 Darfield residents had serious stomach upsets after drinking water contaminated with animal waste.

The Canterbury District Health Board's Community and Public Health division has released its report on last year's outbreak of waterborne gastroenteritis in Darfield.

Twenty-nine people tested positive for campylobacter in the July and August outbreak. Another 109 people were defined as having probable campylobacteriosis.

Canterbury medical officer of health Dr Ramon Pink said the outbreak happened after heavy rain caused animal effluent to enter an untreated well.

That is a lot of sick people and I fear this type of event will increase as we continue to bend over backwards to supply dairy farmers with water, so they can make money, and as a consequence we have spoiled water or depleted rivers. It is common I believe and I know of more than a few instances where farmers have diddled the system to get more water than the rivers can allow - leading to dried up streams and fish gasping for breath in fetid ponds. Too often I also see the farmer near us let his cows wander down to the river to drink and shit with impunity - what has happened to the clean streams accord? Well it was voluntary - nuff said.

This despoilment of the commons was touched on by JMG and I recommend reading this post from him. We have to take back our commons and restore equality for people and communities and we have to start now while the rivers have some chance of recovery.

As for dairy farmers - first I would make their personal water supply be sourced downstream from their farms - that would sort 90% of it out quite quickly imo.

Waitangi reflections

I have had a quiet Waitangi Day - we don't have TV so no images of protests or whatever, in fact most of my day was spent in the garden connecting with nature and growing food. I did read about the hand-holding issue up north and the usual abuse of Titewhai Harawira. I loved the way it was sorted out - by the kuia themselves not the men or the media. I struggle to celebrate the day itself because I don't believe that the crown have lived up to their side of the agreement and they have deliberately evaded real questions of equality in the past and today. National and Labour are both too similar for me with their neo-liberal agenda and 'growth is good' mantra's. No for me it is The Mana Party and the Greens for support - that is what I am working on supporting and that is where my energy and faith is going.

It was a tough year last year for me but it ended up unexpectedly well as I got back with the mother of my son and I'm living with them both again. Study is coming up and the ever-present financial issues but with Charlotte and Kahu and me I believe we can make it work - that is where my energy is going too.

Blogging, it seems is still on my agenda - I still have something to say and over time I'll say it.

underreported struggles 66, 67 and 68

More essential underreported struggles from Ahni at Intercontinental Cry. I have been unavailable the last few months so I am putting up number's 66, 67 and 68.

underreported struggles 66

A group of Naso protestors blocked access to the Bonyic Hydroelectric project in Bocas del Toro province, western Panama. The protestors, who issued an urgent plea for international solidarity, say that a new road will cut through an ancient archaeological site, which has already been damaged by bulldozers. They say the site is extensive and that they have collected a variety of ceramic shards, implements, huacas (pre-Colombian ornaments) and a piece of human bone from the area, indicating it was once perhaps a burial ground.

The Chumash Nation raised numerous concerns over the proposed Diablo Canyon Seismic project off the Central Coast of California. Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) intends to carpet bomb approx. 580 square nautical miles of sea floor with powerful Air Cannons that will blast every 10 to 20 seconds for 42 days straight. The 260db sonic blasts, which will travel through the water and 10 miles into the earth's crust, will devastate the local marine ecosystem and possibly destroy fragile and sensitive Sacred Chumash Cultural Sites.

The Amoonguna people in Australia's Northern Territory issued a statement requesting the removal of all government work­ers from their community by the end of September or face charges of tres­pass. The Amoonguna are also refusing to sign another five-??year lease after being forced to accept the first one (along with 5 dozen other communities) in 2007 as a part of the government's draconian 'intervention' programme.

underreported struggles 67

In a stunning development, villagers in Kurukshetra, India, forced the Haryana Agriculture University authorities to fulfill their promise to completely destroy field trials of Monsanto's GM corn. The welcomed display came only after Monsanto officials--with the support of University staff--tried to sneak out the GM corn. Alert villages stopped them in their tracks.

The Batwa Peoples of southwest Uganda, after being evicted from their traditional territory in 1991, are finally returning to their homeland; but they can only visit, as tour guides. The Batwa are taking tourists on $80 treks deep into Mgahinga to encounter first hand "the lost world of the Batwa". Not all Batwa have been displaced. Over all, there are as many as 500,000 Batwa--more indelicately known as "pygmies"-- who continue to inhabit the rainforest that stretches from Cameroon to Uganda. However, they continue to face the same old threats: encroachment, logging,evictions, racism, health problems, extreme poverty and censorship.

Indigenous Peoples throughout Brazil are mobilizing to repeal a dangerous new law that opens the doors to a full-scale military invasion of Indigenous lands, prohibits the distribution of news lands, restricts autonomy, and permits the construction of various industrial projects (like the Belo Monte Dam) without consultation. Protests against the law known as Decree 303 are ongoing.

underreported struggles 68

Activists from across Canada and the world stepped forward in solidarity with the Unis’tot’en, who grabbed national headlines after evicting shale gas pipeline surveyors from their territories in the interior of BC. The Unis’tot’en have made it clear that no proposed pipelines will proceed in Unist’ot’en territories and that corporations, investors, and governments have no jurisdiction to approve development on their lands.

Alberta's Court of appeal dismissed Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation's plea for a review concerning the Crown's inadequate consultation before deciding to approve Shell’s Jackpine Mine expansion project. The First Nation is extremely disappointed and is currently reviewing their options to address the lack of adequate consultation with respect to Shell’s tar sands project.

Indigenous Mongolian herders, who have been evicted from their land to make way for a Rio Tinto gold and copper mine, have lodged a complaint with the World Bank which is providing US$900 million of financial backing for the project. The herders have not been adequately compensated for their eviction and loss of herd since the project began, and have their free, prior and informed consent was not obtained in the process of undertaking the project.

Visit Intercontinental Cry to read about these issues and many others.

Beneath Te Papa

A busy time at the moment with assignments due left, right and centre - but I am enjoying the deadlines for some reason, even though I am moving house again. Whew - must be time for a poem.

This poem got 2nd place in BayLit which I was really pleased about. I've decided to leave it unchanged with its flaws intact, although in some ways I'd still like to rework it and make it better.

Beneath Te Papa

My knee clicked loudly like an out of time fingersnapper

as I entered Te Papa. A museum, as am I, both hoarding

treasures deep on this day of my birth.

I am 50 today as I descend below Te Papa, the oversized

lift looming around us like an atrium, my socks slip

on the floor. A slow motion ritual fall to our past.

The doors weep quietly aside and I find them along walls.

Taiaha stacked supine, appearing settled yet expectant,

as poised as hungry white herons staring at faint flickers of fish.

They watch as years slide by. Discarded weapons now relics,

longing for a warm hand, the lightest touch of emotion, we were

forged for our time, as useful as a steady pay packet, or an edge.

A weapon-less warrior watching warrior-less weapons.

Te Papa and I are the cave mouth open everyday, and they enter

to see, to touch, to feel - the museum, but not the man.

I also received news that somehow two poems from the blog have been included within  brief magazine issue 44-45. The editor of that issue was Scott Hamilton aka Maps from Reading the Maps so I believe I have Scott to thank for my inclusion - Kia ora Scott. I am not sure which poems were selected and I'm awaiting a copy to check - the anticipation is intense, I'm loving it!

direct and true

Leadership is leading and standing up for what you believe in and that is why I support Hone and his actions, which have resulted in his arrest last night. They do want to get rid of state housing and turn the whole thing into some market, that is obvious. The people thrown out suffer and we already have a massive housing crisis - many people are really suffering. This is exactly the type of attention that the Mana Party should be highlighting and they are doing it. The poor and most affected by disadvantage need support, active support that gets the cameras clicking. It seems that is the only way to cut through the gray-daze of public perception - I don't like it but it is what we have to work with - so I say work with it. It isn't easy to oppose the apparatus of state especially when you are a representative of the system - it takes personal and moral courage and Hone has those qualities in abundance. The people need leaders and leadership, they need hope and a vision for the future and they need support now. 

Hone Harawira displays his mana with this action.

if we let them

I’m increasingly concerned about the proposed open-cast mine on the Denniston Plateau and also the Crown Minerals (Permitting Crown Land) Bill. That bill has seriously eroded the protection from mining that we give our most protected land. That Bill allows decisions on access to conservation land for mining to be made by the Minister of Conservation, as well as the Minister of Energy and Resources and that a economic benefits test be included in the evaluation. This is important because of the proposed Escarpment Mine Project on the Denniston Plateau. That’s an open-cast mine on a unique, fragile ecosystem with the devastation accepted from both sides of the argument. This ecosystem was assessed recently in a BioBlitz by Forest and Bird, and over a weekend 505 species were catalogued, including a new discovery of a moth and 77 species of insects. We just don’t find this ecosystem intact any where else – it is unique. The mine will dig up 6 million tonnes of high quality coal for export. That’s 12 million tonnes of CO2 spewed into the atmosphere when it’s burnt. The Environment Court and The High Court have both agreed that the effects of coal on climate change cannot be considered under the Resource Management Act and the appeal to the Appeal Court is pivotal to putting the brakes on this insanity of a mine.

We can’t pin any hopes on the courts I suspect – no it is going to be up to people power, it is us that will stop them. What about the Department of Conservation aren’t they working to protect the Plateau? Their submission to the RMA was neutral, neither for nor against. But a Department of Conservation briefing paper to the Minister, released under the Official Information Act, says "The entire Denniston Plateau lies within the "West Coast Kawatiri Place" and is identified as a "Priority Site for Biodiversity Management. It is also described as a nationally outstanding landscape…". This landscape will be permanently altered by the mine and overburden dumps and this has the effect of, “leaving post rehabilitation in the vicinity of 75% of the altered landscape unrevegetated” The briefing paper also describes how the “current ecological integrity” of the Denniston Plateau will experience “profound change” including the increased exposure of acid forming rock which would,” likely create a far more significant acid mine drainage problem”. 

They all know what will happen and they don’t care because of the supposed economic benefits but they are all illusion. They admit that at the moment the market for coal has slumped, they talk about 400 jobs – that’s the same number of workers recently dumped when the Spring Creek mine closed down so there are no new jobs. They base their big payoff on imaginary future scenarios that don’t consider any macro or micro event that could affect the maximum potential money (assuming everything goes exactly right), and their future predictions are junk, fallacy. Funny that the opponents to this mine have facts - abundant facts. Facts like the inevitable damage the mine will cause, the 21 identified inconsistencies between the Resource Management Act and proposed mine showing adverse effects on the environment that are more than minor. Facts like inconsistencies between the stated objectives within local, regional and national planning documents and the activities of this mine. These are FACTS. The opposite of the wishes and hopes of the economic growth fantasists, and they won’t change their minds, no. Their minds are made up. But they need the acquiescence of the people to do it. They can only do it if we let them.

For another brilliant post on this subject matter please read Claire Browning at Pundit - she writes so well and she hits every nail on the head. 

grief creates grieving

The best thing about this “colourblind NZ campaign” launching soon from ansell, is the comedy it will generate. Ansell is a comedic genius and I like this plan of bringing all these 'like-minded people' together so we can know who they are. That is an important part of nation building. Yeah you bastards come-out, come-out whereeveryouare - just joking - ha ha 

Note the new term “Treaty Grievers” – ansell is usually good on these pithy, racially divisive terms, but this one is a fizzer. Getting too close to grief which is accurate and that must be avoided when ‘othering’ groups.

My favourite for comedy in this one is the reference to Martin Luther King by ansell.  They both share the same dream apparently and ansell is convinced that King would approve of his goals. I would like to see them meet to hear what King thinks of that.

Of course the mention of King is a thinly disguised attempt at showing they are okay with people of colour. It’s pretty ham-fisted though, very iwi/kiwi. ansell has run out of ideas and recycling everything multiple times – sad really but sums up well the campaign and its supporters.

Maps did an accurate dissemination of ansell here.

Update. Oh dear - the  Rotary Club of Remuera have said they don't want ansell there anymore - lol.

Maps has more here.

underreported struggles 65

More essential underreported struggles from Ahni at Intercontinental Cry. The first story is of real concern to me and I hope this move can be defeated by the First Nations.

The Canadian government is getting ready to introduce legislation that would allow individuals to own private property on reserves, effectively abrogating collective ownership of reserve land for any First Nations that adopts the law. The government claims this will encourage economic development; but the reality is far less economical. As Pam Palmater observes, the new law will open the floodgates for the gradual takeover of indigenous lands by non-First Nations peoples, including land-holding companies, banks, corporations; heck, even bored Canadians looking for an adventure!

An International Fact-Finding Mission (IFFM) recently confirmed that the Philippines-based A. Brown Company, Inc. never had the right to open a palm oil plantation in Opol, Misamis Oriental in Southern Philippines, where it displaced hundreds of families from the Higaonon Peoples. The IFFM has since issued a call for A Brown to immediately pull-out of Opol and respect the farmers' and indigenous peoples' right to their ancestral lands.

The Ktunaxa Nation is attempting to challenge the British Colombia government's recent approval of a controversial year-round ski resort that will sit in Qat'muk (GOT-MOOK), a profoundly sacred area to the Ktunaxa Peoples in southeastern British Columbia.The Ktunaxa are now in the process of applying for Judicial Review of the approval.

A Barabaig community in Tanzania has teamed up with the Indigenous Knowledge Project (IKP) to develop a sustainable economy that works for the people. The initiative is a rarity, founded on the ideals of sharing, autonomy, participation and sustainability. In the words of IKP co-founder Heather Cruise, it has to be “heart-to-heart, grass roots, participatory.” In this special series, Intercontinental Cry takes a look at the project, its purpose and the people involved in it.

The Dongria Kondh, who've all but faded away from the international community's gaze, renewed their opposition to Vedanta Resources' plan to mine a sacred mountain for bauxite. Ahead of Vedanta's AGM in London, the Dongria Kondh sent a strong message to the company's chairman Anil Agarwal, "Even if Anil Agarwal himself comes here, we won’t leave our land. We will use all our strength to make them leave this place. Let us live our lives in peace".


Visit Intercontinetal Cry to read about these issues and many others.

just business

Sometimes an event just sums it all up and those of you who have been reading the last few posts will know that I have been showing the connection between a number of actions by the prime minister john key and his government and the bigger picture of what they are after. Deliberate ignorance, court case on water, PR push by oil and gas exploiters, reduction of protection for conservation areas against exploitation. The digging up of Papatūānuku and the desecration through exploitation is a large part of their end game IMO. 

So what is the latest? At the world’s largest conservation summit a motion to protect the world’s rarest dolphins and porpoises, including New Zealand’s Hector’s and Maui’s dolphins was passed by 576 for and 2 against - and one of the 2 against was this country - New Zealand.

Scoop

Karli Thomas, Greenpeace Oceans Campaigner, said: "Our government is letting minority business interests ride rough shod over the values of ordinary New Zealanders. By voting against this call to protect our most endangered dolphin, New Zealand has arrogantly dismissed international concern and has severely tarnished our global reputation.”

Shameful? Disgusting? yes for sure all of that but why? Well it's a pain to issue exploitation certificates when pesky dolphins live in the area you want to dig up. Simple really those glorified fish have to go and we can't shoot them so let's keep getting them killed with nets and fishing and destroying their environment. Shameful? Disgusting? Yep and if you think like that, like me, then we just don't understand - it's not personal, it's business.

we know why

Further evidence of the long game of prime minister john key which I have been discussing over the last 3 posts. Deliberate ignorance, court case on water, PR push by oil and gas exploiters and now this - "The Crown Minerals (Permitting and Crown Land) Bill which will ensure that all land classified as a National park, Nature Reserve etc in future is automatically included in Schedule 4." That appears to be good but as I/S says it weakens the protection on that land so they can mine it. The proof is right there in front of us, as I/S states

No Right Turn

At present, decisions on whether to permit mining on Schedule 4 land are made by the Minister of Conservation, and strictly on conservation grounds. The bill would change that, inserting the Minister of Energy as a joint decision-maker, and adding an economic benefits test. So, the question of whether to dig up a National Park will be a question of "balancing" conserving the area with the projected economic benefits of destroying it.

This is not happening by chance - it is planned and not even hidden. Part of the strategy is to overwhelm, create a tsunami of information, events, and issues that people care about. They hope it all just becomes too much for people but as usual they are overconfident of their own opinions and judgements of human nature - they think everyone is like them - greedy and self obsessed. But people aren't like that all. They are wrong and that is how we stop their nefarious plans.

Hattip - No Right Turn

the journeyengagement

I talked in my last post about the prime minister john key and his deliberate ignorance designed to bolster the inevitable court case on water. Why is the court case so important for key? It's got nothing to do with Māori or water - it is about commodification and in a round about way, the oil and gas exploitation. He has promised and I don't think the powers that be will accept a backdown on that. News about the PR campaign that they are about to wind into is scary - they have the money and they have many of the politicians.

NZH

Senior figures from the oil industry and the Crown's resource management unit have stressed the need to step up community engagement at the Petroleum Summit in Wellington today.

Petroleum Exploration and Production Association chairman Chris Bush said public confidence was needed to fulfil the Government's exploration goals - and both the Government and industry needed to lay the groundwork for that.

"We need to take the time and explain why it is important to grow oil and gas exploration here in New Zealand, so communities have an understanding of the benefits and the future energy situation we may face without it."

The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment unit tasked with managing oil and gas resources and issuing exploration permits is also pushing for greater community engagement.

New Zealand Petroleum and Minerals director of petroleum Kevin Rolens said it would be looking at how it engaged with local communities to build confidence and connect with the public.

Rolens said his unit was developing a stakeholder strategy to ensure the community received consistent messages.

Petroleum Exploration and Production Association chief executive David Robinson said "Our communities must come on the journey with us. Our panels on community engagement are an important part of making sure we are doing our best to engage with Kiwis across the country."

Their tactics are in play in the quotes - simple message driven relentlessly into the mind by repetition and the use of pseudo-words like journey and engagement. They had better get on with it though because the latest news report from their conference was dominated by the loud protestors outside - respect!

undo the gag

What a half-wit John Key the Prime Minister is - do you think this remark is off the cuff?

NZH

On his way into caucus at Parliament this morning he was asked about the unity around the water issue at the national hui last week called by King Tuheitia.

He suggested that from the media reports he had seen there wasn't unity.

"There are kind of more positions than Lady Gaga's got outfits."

I don't, I think it was deliberate. The point of the comment? To trivialise Māori and their belief systems. You see I don't agree with sharples that key is culturally ignorant - I mean of course he is, but like the banks affair, he is choosing to be. He isn't ignorant - no it is much worse than that - he is deliberately ignorant or choosing to be ignorant. And why would someone do this? It's all about the court case now - the hui that noone will attend, the public statements and the quips - he even says it here, it is a strategy. Key is a bankster he gets a buzz from riding the edge and he is going to ride this one all the way in. So why is he a half-wit? His deliberate ignorance is not an advantage it is a weakness and the more he speaks, the more that weakness is revealed. He thinks he is smarter than he really is - but he isn't.

now is the time and this is the place

Many have said that water will become a defining issue for the people of the world and here in Aotearoa that is manifesting right now. Māoridom have attended the hui called by King Tuheitia at Ngaruawahia and they have agreed on some principles.

Stuff

... overwhelmingly backed a resolution calling on the Government to halt the sale of power company shares until it had thrashed out a framework recognising Maori proprietary rights in water.

It also backed a resolution for that framework to be agreed before iwi and hapu enter into negotiations with the Crown over their water claims - and warned they could test the case in court if the Government worked around it.

Finally, it agreed that Maori should speak with one voice on the issue - a new body representing Maori interests across the spectrum will be set up to spearhead the negotiations instead.

Yes there are issues to resolve within the Māori nation to achieve this united front, this speaking with one voice, but it will be done because that is the kaupapa when faced with threat and this is a defining issue for this country and a threat to Māori mana. I have stated a few times that Māori are just not going to take the same old bullshit that has happened for years. The time is now, the line in the sand is here. We hold and fight here, for this.

This process is mana-enhancing for iwi and hapū, this is what our Tūpuna fought for and this is what we will fight for, so that our tamariki don't have to.

Mā te kotahitanga e whai kaha ai tātou - in unity we have strength.

1500 a moment to reflect

Well I thought I would just take a moment to reflect. This post is number 1500 which seems significant somehow. There have been 1415 comments and for everyone who has commented thank you, and also of course to all those who have read the posts. I started blogging Sunday 22 March 2009 - just about three and a half years ago! I started the blog for lots of reasons and one was I made a blog that I wanted to read, about the subjects I thought were important and weren't being discussed enough or at all. I thought like minded people would find the blog and that has happened and i'm really grateful and humbled by that. So thank you again. The most popular post is water tiger, I'm pretty sure because of the picture, but it's ironic nevertheless. Although I can be scathing on some politicians, I'm really more interested in building communities and bringing people together - that's another purpose of the blog. When I started there weren't many blogs that discussed Māori issues from a Māori perspective, thankfully there are now, and most are displayed down the side of this blog - they are all great and I love them all - even when I disagree with the writer. Indigenous blogs are there too and they are so important because they show our connection, our issues and struggles, our successes and victories are the same. That is my binding belief - that we are all equal and deserve and demand equality. That is why I put the left blogs and other blogs on my blogroll - they all relate to that concept. I have learned much from those blogs and they are there partly to make it easier for me to go and read their latest posts. I know - me, me, me... it's hard to write it any other way, I promise. And the truth is you cannot write blog after blog unless you are getting something from it. I am, and it is the connection with you the readers, as well as the self-centred but necessary enjoyment of being able to say what I want (within reason of course). I know most of you understand because you have your own blogs. As I said at the beginning this is a reflection but I do want to keep it brief.

Blogging means a lot to me and I feel that I've learned so much and that I've been given so much. I'll continue to blog about things that catch my eye and try in my idealistic way to make the world a better place - I must - for my son and all of us - past, present and future.

dear john

Below is Hone Harawira's open letter to Prime Minister John Key. It sums up everything really well.

NZH

Kia ora, John

I'm down at Turangawaewae for the water hui, and I just wanted to clear up a few things before I go in. You see John, there's quite a bit of confusion about how Maori are being pushed to help you with your asset sales problem, but there doesn't seem to be much of a push from your side to help Maori with any of our problems - like poverty, low wages, massive unemployment, poor housing, benefit cuts ... you know the rest.

We know things are hard for your Government right now, what with trying to sell off power companies when you don't own the water that drives them - but really John, that's something your officials should have sorted out a long time ago.

The consultation hui earlier this year showed clearly that Maori don't support asset sales, there was that huge march on Parliament against it, and there's that petition on the street right now with 250,000 signatures and growing, opposing asset sales as well.

And you must have known John, that Maori would take action to protect their water rights under the Treaty of Waitangi.

That's why Maori were so upset when you ridiculed the idea of a claim to the Waitangi Tribunal, then belittled the New Zealand Maori Council for daring to take the claim in the first place, and then said that the Tribunal wasn't worth listening to anyway.

You see John, the Tribunal is one of the only avenues we have to present our claims in our own way. In fact it's the only place where what our kaumatua and kuia have to say has any meaning. It's deeply flawed of course, but it has a special place as the nation's only specialist judicial body on Treaty issues.

That's why when the Tribunal said that "government would be in breach of the Treaty if it proceeded with its asset sales programme before Maori water rights had been settled", we really hoped that you might do the right thing and let the judicial process run its course.

So when you decided to simply defer the sale, and engage in behind-closed-door deals with selected iwi leaders, you can imagine how ... upset ... we got.

Because this is an important issue John, to all of us. This is about water, and in particular Maori interests in that water.

And water really is a taonga to us John, a treasure. It's hard to explain in English but water is something to cherish, to care for, to respect and to protect for future generations. Moana Jackson says "every tribe has a river" and the people of Whanganui have a saying: "I am the river and the river is me". Water is part of who we are.

And Maori water rights need to be understood in that context, John. Not as a tradeable commodity, but as part and parcel of our very existence.

Even Pakeha people get that; I think that might be why so many of them oppose asset sales too.
The Tribunal has confirmed those rights (with the support of a number of your own Crown witnesses), and the Council has quite rightly asked the Tribunal to consider the extent of those rights and how best to recognise them in stage two of the hearings.

That's not to deny hapu and iwi their rightful claims to waterways in their territories, but the issue of Maori water rights calls for a nationwide discussion and commitment to standards and expectations far greater than what can be achieved by small groups meeting behind closed doors.

John, this is one of the biggest decisions Maori will ever make, and five weeks just isn't enough time to do it justice.

So where do we go from here?
Well ... if I were the Prime Minister John, I think I'd:
•Set aside the asset sales programme for a while.
•Give the Tribunal time to complete stage two of the hearings.
•Give Maori time to go back and share all that information with our kaumatua and our kuia, our cousins, our kids, and yes even our mokos as well, because the decisions we make today will affect them and their mokos too. And time, too, for hapu and iwi to consider the wider implications for them as well.
•Give the rest of the country time to give their views too, because on this issue, every New Zealander should have a say.
•And then I'd call everyone back to the table in 12 months, and see if we could come up with a solution that works for all.

Anyway, gimme a bell some time and let's have a cup of tea and a chat.

Yours sincerely,
Hone Harawira

I quite like these open letters, it gives a real chance to get the points across, it gives a little control, and it drives the recipient up the wall. Keep this good stuff going Hone - it is effective and inspirational and we need lots of that.

Hattip: Tiger Mountain commenting on the Standard

positive movement

Can a bad/useless/corrupt/putwhatyoulikehere government do good things? Can a bad person do good things? 

Obviously this has been a point of discussion around other areas and putting value judgements of what ‘bad’ is aside I want to thank finlayson (I don’t think he’s ‘bad’), personally and as a representative of the government, for saying these things

Stuff

“Ngai Tuhoe’s history shows clearly why it is so important to settle genuine historic Treaty grievances,” Finalyson said.

“The conditions in Te Urewera, which contains some of our most deprived and isolated communities, show the very real and continued effects of the Crown’s Treaty breaches on the daily lives of Ngai Tuhoe people in the present.”

Huge areas of Tuhoe land were wrongly confiscated and more purchased unjustly, Finlayson said.

“Military campaigns against Tuhoe prisoners and civilians were described even at the time as extermination and the Crown employed a scorched earth policy in Tuhoe settlements.”

This settlement is a strong step towards mana motuhake for Ngāi Tuhoe and I congratulate them.

It is not perfect but it is a step in the right direction and as Tuhoe negotiator Tamati Kruger has said, “he believed the tribe had ultimately won what it was seeking, which was control over the park.” 

I wonder about the figure of 170M – is that figure used for relativity or do they calculate it some other way?

saying less

I am not a fan of the term Hone has used – house nigger is not a term that anyone should use in my opinion – unless you are Malcolm X and you say house negro. I think it was a mistake from Hone and a worry too. There is no need to go into that type of insult – it doesn’t make any difference apart from increasing the notoriety of Hone – and that is playing into their hands because they love demonising him, and any reason is a good reason – so why do it? I really can’t see any reason other than publicity and that sits wrong with me. The alternative is that Hone has so little control over himself that he just cannot think or speak strategically and I just don’t believe that.

Everything is going okay and the Mana movement is building – cut the bullshit Hone and get on with the job e hoa.