nah, the children stay with us

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

Scoop

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.
Scoop

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!!!

letter from Hone

Monday 20 April 2015

“The last time I was in Canberra was for SORRY DAY 2008, when I listened to Kevin Rudd apologise to generations of Aboriginal people for the theft of their lands, the destruction of their culture, and the dehumanising of their people” said Hone Harawira, leader of the MANA Movement of Aotearoa (NZ).

“Today I am back in Canberra during ANZAC WEEK 2015, and I am reminded that television channels, radio stations and print media on both sides of the Tasman are full of the remarkable stories of courage and heroism exhibited by the Australian and New Zealand Army Corp during World War One, right across the Western Front of the European campaign, and the beaches, hills and trenches of Gallipoli” said Harawira, “And as it happens, to cement that union of battle, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott is today unveiling a memorial to Australian soldiers who died in WW1, at Pukeatua Memorial Park in Wellington, New Zealand” said Harawira.

“But today, as he unveils a memorial to the mindless destruction of a century ago, Tony Abbott is quietly drawing a veil across the genocide being committed by his own government in Western Australia through the enforced closure of remote Aboriginal communities.

Genocide is defined under the Convention on the Prevention of Genocide as (e) forcibly transferring children of one group to another, and (c) deliberately inflicting on one group, conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part through measures such as:

• removing children from their families,
• cutting off basic medical needs,
• ignoring needs for basic infrastructure such as public transport,
• labelling remote communities as breeding grounds for paedophilia,
• taking away community work programs,
• neglecting aboriginal housing programs, and
• withholding and freezing bank accounts.

The forced closure of Aboriginal communities is genocide – plain and simple – something that colonialistshave been trying to do ever since their arrival, originally through the gunbarrels of white settlers and now through the legislation of overwhelmingly white governments.

Although the United Nations recognises the overwhelming authority of the Indigenous people to the land of Australia, it seems that Australian governments simply refuse to accept the reality of their continued racism.

When John Howard introduced the hated Northern Territory Intervention Plan back in 2007, he earned the universal animosity of Indigenous people the world over as “a racist bastard imposing racist policies on a people who are not in a position to fight back”

Tony Abbott’s backing of Western Australia’s Closure of Remote Communities in 2015 is exactly the same, and deserves exactly the same response – “Tony Abbott is a racist bastard imposing racist policies on a people who are not in a position to fight back”

White Australian governments happily dumped Aboriginals into the outback, out of sight and out of mind – until they realised that they had inadvertently given them rights to millions of acres of land beneath which sat vast deposits of billion dollar minerals and oils.

The Intervention Plan, and now the Closure of Remote Communities, is genocide with a blunt instrument – put an end to Aboriginal title by forcing them from their land, let the big mining companies bully their way in, and force the Indigenous people to take their case to court where they stand no chance of ever winning.

As the leader of the MANA Movement in Aotearoa (NZ), I join with indigenous leaders across Australia and the Pacific in condemning the Closure of remote Communities, and I call on all those who support justice to join in the Day of Action to Stop the Forced Closure of Aboriginal Communities on May 1, both here in Australia and back in New Zealand.

If the ANZAC spirit truly lives 100 years after the defence of the British Empire, let it be in the defence of our own indigenous communities in 2015.

Hone Harawira

MANA Leader

Canberra

Stop the forced closure of Aboriginal Communities in Australia.

Stop the forced closure of Aboriginal Communities in Australia.

This battle to protect and stand with our indigenous brothers and sisters began with this

It has been six months since the federal government signed over funding responsibility for providing municipal and essential services to Western Australia’s 274 remote Indigenous communities to the state government and four since the WA premier, Colin Barnett, said between 100 and 150 of those communities faced “closure” because they were “not viable”.

On Tuesday, Tony Abbott further inflamed the situation by saying his government could not be expected to “endlessly subsidise lifestyle choices if those lifestyle choices are not conducive to the kind of full participation in Australian society that everyone should have”.

Tony Abbott is so bad he makes John Key look okay. Lifestyle choices??? The response has been sharp

The Aboriginal leader Noel Pearson has blasted Tony Abbott’s comments that living in a remote community is a lifestyle choice, saying it is a “deranged debate” conducted in a “substandard manner”... He described the comments as “shameless” and a “disgraceful turn of events”.

and

The chairwoman of the Aboriginal Health Council of Western Australia, Michelle Nelson-Cox, said Abbott’s comments were “hugely disappointing”.

“The prime minister’s comments about Aboriginal communities place no value on the connection to country and culture that these communities provide, nor the important role they play in the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal people,” she said.

“Aboriginal people are obligated to maintain a connection to country to sustain spiritual beliefs, customary activities and traditional lore. In addition to providing a home to many Aboriginal people, these communities provide a continuing sense of identity through this ongoing connection to country.”

This article dispels the myth of closing these communities because of sexual abuse.

And Gerry Brownlee

 denied co-leader of the Māori Party, Marama Fox leave from the House of Representatives to vote on a motion to condemn the Australian Government’s impending closure of remote indigenous communities in Western Australia.

What can we do from here to support our brothers and sisters over there?

Facebook site here  And here is a great profile of Sam Cook who is one of the leaders of the social media campaign.

March on 1 May to show support - will update soon.

UPDATE: Current A-Z listings of upcoming actions ‪#‎SOSBLAKAUSTRALIA‬

United Nations’ International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples

Although I am busy with study I still love physical work and today I helped build a retaining wall. Lots of shovelling - great for the body and soul.

TangataWhenua.com is an awesome site with many great articles and interaction. I just noticed this scorecard and I'm going to copy it here - hopefully everyones cool with that.

It is the United Nations’ International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples today - I wasn't aware of that. 

The Mana Movement have released a scorecard measuring the New Zealand government’s three-year progress against the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. 

Zero indeed and that's being optimistic.

Metiria Turei, co-leader of the Greens has also issued a statement to the government today. It is a powerful statement that demands action from the key government.

Voxy

... the Key Government needs to honour its commitments under the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (DRIP) and agree to negotiate with the pan-Maori group on water rights

Maori have agreed to create a single forum to negotiate water rights with the Government. John Key has so far not acknowledged this new pan-Maori group and has stated that the Crown will negotiate with Maori iwi by iwi.

The right of indigenous people "to participate in decision-making in matters which would affect their rights, through representatives chosen by themselves in accordance with their own procedures" is guaranteed in the DRIP. The Key Government endorsed the DRIP in 2010.

"If the international commitments that New Zealand signs up to are to have any meaning, then the Government must honour them at all times, not just when it is convenient," said Mrs Turei.

This is really great to hear. One of the best qualities of The Greens for me is their commitment to tino rangatiratanga.

Hattip TangataWhenua.com

Can Māori represent non-Māori

One of the reasons I have decided to keep on blogging is that I cannot find hardly any site discussing the election from a non labour/gnat viewpoint - notwithstanding the greens of course. The usually interesting Standard site is now overrun by newbie labour supporters barking every nanosecond about how great labours new campaign is, how goff won the debate by losing it and so on. I don't even bother with the right blogs. I'm looking forward to some of our great Māori blogs offering up some good debate and insight - we need it and we want it. 


The question raised by the post before this one is important - can non-Māori represent Māori? Does it matter? Can Māori represent non-Māori - may be an even better way to frame it. The Mana Party represents both Māori and non-Māori - the Māori Party says that they only represent Māori. Do they really? What about the F&S Act - did they represent Māori then?

What do you think and why do you think it?  

Thanks Jacque for getting me thinking about this issue.

restless and edgy

This oil spill has got me edgy - I want to do something, anything, but down here there is little to do except look at the wetlands in front of me and consider the massive pollution and misery up north.


Hone and Mana are saying get out there and clean up the beaches but I can't see how putting people at risk through contamination with this toxic mess is going to help anyone. But it is impossible to do nothing, especially when you can see the destruction in front of your eyes. If I was up there I would be out there doing my bit too, so I fully understand the reasoning, the heart that says - we must do SOMETHING.

The Mana Party

“I am grateful to those MANA supporters who have already joined the clean-up crews and I am calling on our supporters to ignore the government’s calls and join the team at Papamoa to clean up our beaches”

All I can offer at this stage is a song




I met up with Aaron a few months ago here in the bay and as we looked out to sea he asked what the kai moana was like - ka pai I replied. I wish it was ka pai for the people and environment near Tauranga. I've got two assignments due tomorrow and my head is struggling because my heart is torn and raw and hurt. We must stop this happening again and stop their plans for more destruction and exploitation. We have no choice - we just have to do it, we have to stop them.

blue moon

Statements by Pita Sharples at the opening of an international conference on international development in Whakatane yesterday state the importance of the indigenous worldview. The speech is linked on TV3 and well worth a read. Within the speech are outlines of the maori party positions and also a good overview of many aspects such as the foreshore and seabed act, the colonisation process and the role of the maori party as Pita sees it.

From TV3 - quotes from the speech linked on TV3

We are not the Crown’s Treaty partner. As a parliamentary political party, we are part of the kawanatanga – the Crown side of the Treaty. All MPs swear an oath of allegiance to the Crown.

So it is not our role to be settling the foreshore and seabed issue. We are not a customary owner, and the Maori Party should not be making decisions for the owners. Tangata whenua must make their own decisions based on their own circumstances, and negotiate their own settlements with the Crown.

Yes the maori party are advocates for tangata whenua but they must reflect the views of the people not try to get the people to reflect their political solutions.

Pita also talks about the role of indigenous peoples

We have a responsibility and a duty to promote our culture of “sharing” community rights, and community ownership. It is important that all indigenous nations must accordingly rise up, and promote those communal sharing and caring values.

Indigenous cultures mean communal support and sharing – not user pays, not individual free enterprise, but enterprise that feeds back to all members of the community, of the society, of the nation, of the world.

We indigenous people of the world must survive and promote our sharing values within all nations. We have responsibility to do so – we can save the world from its own self destructive consumption, non sustainable, individualistic pursuits.

Well I can't argue with that but i do wonder if the compromises made by the maori party and the negative effect of those on maori nullifies the fancy words somewhat. "a prominent expert" in Maori culture and history Senior lecturer in Maori Studies at the Auckland University of Technology, Dr Paul Moon takes a swipe at Pita's speech

But a prominent expert in Maori culture and history says this is "outdated, 1970s-style thinking", lacking in specifics.

"To imply indigenous people across the world have a shared view of things is perhaps outdated," he says.

"When you start talking about indigenous world views, you're presuming indigenous people have one way of thinking, that there's no pluralism."

Thanks for that mr prominent expert - we now know what we already know - that maori have different views and different indigenous cultures have diferent views - quick hold the front page!!!

Moon didn't say if he considered that indigenous viewpoints could offer hope to the world - maybe he has a speech coming up where he can get a bit more facetime on TV.

hope springs eternal

Well the maori party have got their constitutional review and the terms of reference include reviewing

From Stuff

Maori representation, including the Maori Electoral Option, Maori electoral participation and Maori seats in Parliament and local government.

The role of the Treaty of Waitangi within New Zealand's constitutional arrangements.

Whether New Zealand should have a written constitution.

Bill of Rights issues.

Based on maori party progress to date I am not confident that this review won't be used to reduce rights for maori and further the oppression. These sentences outline why

''Of course, we will keep in mind that enduring constitutional changes generally require a broad base of support. Significant change will not be undertaken lightly and will require either broad cross-party agreement or the majority support of voters at a referendum,'' Deputy Prime Minister English said.

Yes the majority must support any change and will they endorse change that empowers maori and acknowledges Maori status as tangata whenua, the indigenous people of this land?

Why is change needed?

From Annette Sykes

Statistics continue to reflect the poor socio-economic state of most Maori. The Maori unemployment rate is twice as high as non-Maori, and 1 out of 4 Maori recieve a benefit compared to one out of 10 non-Maori. Maori are 3 times more likely to live in overcrowded household compared to non-Maori. Only 2 out of 5 Maori are completing secondary education with a Level Two certificate compared to 2 out of 3 non-Maori. While maori currently represent around 13% of the general population we make up 51% of the prison population. In 2006 Maori accounted for 43% of all police apprehensions. Maori life expectancy is 10% lower than for non-maori and maori are twice as likely to be obese. our suicide rate is 1.6 times higher than non-Maori and our youth suicide rate is twice that of non-Maori.

We need change and I hope that this review will bring it but I am not confident that the review won't be usurped by devious people looking to feather their own nest.

Strong speech by Tariana

The maori party have felt my anger regarding the repeal of the Foreshore and Seabed Act. I am opposed to the new Bill but the Maori Party and Tariana Turia specifically are still supporting it and still saying it is a movement forward for maori.

The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the New Zealand Human Rights Commission Asia-Pacific Regional Workshop on the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People has just started and Tariana gave the opening address. It is a very good speech and within it Tariana outlines her view on the Foreshore and Seabed Act repeal and the new Bill. Good discussion is about understanding others point of view, so in that spirit i will reproduce some of Tariana's statements.

From Scoop

Ngati Apa asked whether the Court had jurisdiction to consider whether land in the foreshore and seabed had customary land status. The Court of Appeal upheld the finding of the Maori Land Court that yes, the Court, did indeed, hold that jurisdiction; and Maori had every right to go to Court to seek or protect common law property rights – customary title.

In lightning-quick time the former Government passed the Foreshore and Seabed Bill Act in 2004 which extinguished customary title – meaning no whanau, hapu or iwi could seek customary title.

And then the floodgates opened.

A hikoi of approximately 40-50,000 marched against the legislation outside Parliament. There was national criticism of the legislation by the Waitangi Tribunal who found the policy breached the Treaty of Waitangi and various representatives of the United Nations criticised the Act for its discriminatory effects.

Six years down the Track, we are on a path determined to repeal that 2004 Act, but also to restore the ability for customary title to be recognised.

And so the 2010 Bill explicitly recognises the enduring mana-based relationship of iwi and hapu to the marine and coastal area in their rohe through the automatic award known as mana tuku iho. Maori do not have to prove anything in order to achieve this recognition, it is theirs by right as tangata whenua; people of the land.

But the Bill goes further, to incorporate tikanga as a key element in the test for customary title and allow for differences in tikanga from group to group.

The inclusion of tikanga in the Bill allows a protected customary rights holder to delegate or transfer the rights in accordance with traditional practices. The Bill also explicitly allows for customary practices to evolve over time. Both of these developments recognise and allow for the evolving nature of customary rights.

There are other initiatives in this Bill which set out a new expectation of how indigenous rights can be considered in the statute. One in particular, is around the burden of proof.

The 2004 Act required Maori to prove extinguishment of customary title had not occurred. Proving something had not happened over a 170 year period was a significant burden on Maori. The 2010 Bill places that burden on the Crown. If the Crown cannot prove extinguishment then customary title will be recognised (provided the other elements of the test are met).

I wanted to set out this example in some depth because I think it comes back to that spirit of self-determination.

We wanted to see the shared burden of proof, and the notion of customary jurisprudence embedded within the bill because it is inherently setting out a new way of indigenous interaction with the state, based on principles of justice, democracy, and the promotion and protection of indigenous rights.

This is, however, just one of many legislative and policy challenges which we must apply ourselves to in upholding the aspirations of the Declaration.

I have left that section in, in full because it shows the thinking. There are many excellent passages in Tariana's speech - go and have a read here.

I am not sure about the paragragh above where Tariana says that the crown has to prove extinguishment of customary title - that is not my understanding at all - but perhaps the line - (provided the other elements of the test are met) tells the real story.

and hope

I hope these news items are signals of real change.

The release of Aung San Suu Kyi is wonderful news.


and Canada has finally endorsed the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

Both items are concerned with truth and people power and they offer hope.

incremental visibility?

I am enjoying Audrey Young's posting on the foreshore and seabed issue and the maori party. There are some good points about this idea that the new Bill is similar to the old Act and also the lack of any support from the Bill to counteract Hone. I am not convinced that the Bill provides a foothold for maori to be able to challenge and erode the most unpalatable aspects of the Bill.

Audrey Young from NZH

"The Maori Party National Bill restores the right to go to court, it gives Maori the right to negotiate directly with the Crown for title, it relaxes the test to gain customary title (when compared with the territorial rights order under Labour), and gives successful iwi actual ownership of the foreshore and seabed, including development rights - with the proviso it cannot be sold.

Harawira has opted for purism over pragmatism. He and his supporters concentrate on the fact the bill does not "return" the entire foreshore and seabed to Maori, and/or that the ownership rights of customary title will fall short of the other parcels of foreshore and seabed that are in private title.

Harawira is not spelling out the obvious to his support base.

Based on recent New Zealand history, it is obvious that if the bill becomes law it may not take too much time before the aspects of it, such as the test to gain customary title, are re-cast by a coalition agreement or a court.

Could the Bill provide a foothold for maori to legally challenge the test for customary title, using the UN Declaration of Indigenous Rights, in the near future? Is that really how to achieve progress? I have always struggled with the notion of incremental gains, I know it can be effective but isn't the visibility of the gains part of the actual gains? Does the incremental nature of the gains affect the visibility of the gains? If all of the Waitangi Claims were settled under the radar wouldn't that be a good thing and would the lack of visibility affect anything? Wouldn't high visibility lock in the gains by creating a modified societial world view? ... some questions I'm pondering...

Our UN Review of Indigenous rights coming up

It will be interesting to see what the report says, after the visit of United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms of Indigenous Peoples Professor James Anaya, from 18 to 23 July.

From ODT

"Prof Anaya will review the issues reported by his predecessor, Rodolfo Stavenhagen who visited in November 2005 to investigate whether the Foreshore and Seabed Act breached Maori rights."

He recommended the Act be repealed and a constitutional review to recognise Maori rights of self-determination based on the Treaty of Waitangi and international law.

The Government is now consulting over plans to repeal the foreshore law and prefers to legislate that no one owns it.

What a joke - I hope Professor Anaya sees what a no-solution this national and maori party solution is. I felt a bit sick when I read this bit from pita sharples

"This Government remains committed to building and maintaining constructive relationships with Maori to achieve better results for Maori, which will benefit New Zealand as a whole. We welcome the UN's perspective of our country's progress," Minister of Maori Affairs Pita Sharples said.

Especially when I remembered this proposed extension to the 90 day period where an employer can fire you without even giving you a reason, from RadioNZ

"But Maori Party MP Te Ururoa Flavell says the proposed change could add salt to the wounds of young Maori who are already finding it hard to get jobs.

He says the Maori Party will be vigorously opposing any move that further marginalises young Maori.

And I thought about what is happening in prisons to many maori, the double bunking, the reduction of rights, the increased likelihood of maori being in prison and being imprisioned. And i considered the GST rise, the cutting of night classes and the new provisions that have been put in place to restrict someone from seeking help from ACC when they have been sexually abused, and the unemployed, the abuse of Tuhoe and Ngati Porou, the destruction and desceration of our sacred places, of our rights as indigenous people, of the waterways and the land and all of the other government policies and you know what Pita - I don't agree with you. There has been a massive attact upon maori rights and the lives of all maori, along with the poor and vulnerable in this country. There is no pass mark from me.

I hope the truth is told but I somehow doubt that Prof Anaya will hear much of it around the government table.

Footnote - I have chosen to rant on about the things that need to be changed but there are some good things happening at all levels for maori and I want to acknowledge that too.

prison growth is a disgrace not a profit opportunity

This announcement is a shocker. Consider that 50% of male prisoners in our jails are maori and 60% of female prisoners are maori - so when corrections minister judith collins says, from NZH

"A new prison to be built in South Auckland will bring $1.2 billion in economic benefits over 30 years."

what is she actually trying to get at?

"Ms Collins said she would like nothing more than to see lower crime levels and fewer prisoners."

I don't believe ms collins, because she then says

"But in the meantime we have a record number of prisoners behind bars in this country and that number is forecast to keep growing."

Yes a growth industry - with lots of profit potential - don't worry about the worry of prisons being a growth industry and the disturbing influence that will have on maori communities and therefore all communities in this country. Disgrace is a very modest word to use when our people are being thrown on the garbage heap by a government that makes the right noises but doesn't care even slightly about maori. Well here's some news for you collins - your plan is broken, you have underestimated maori, as your type is wont to do. Maori cannot and will not leave their people to rot in jail, could you cut your arm off and leave it on the ground? The maori in jail are our people.

Good story on some solutions here.

Ngai Tahu artists

Recomended Ngai Tahu artists





Thanks e hoa

mana motuhake

There are a couple of things to consider regarding the UN Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous People

Hone's call to put a copy of the dec in every maori household is a really good idea although I would take it further and offer a copy to all households in this country. This aspirational goal is exactly that - something to aspire to and the more we align and move towards the aspirations included within that dec then the better off we will all be.

And secondly we will this week soon get a settlement for Tuhoe. This settlement will break new ground in terms of achieving mana motuhake. Tuhoe are likely to get Te Urewera back and this is just. This is their homeland and where they live. And it is quite specific to them because as mentioned on Native Affairs last night - no one lives on Aoraki. We should not be afraid of this.

Tuhoe have discussed the treaty settlement issues and others relating to the police terror raids in Tuhoe territory, with phil goff - that is important because labour were government when the raids took place - another shameful episode for them.

Tuhoe will set a higher standard for other settlements and future settlements will be coloured by this one and the UN dec. We are seeing massive changes beginning to occur and we must embrace them, we must celebrate them. We are in this waka together but as I have said many times - it is a waka.

advancing maori rights

This is how I feel about this countries support of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

From Stuff

"Sir Eddie Durie, a former Waitangi Tribunal chairman has labelled New Zealand's commitment to the indigenous rights declaration the most significant day in advancing Maori rights since the Treaty of Waitangi."

and a weak response from shane jones

 "Labour MP Shane Jones said New Zealand's support would fuel Maori litigation. "After spending decades trying to work out the meaning of Treaty principles, now we will be bedevilled by the meaning of indigenous rights."

The shame that the labour maori members must be feeling - they could have made this advancement for maori but they blinked. They went with the racists instead of maori and that will never be forgotton by maori. Labour if you ever want maori support again you had better make some major changes - and i don't mean your logo.

"nothing is ever just symbolic for maori"

Hone reveals the truth

"Mr Harawira, however, said "nothing is ever just symbolic for Maori"."

This is the area all the idiots like useless-goff and dim-hide and pinocciho-key don't get. Yes the endorsement of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People is aspirational and non-binding but it is also real.

maori don't care what the politicians think, we know that this is a very big deal and the most amazing aspect is that as all the pundits say the maori party and pita sharples have been duped and sucked in by john key, we know the truth - that it is the other way round.

Another good quote from Hone

"This country recognises the rights of women, the rights of workers, the rights of dogs. Great that they can finally get around to recognising the rights of indigenous people."

and my favorite

"He said Labour were "koretake [useless] bastards" who had had the chance to back the declaration but did not take it.

I tautoko that - what a sad lot they are and to think they claim to represent the left, the poor and downtrodden.

changing society one person at a time

Interesting to remember why this country didn't endorse the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in 2007.

From NZH

This was why

"New Zealand was one of only four countries to vote against the declaration.

Explaining that vote, New Zealand's then permanent representative to the UN, diplomat Rosemary Banks, said one article in the document gave indigenous peoples the right "to own use, develop or control lands and territories they have traditionally owned, occupied or used".

She said the entire country was potentially caught within the scope of that article. "The article appears to require recognition of rights to lands now lawfully owned by other citizens, both indigenous and non-indigenous ...

"Furthermore, this article implies indigenous peoples have rights that others do not."

New Zealand's "explanation" also saw major problems with the declaration's provisions on redress and compensation for indigenous peoples. The declaration also implied that indigenous peoples had a right of veto over Parliament and management of national resources."

This is non-binding remember, but it is also the beginning of the end of our bogus society where maori are treated like visitors in their own country.

The last paragraph of Pita's speech.

"New Zealand's support for the Declaration represents an opportunity to acknowledge and restate the special cultural and historical position of Māori as the original inhabitants - the tangata whenua - of New Zealand. It reflects our continuing endeavours to work together to find solutions and underlines the importance of the relationship between Māori and the Crown under the Treaty of Waitangi. Its affirmation of longstanding rights supports and safeguards that ongoing relationship and its proclamation of new aspirations gives us all encouragement and inspiration for the future."

To change society, we must change people - for the better, an improvement, a strengthening - a movement towards connection and community.

well done pita

This is the start of Pita Sharples speech to the UN -

from Stuff

"To the inherent powers of this land; to the Onondaga people, who have offered spiritual acknowledgement to the unseen world to bless us, greetings to you.

To the spirits of the deceased, of each and every nation, we farewell you to the ultimate resting place of humankind.

To this house of the peoples of the world, please welcome this newcomer from New Zealand.

To the living representatives of indigenous peoples of the world, I salute you all.

I greet your mountains, your rivers, your lands, (the places) where your ancestors originated, including you who are meeting here today.

I come with a humble heart to celebrate the Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The New Zealand Government has long discussed this matter, and has recently decided to support it.

So I salute the leaders and chiefs, the many peoples and groups who established the foundation of the Declaration, for assent by the Governments of the world.

Announcement of New Zealand's Support for the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

I will post more when I have had a good read - but to those who say this means nothing - I say, this means something.

Iwi Leadership Group - good article by Martin Kay

Why has this country still not endorsed the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples?

The Declaration was adopted by the U.N. General Assembly Sept. 13, 2007 with 143 states voting in favor, 11 abstaining, and four – Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the U.S. – voting against it. Australia has since adopted the Declaration.

Ngai Tahu has been pursuing an advocacy programme through the UN for the past five years to address this issue.

There is an interesting media release from 13 May 2009, well worth a read.

And what a powerful article in the Dom today (Saturday 20-2-10) about the Iwi Leadership Group. I encourage you to go and read the whole article it is very good indeed.

As Martin Kay puts it

"But there is mounting unease among many, including Maori, that crucial decisions about the shape of the new law are being left in the hands of a small but extremely powerful and influential Iwi Leadership Group that is operating behind closed doors."

Who are they?

"The group is headed by Ngai Tahu chairman Mark Solomon and has about half a dozen members, including Tainui chairman Tukoroirangi Morgan, Ngati Porou chairman Api Mahuika, Whanau a Apanui chairman Rikirangi Gage and Ngati Toa negotiator Matiu Rei."

Annette Sykes,who is legal adviser and foreshore and seabed spokeswoman for Ngati Makino, says

"The leaders aren't unpopular. I want to be really clear - I have great respect for Mark Solomon. What is unpopular is the processes of co- opting and de facto negotiation that is being perceived by the Maori community as a result of the Crown wanting a one-stop shop. They don't want to deal with 40 people."

and

"The [Iwi Leadership Group] are corporate Maori. They're not ordinary Maori. They're the corporate entities, so what they [the Government] are doing is they're setting up a sounding board of corporate Maori. That is by no means an inclusive approach to the Maori position.

The Iwi leadership Group is appointed by forum of 50 Iwi.

"Questions about how prescriptive the "framework" put forward by the group for future negotiations will be have also been raised by the emergence of a document written by technical adviser Sacha McMeeking, who is also Ngai Tahu's manager of strategy and influence.

It floats a model under which the foreshore and seabed would be treated as a "shared" space, with any new law silent on the issue of ownership.

But iwi and hapu would also have the right to assert title in the courts, according to a new test based on Maori custom and traditions and the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which would include the power to review and injunct decisions over the foreshore and seabed, and impose rahui (a ban on access).

The paper's status is unclear, but it has been dismissed by Attorney- General Chris Finlayson, who described it this week as "fantasy".

Hone in a recent speech to parliment said,

"It is us, the Maori Party members of Parliament, who have been asked to carry this battle. It is us who have the honour of speaking up for our people. And we do our people a grave disservice by passing this on to somebody else to handle; and I have no intention of treating my people with such disrespect."

Tariana said,

"the Maori Party is right to support the group as they are working on behalf of iwi and hapu that lost their rights in the Foreshore and Seabed Act."

So, some major considerations - is the Iwi Leaders Group the right group to set up the framework and if not them then who. Is Annette Sykes, who I totally respect, correct in talking about corporate and elite maori or is Tariana correct when she says,

"This is not an elite group. I get tired of this whole use of the word elitist. They are ordinary people who have struggled when there was no money around to fight for the rights of their hapu and iwi and they continue to do that."

big year coming up.