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!!!

Rest in peace Berta Cáceres (Lenca)

It is such a terrible crime that Indigenous Honduran leader Berta Cáceres (Lenca) was murdered recently. My heartfelt condolences to everyone feeling the loss especially her family.

From Indian Country Today

"Cáceres was internationally known for winning the 2015 Goldman Environmental Prize for her advocacy on behalf of the Lenca people, who have been battling against the construction of the Agua Zarca hydroelectric dam on the Gualcarque River, as well as her frequent opposition to the U.S.-sanctioned coup government and subsequent administrations of Honduras."

... "Cáceres was the Director of the National Council of Indigenous and Popular Organizations of Honduras (COPINH), which has been in the forefront of protests against the dam being constructed by the DESA Company of Honduras. Cáceres and other activists assert that the Agua Zarca project would cause great harm to the Lenca community known as Rio Blanco through displacement of the people and environmental damage to an area considered sacred by the Lenca."

Going up against the corporate interests is very dangerous and she knew that, having had many threats made against her. Still she fought the fight for her people.. We have all lost a powerful and effective advocate and passionate warrior for indigenous rights and environmental rights. Rest In Peace.

And we must fight on in our ways to continue the work - that is what we must do.

welded to a stone, sinking

Pita Sharples is a leader who believes in going down with the ship but it is not his job to take the ship down just for hubris or ego. 

We have the potential 3-way leadership of the Maori Party debacle because Pita won't let go of the leadership or his seat in the house and now he has come out in support of Dame Susan Devoy as Race Relations Commissioner calling it "fantastic" and that was after Te Ururoa Flavell, one of the other potential co-leaders of the party, had raised concerns in parliament about that appointment.

Now both the other co-leaders of the Maori Party have tried to get Pita to bow out so that new people can come in and those calls are getting more direct.

NZH

Te Ururoa Flavell has suggested it is time for Dr Pita Sharples to stand aside for fresh blood to take over leadership of the Maori Party.

Mr Flavell told TVNZ's Q+A programme today that the party had to start thinking about a "succession plan" as far as its leaders were concerned.

but as stated in the article

Dr Sharples has rejected any suggestion he should step aside and previously said he will stay co-leader until he dies.

I used to admire Pita and defend him but I've said goodbye to those feelings and I wish Pita had taken my advice given so long ago, to retire with dignity and mana.

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.

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.

past actions more important than future promises

We know that the gnats want to sell our assets and the weasel words about mixed ownership and so on are just smokescreens. Pita Sharples has clarified the position of the Māori Party

NZH

Dr Sharples issued a statement this morning saying the party did not support any asset sales at all.

there you go - quite clear - but what's this?

"While our party position is that we oppose the sales of assets, we are also placed with the responsibility of advancing the best position for our constituency - and unlike other parties - that means we need to listen and respond to the proposals our constituents put forward to Parliament."

Listen and respond - sadly I cannot take Pita seriously because when it came down to it last time over the Foreshore and Seabed the 'listening' was not there, not even slightly. In fact the evidence was there that most Māori opposed the solution but they still rammed it through. So i don't trust your assertions Pita and I don't trust that you would hold the line in any meaningful way.

that tongue is forked

So John Key, the Prime Minister of this country, at the opening of the Rugby World Cup, chose not to say kia ora and acknowledge tangata whenua. He has admitted he just decided not to, even though, for the most generally part he does, and he is sure that most people know he can. He didn't think it was important or necessary. 

Stuff

"I could have of course, and for the most part I generally do, but I decided not to on that occasion." 

The occasion was his big showpiece of this country - if that isn't an appropriate occasion then what is? But he most parts generally does so what are we to take from all this. He could have but didn't and for no good reason. He just doesn't give a shit? he doesn't have much between the ears? or he astucually wanted to make a point - that tangata whenua should be happy to allow our culture to be used as window dressing for the grand illusion and when the dust has all settled it will be back to business, back to pretending to care about Mäori whilst dismantling everything Mäori care about.

This going round sums it up

"Miss half a game of rugby because a train breaks down: personal apology from John Key and compensation up for discussion.

Have your doors kicked in, automatic rifles pointed at your kids, and four years of your life stolen because of police incompetence. Apology and compensation immediately ruled out."

The charges have been dropped but the hurt is still there, not just for those free but for the four still facing charges and for the Tuhoe people. The police came for terror and terror is what they created just as they planned but their plans have finally been just about stopped and the truth, while smothered in supression orders, will come out eventually. Thank you to all concerned who have helped and fought for the truth and thank to to all who continue that struggle. A great post from Joshua called Reflections on the invasion of Te Urewera.

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.

thoughts on Māori centred research

I have been busy writing an essay on Māori centred approaches to research and it has been fascinating. It is an area I hadn’t really considered too deeply before – just taken it for granted - but after studying it, I realise how out of touch I have been. These are just some random, slightly muddled thoughts on the topic that are running around in my head. I realise that research today is more aware of the issues, but I still think we have a wee way to go to get there.

Māori have criticised much past research and for good reason – mostly research has been done by non-Māori with reputations built and maintained by being the expert – on Māori. The research has been developed and implemented with very little consideration of Māori people or culture. It is amazing to consider the arrogance of believing you can study a culture without recognising and incorporating the cultural values of the group being studied. It is disturbing to think about how disempowered Māori have been in this area and we are talking about research about Māori, so surely Māori should have a say in the research – it seems a minimum requirement to me. But others are the gatekeepers, they set the parameters of the research and they determine the methodologies, and they do the research, evaluate it and present it.

This research structure does not fit within a Māori worldview and is valueless for Māori and therefore our society. Research which describes what Māori already know is worthless and research too often does that and also focuses on comparing Māori with others. This comparing seems to me to be a subtle assimilation tactic because it accentuates the ‘otherness’ of Māori, often in a negative way. The gaps, always the gaps – which show Māori below others but what actually does this research, this measuring do? Sadly as I mentioned above – it does nothing. The next question should be - how can we create something that does make a difference? The answer is there, within Te Āo Māori.

Various models to create Māori centred approaches to research have been developed and they have some attributes in common. The lessons from the past show that knowledge must be actively attained and it must be for the collective good. Research is valuable when it enhances the lives of the people, when it makes a positive difference. Consultation with, and accountability to, the group are explicit within the histories of Tane and Maui and they are the models to follow. This can only occur when Māori values are incorporated within the research structure from top to bottom. Part of this is the defining the purposes of research which should relate to gains for Māori, as Māori. And part is the practise of research - how the research is conducted, the accountability and responsibilities, the ownership and analysis of the research as well as the way Māori interact and participate in the research. As Durie says “Māori people are seeking to control research processes that directly affect them.”

There is ongoing debate around the role of researcher. For many, that person should be Māori - a qualified Māori researcher able to navigate competencies in research and Māori knowledge whilst operating within Māori society. The exchange culture of Māori realises obligation, reciprocity and responsibility as intrinsic for all participants of a research project. Spiritual aspects of tapu, wairua and mana are embedded within the transmission of knowledge: it is sacred and closely guarded and must be deserved. This is in contrast to the western academic view where knowledge is apparently available to all, as of right.

A Māori centred approach to research puts Māori at the centre and is empowering because it allows Māori to be Māori and benefits accrue to Māori people. It provides an integration of the holistic Māori view of everything and highlights the multiple interconnections that influence all aspects of wellbeing. Māori control over research is Mana Māori and repositions Māori from passive researched into active, empowered participants.

To move forward in true partnership between Māori and the Crown requires an acceptance and recognition of a different way of looking at things. We will have to revise the dominant euro-centric approach and realise that other cultures have something to offer. Māori do not accept that they are objects to study - Māori insist on empowerment, on control, and to my mind it is not an outrageous request – it is basic human rights.

watching backs

When I heard the news that the maori party had selected Waihoroi Shortland to represent them not their unsuccessful Tai Tokerau byelection candidate Solomon Tipene I thought we may have some fallout.


We have had some fallout.


Solomon Tipene says

"Watch your back, lest it be bitten by the Maori Party dogs. I'm referring to the leaders - they did that to me and Hone Harawira."

Stong language and strong views from experience, from knowledge. Maori Party president Pem Bird doesn't get it

Mr Bird said he was disappointed by Mr Tipene's "inexcusable" outburst, given the time and resources the party had put into his campaign.

Ummm that was the point of his statement - fake support and buckling under pressure - just like the maori party have done with the gnats and their party agreement. It does not look good for the maori party although prime minister key has tossed out that he will have coalition party negotiations with his mates no matter how many votes they get. But how many will they get? Solomon Tipene has just echoed what Hone has said - this dysfunction within the maori party is systemic and is detremental to Māori self determination aspirations. Time for the sea anchor to be cut.

Hat tip The Standard

Wai 262 - kaitiakitanga - some thoughts

Reading the fact sheets associated with the Wai 262 report has been great but also raised some questions for me. It isn't my job to microexamine the report and point out flaws but on the other hand I can't let somehing go when I think it needs said. The term kaitiakitanga is used and given some activation through the recommendations, but how can the role be fulfilled if the power and authority of the role isn’t there. I am taking the report as a starting point for discussion which I think is in the spirit of he report.

Kaitiakitanga is a term that has no equivalent English meaning. It encompasses conservation in the western sense of protection and guardianship but also is measured by the strength of the mauri of the area, demonstrated by the abundance and variety of the resources available.

Kaitiakitanga means interaction and exemplifies the Māori world view where everything is connected because of whakapapa to Rangi and Papa. This holistic view realises that we are part of the environment, we are nature too and this is in contrast to the dominant current worldview where we are the ‘other’, alien and distant from nature.

There is no such concept as ‘own’ in regards to resources – it is ‘right to use’, within the Māori worldview. That ‘right to use’ is tempered with communal thinking and social structure based on tapu and mana, whakapapa and tikanga.

Exercising kaitiakitanga is exercising mana and it reflects the mana of the people and their leaders. Rangatira couldn’t lead without having the people supporting them and they reflected the mana of their people. The traditional attributes of leaders included the ability to fulfil kaitiakitanga responsibilities. These could only be fulfilled with the power and ability of mana derived from the Gods, ancestors, the whenua, the people and personal actions. This is a circular relationship where each part supports and strengthens the other parts.

The key is that there was absolute authority - derived and supported by mana. You cannot fulfil the responsibilities of kaitiakitanga without having the authority and power over those responsibilities.

The Wai 262 report says anumber of things on kaitiakitanga. My views are just my own – others will disagree with me.

The interests of kaitiaki in their taonga are entitled to protection, but that does not mean that kaitiaki are entitled to a veto over uses of IP in taonga works in all cases. Rather, kaitiaki interests must be fairly and transparently balanced alongside other interests, such as (a) the interests of those who own IP rights, such as authors or film-makers whose work may depict taonga works or related knowledge, or business owners whose trade marks are based on taonga works, and (b) the interests of the wider community in the information and artistic and cultural works available in the public domain.

If you do not have the authority and power to enact kaitiaki responsibilities then you cannot fulfil your duties – you don’t have the power to.

‘Taonga species’ is a term the Tribunal has used to refer to species of flora and fauna that are significant to the culture or identity of Māori iwi or hapū. The exercise of kaitiaki responsibilities towards those species is a fundamental aspect of Māori culture, and kaitiaki relationships are important sources of identity.

The Treaty allows the Crown to put in place laws and policies relating to research into and commercialisation of the genetic and biological resources in flora and fauna. This includes IP laws, and laws controlling aspects of the research process such as bioprospecting and genetic modification. But in doing so the Crown must to the greatest extent practicable protect the authority of iwi and hapū in relation to their taonga species, so that they can fulfil their obligations as kaitiaki.

How can it be ‘significant to the culture or identity of Māori’ and ‘kaitiakitanga is a fundamental aspect of being Māori’, and then expect Māori to filfil their obligations when the Crown has control and power over those very things that are considered taonga?

The Treaty entitles kaitiaki relationships with taonga species to a reasonable degree of protection. It also entitles Māori to a reasonable degree of control over traditional knowledge relating to taonga species and how that knowledge is used. But it does not entitle kaitiaki to ownership of taonga species, and nor does it mean that kaitiaki are entitled to a veto over uses of IP in those species in all cases.

Rather, kaitiaki interests must be fairly and transparently balanced alongside other interests. Those include the interests of those who conduct research and hold IP rights, the public interest in research and development, and of course the interests of the species themselves.

Reasonable what the hell is that word! I absolutely disagree with their conclusion – it does entitle Māori ownership and a veto over uses of IP in all cases.

How can this report imply that Māori kaitiakitanga wouldn’t naturally include considerations of all aspects including research and the taonga species.

The Treaty entitles kaitiaki to fulfil their obligations to protect and care for taonga in the environment. But, while Māori interests and kaitiaki relationships are important, this does not mean that iwi and hapū should have a generally applicable veto. In a modern resource management context, other interests should also be considered, including the health of the environment, and the interests of property owners, resource users, those affected by resource use, and the wider community.

I ask again why wouldn’t Māori kaitiakaitanga also include aspects of the health of the environment, owner rights, resource users and the wider community?

Relationships with the environment are fundamental to Māori culture. Every iwi and hapū sees itself as related through whakapapa to the landforms, waterways, flora, fauna and other parts of the environment within their tribal areas. These parts of the environment are taonga, for which iwi and hapū are obliged to act as kaitiaki. They have inherited knowledge relating to these taonga, explaining their whakapapa relationship and their kaitiaki obligations. Kaitiakitanga is a form of law, controlling relationships between people and the environment.

How can this be reconciled, when the power and authority to enact and perform the duties and responsibilities of the kaitiakitanga role, are not there. The role cannot be fulfilled because the Crown has power and authority over the role.

The report is significant because it is setting the agenda for Crown/Māori relationships and their vision is one of partnership. But partnership must be real if it is to have any meaning. I think Māori have had enough of tokenism, we want real change and equality and that means self determination. I am sure that that can be structured to keep everyone relatively happy. It is entirely correct that Māori should be recognised as kaitiaki of their taonga and given rights and protection to enable them to fulfil their duties, based upon the Māori world view.

we are doing good

I’ve been on a journey down south to support mum who suffered another small stroke. She is okay and doing well. The trip was eventful and overall the impression I have of the last few days is of kindness. From the start to the finish I was surrounded and supported by kindness – and I enjoyed it. The exchange of kindness via support creates obligations above and beyond any monetary value and those obligations feel natural and will be fulfilled because that is the way we do it, that is utu.

One of the unintended consequences was I really missed the by-election. Sure I heard some reports and have caught up a bit now, but I missed it. Although unintended it has been positive because I have had time to mull and consider what happened and what should happen now in regards to Mana.

It is great the Hone won and I am very pleased about that because it is the seed for the Mana Party – from this win a great tree will grow and that tree will supply shelter to those who need it. I also feel that the by-election result was a win for labour. The numbers tell the story and that majority is very slender now. I have zero time for goff – he is just a boneless weakling and his continued line about not working with Mana is idiotic and false – I don’t expect anything else from goff, but I do from labour and that hope is an illusion.

I had a number of chats with people on the road and often although they like Hone sortof they don’t like the impression that he can’t get on with people. This meme has gained traction especially amongst Ngāi Tahu I spoke to and shows the value of hitting a consistent message, albeit negative. Hone has contributed to this obviously and I think the ‘white motherfucker’ line has done more damage than anything. What to do. Hone is Hone and that will never change and I don’t want him to. Hone is quite statesmanlike when he wants to be and he is gracious too. But I think the challenge for Mana is to find a leader who is a Māori female a toa wahine. I think Hone is better and more effective when he has the room to move and he hasn’t got that as the leader of the Mana Party. Now is the time to sort this – before the election - as the list is announced and this will create media and the ability to put the message out to the people which definitely needs to be done as the by-election result shows. There is a danger that it could be perceived negatively but within the hailstorm of deliberate undermining of Mana it won’t make a difference in their messages but it would broaden the support base of Mana.

Anyway, just some thoughts.

I am with Sandra Lee on the olive branch to the maori party issue – no - we are following Hone because he is following a different kaupapa to the maori party. The people are investing Hone with mana to lead them with integrity. Of course working together is no problem but there can be no deal on the seats – that one is to be sorted in the ballot because otherwise they will not learn the lesson and they will always whinge on about how they were right – no - they will get smashed to bits and from those bits will again rise up and there will be a vehicle to represent them and it will be Mana.

So all good really. The big advantage of the by-election is to listen to the messages coming back and find the gaps and the areas where improvement can be made. People are crying out for a political party to represent them, the challenge is to show them how Mana is that Party. 

Kindness to others and to ourselves - we are doing good.

seeing shadows

Hone has posted his reasons for visiting Destiny Church. 

Mana Party

Kia ora koutou katoa
I understand that my going to Destiny Church last week has offended some members of MANA, and that my attendance and speech have been seen as an endorsement of Destiny’s stance on homosexuality.
That is not so.
I value the broad support that MANA has attracted from all sectors of our society, and I owe it to everyone to explain things from my own point of view.
You see … like everyone else I have gay people in my whanau, and like everyone else I also have straight people in my whanau, and like everyone else I love them all.
I would sincerely hope that my attendance at the Destiny hui is not seen as an endorsement by either myself or MANA of the views held by Bishop Brian Tamaki and the Destiny Church, in the same way that I hope my attendance at the Mormon Stake Conference on Saturday is not seen as an endorsement of their more unsavoury racial practices of the recent past, or my attendance at an Anglican church service seen as an endorsement of their practice of stealing Maori land over the centuries.
But the fact is that, like all of you, I have whanau in these as well as other churches, and I don’t think we do ourselves any justice by saying we will talk to these ones but we won’t talk to those ones, and neither do I think it wise to reject your own whanau simply because of their faith.
My brother for example, has chosen one of the newer style religions which preaches an end to your past (including your Maori history), which really sucks as far as I’m concerned, but I still love my brother (and keep my fingers crossed that he will see the light some day!). But when his pastor asked me to help out at a function, I did so gladly because that was where my brother was at.
I can even recall my girl Te Whenua happily trotting off to Mormon services with her cousins every Sunday when she was little. In the end she stopped going of her own choice but if she’d chosen to become a Mormon I would have loved her just the same.
And at the risk of offending somebody else, let me say just quietly, that I enjoyed the speakers at the Mormon hui on Saturday night, because the values and the principles they talked about there were the same as those my grandparents raised us on.
So life is not black and white, but let’s get back to Destiny …
Destiny can be criticised for discriminating against people on the grounds of sexual orientation and often is by the mainstream media, but when was the last time you saw a programme on mainstream TV that congratulated Destiny for the work they do with guys the world wants to forget, or for families that social services are too scared to deal with?
I was asked to go and speak and I agreed because Destiny is where many of my people choose to meet and to share their faith. It is not my faith, but they are most certainly my people, and while I don’t subscribe to their philosophies, neither will I berate them in their own house for holding to them.
I didn’t go to Destiny to point out the rights and wrongs of their religion, or to question the rationale for their beliefs. I went to talk about values and principles, to talk about the potential of MANA, to talk about the importance of Maori standing up and speaking up for themselves, and to talk about the need for unity.
MANA is a new movement, and we owe it to everyone who wants to join, to present our kaupapa and to see whether or not there is common ground, and to date we have done so – students, kaumatua and kuia, socialists, marae, churches, iwi, unions, whanau and hapu, gangs, and kura kaupapa.
There will be those who want to leap in and go hard, those who can be encouraged to join, those who hang on the fringes and only commit when things are going well, and those who say yes to your face and vote for somebody else when you’re not looking. And there will be those with such deep political convictions that they won’t work with certain groups, and those with religious beliefs who won’t associate with others as well.
But MANA is still an emerging force, and nowhere near being so well-defined that we should be slamming doors on anyone at the moment. All I ask, from everyone, is a bit of lateral thinking while we search for an equilibrium that most of us can live with.
And don’t forget – the needs of those less fortunate than ourselves are our greatest priority, not who can and who can’t be in MANA. If we are to become a movement big enough and powerful enough to wrest control from the super rich so that our people might flourish, then we need to put our immediate focus on building the movement, not tearing it down.
Folks – I don’t know if this allays any fears that you may have about MANA and Destiny, but I hope it helps you understand where I am coming from, and where I hope MANA is heading in terms of building the movement.
Thank you for your concern, thank you for your understanding and thank you for your love.
“Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi, engari takimano…”
Mine is not the strength of one alone, but the strength of many…
Hone

These paragraphs jump out at me.

Destiny can be criticised for discriminating against people on the grounds of sexual orientation and often is by the mainstream media, but when was the last time you saw a programme on mainstream TV that congratulated Destiny for the work they do with guys the world wants to forget, or for families that social services are too scared to deal with?

I was asked to go and speak and I agreed because Destiny is where many of my people choose to meet and to share their faith. It is not my faith, but they are most certainly my people, and while I don’t subscribe to their philosophies, neither will I berate them in their own house for holding to them.

Umm you could berate them afterwards or before - priorities i suppose - those who are discriminated against because of gender and sexuality just have to stick up for themselves. Destiny discrimination is REPORTED by the MSM but PRACTICED by Destiny Church members - I see a difference in that.

I went to talk about values and principles, to talk about the potential of MANA, to talk about the importance of Maori standing up and speaking up for themselves, and to talk about the need for unity.

Have you listened to their rants Hone - do you know what they say? It is not about being Māori or speaking for yourself - it is about allegiance - to the christian god via the Bishop - the only unity is unity for the Bishop and he has declared that he and his kind want to run this country - how will they do that I wonder. If he gets his minions to vote for Mana will Mana give Destiny high list placings? stealth takeover? Can't happen? Look at the Māori Women's Welfare League - what is happening there? 

At a candidate's meeting in Auckland, Destiny Church ordered its members out when a past league president, Christine Panapa, questioned what Destiny was up to. "I could have cut the air with a knife; it was them and us, there was no unification at all," Panapa said. Destiny was a sect and the league's constitution explicitly said it was to be a non-sectarian organisation, she said.

Be very wary, be very alert.


That is my moan.


Hone reiterates many strong themes in his post and I congratulate him for addressing the issue. Sure I am not fully satisfied but I don't expect to be. Mana is a movement that takes different people with a common kaupapa - we will all have to work out how to work together to reach our goals - and we will all be challenged by that process.

catch up

This is a catch up post on a few issues that have caught my eye.

I support the call for all teachers to learn te reo Māori. I am glad that principals are coming out in support too.

Stuff

Compulsory teacher training in Maori language and culture is a move welcomed by college principals in Marlborough.

Some history...

In the 1986 Te Reo Report the Waitangi Tribunal stated equivocally that te reo Māori is a taonga. Within Article 2 of te Tiriti, Rangatira are assured of tino rangatiratanga over taonga [ō rātou taonga katoa (all their valued customs and possessions] and this is also 'guaranteed' [“confirms and guarantees the full exclusive and undisturbed possessions of their lands… for as long as they wish to retain them”], in Article 2 of the English version. The Crown's use of this word 'guarantee' indicates active protection not the inadequate and dismissive attention that the Government has achieved to date. It wasn’t until the Wai 11 Te Reo Claim in 1986 that te reo Māori and te Tiriti received legal attention, and the Māori language Act 1987 came into force. This Act recognised Te reo Māori as an Offical language of this country. 

It really is time for this country to grow up about te reo Māori. It is up to all of us to do our bit and save our language - OUR language. Me ako ngā tamariki o Aotearoa i te reo Māori ka tika, nē rā?

The latest poll showing labour's Kelvin Davis 1 point behind Hone is not a concern for me. I don't really care how Hone wins as long as he wins, and if he doesn't - so be it. I'm more concerned with Hone and Destiny and his endorsement albeit tacit, of their discriminatory position on gender and sexuality. Their views make me sick and I will not support them or a party that supports them. 

The controversy regarding the Taniwha Horotiu has been enlightening. Carwyn has linked to a really good article by Kepa Morgan on this and Mr Trotter has written a very good piece for the Press. Morgan has got rightly upset about the insulting framing of the debate and I agree with him. As for me - I don't consider Taniwha as metaphors. Where I live there are many Taniwha - believe it or not - I don't care and neither do they. 

Sorry about all the font issues - I can't seem to sort it at the moment.

it is something

Good news that four important features up North have been renamed with their Māori names. This is part of the treaty settlement for Ngāti Manuhiri. I really believe in renaming features because it is a way to bring people and communities together in shared history and knowledge. Renaming strengthens mana whenua and is an expression of rangatiratanga.


Stuff

Although the English names can still be used, the features will be official known in Maori as Te Hauturu-o-Toi (resting place of the wind) for Little Barrier, Paepae-o-Tu for Bream Tail, Te Hawere-a-Maki for Goat Island and Te Kohuroa (many mists) for Mathesons Bay.

Beautiful, evocative names connecting the past and the future - I hope everyone used them.

In the settlement, the Crown acknowledges that in purchasing Mahurangi and Omaha in 1841, they breached the Treaty of Waitangi, signed the year earlier. They also accept that the Crown showed "blatant disregard" for the people living on Te Hauturu/Little Barrier and forcibly evicted them in 1896. "The Crown profoundly regrets its breaches of the Treaty of Waitangi and its principles which left Ngati Manuhiri with few landholdings by 1865," the settlement says.

Renaming features was part of the $2.5 million settlement.

Not much is it, for the deprivations suffered. But it is something and it can be built upon for the good of the people and mana of Ngāti Manuhiri.

ever evolving actions

All of the items entrusted to museums are expected to be looked after. As many of you will know, I would return all taonga to Māori, unless they specifically state they are happy for the museum to continue to look after them, but even then I'd look at other alternatives - creating iwi museums and supplying expertise and advice to iwi when they ask so that they can empower themselves in their rohe, on their land. IMO the respecting of taonga we see in museums is more an offshoot of the colonising religion than traditional respect of mana and tapu. Mana to me is like the weight in a non-tippable doll. The weight provides the base but it also provides the impetus for action and movement. Mana is derived from the Gods and whakapapa and it is also derived from action and activities. Mana does not plateau and sit at a level - it is constantly going up or down based upon what is happening - and in tradtional times everything was conducted to enhance and strengthen mana. Taonga were hidden away but they were also used, in ceremony or significant tasks - to inspire the people and enhance mana. Taonga are a living, connected part of a community and are so much more than what they appear.

anyway

Professor Mark Stocker a art historian at University of Otago has uncovered artifacts, including taonga that were entrusted to a british museum, have ended up for sale on the open market. He says, "Our heritage is being trampled on ... I think it is rather extraordinary." He tried, but was unable to stop a sale over here.

NZH

However, it was also discovered that the pare and the pataka were about to be auctioned at Auckland art dealership Dunbar Sloane in September last year. Professor Stocker sought legal advice and told the police. The pataka was withdrawn from sale, but the lintel was auctioned and sold to a private buyer. He said the items reaching the open market raised serious questions about how safe historical treasures entrusted to museum collections could be.

Professor Stocker doesn't hold back in his conclusions

There were three possibilities about how the items came to be for sale, he said. Someone may have stolen them to make money, they may have been sold by accident, or they may have been sold with permission.

The fallout has started

British newspapers have reported Bristol museum director Mr Griffiths has resigned. British police are also investigating.

And some strong, true words by Professon Stocker

There was no way of knowing how many items had been sold or were on the market, Professor Stocker said. He was particularly offended about the intended sale of Maori artefacts, which he said showed disrespect towards the technical and spiritual qualities Maori artists brought to their works.

Thank you Professor Stocker for all your work in this area. Taonga are not to be bought or sold in an auction - they shouldn't even be over there - bring them home to their people - we need them to be home.

balance of trust

Smart move from The Greens in accepting to cast Hone Harawira's vote when he is not in the house. He has also transfered his Oral Questions to the Greens and he has done it because, "most of his votes are more aligned with the Green Party." Yes that's right, the maori party used to have his proxy but they asked if he wanted to move them. I wonder why - setting up to challenge him up north i suppose - it won't help them one little bit. Meanwhile The Greens and Hone work closer together and build trust - they will need this time and that trust so that when they control the balance of power in the House, they can deliver to the people.

finally it awakened

Well it is nice to get it wrong sometimes - the maori party have come out with a very strong statement against the governments handling of the activists stopping Petrobras - they have called the sending of the naval vessel 'Libyan tactics' as in sending troops against your own people. Very strong language indeed but the real test is - if that is the belief then how can you support that regime - against your own people? What are you going to do about it? More talk? More expression of disappointment? How about some action!

NZH

Maori Party MP for Waiariki Te Ururoa Flavell compared that action to Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi's military intervention against his people in a statement this afternoon. "We aren't Libya so we shouldn't be using our military against our own people - it is totally over the top for the Government to be using Navy resources in this way." He said some of the protest action could have been averted if local iwi Te Whanau A Apanui and Ngati Porou had been consulted at marae along their coast about the oil exploration work.

That is true and so is this

"We expressed our disappointment at those iwi being left out of the process in June last year, and we reiterate that again now. "To give the people of this country confidence, the government must put the permit on hold until that consultation has happened."

Okay - they are strong words so what are you going to do about it? When are you going to realise that the results mean more than the rhetoric. Make your words more than hollow, by action.

oil survey ship stopped

Fanastic effort by the activists in stopping Petrobras today. We will not tolerate drilling and exploitation and the sooner they realise this, and pack up, the better. The government has called for calm - there is no calm and there will be no backing down on this issue - this is a line in the sand that will be defended - with vigour. We know your bogus arguments about money and 'economic benefits' and they are all worthless because we don't believe them - we never will, because we have heard from other peoples about the effects of your polluting, degrading industry and we have seen it here too. As in other countries, the indigenous people of this land are leading the battle to protect the land and sea. They lead because they hold the mana and they are directly affected.

NZH

The Government is calling for calm after Greenpeace protesters today disrupted a Brazilian oil giant from investigating deep sea oil drilling off the East Cape. Greenpeace said swimmers from a protest flotilla of five vessels entered the water today and diverted the oil survey ship the Orient Explorer off course.

The flotilla was supported by East Cape iwi Te Whanau a Apanui, which said the company had no right to be in the waters east of their tribal lands. "This is not a protest," iwi spokesman Rikirangi Gage said. "This is an act of defence of our ancestral lands and waters that have sustained us for generations."

The powers that be will not like this and that is good. Greenpeace are experts in high visability protests that generate publicity and we need these. We also need the deeper understanding of what this is all about and that is - supporting Te Whanau a Apanui in their fight to defend their life. We all want the same result so let's keep up the pressure on Petrobras, Parata, Brownlee and Key. I expect silence from the maori party. The Greens and The Mana Party (just testing the name out) will keep pushing hard.

Make no mistake, any inch they get on this issue will turn into a festering sore - people power will stop them.

open letter from Hone

This open letter from Hone to the maori party is a sign of strength from him. I wish that Tariana, Pita, Te Ururoa and Rahui would just accept the truth that they are wrong, I wish they would listen to Hone.

OPEN LETTER TO THE MAORI PARTY CAUCUS

Dear Tariana, Pete, Te Ururoa and Rahui,

I know you guys are probably still pissed off with me, but this Marine and Coastal Area Bill is bigger than all of us, so I’m writing to ask you to withdraw your support for it, for the very simple reason that it is bad for Maori.

I know it, I know that you guys know it too – because all of you at one time or another has said that “we know it’s not what our people want”, and that “our kids will have to fix it when they come along” and that “it’s the best that we can get”. And that’s no reason to support it.

And I know Chris Finlayson has put a lot of time and energy into drafting this bill, but so what? It still doesn’t include any of the things our people really want in it.

I had a look at the bill, and sure, I saw things like mana tuku iho and tikanga and all that, but when you look a bit deeper, the bill actually limits those principles rather than validates them, and locks them into a pakeha legal framework where they will die.

And it’s not just that. It’s the fact that the big stuff, like tupuna title, is missing.

I remember when Moana Jackson told us about it, how you smiled like “that’s what we’ve been lookin’ for”. I remember because I was grinning like an idiot, because it was so simple and yet I didn’t even see it, and I looked around to see if I was the only one, and I saw that you’d got it too.

And that’s where that stupid ‘burden of proof’ argument should have ended, because tupuna title is based on the simple line that “if the whole world knows we were here first, how come we have to go to court to prove it?”

But we let our useless bloody officials take tupuna title off the table, and next thing you know, we’re having to go to court to prove that we’re tangata whenua and that the takutaimoana was ours.

Yes, there’s a whole bunch of concessions in the bill, but that’s not we marched for. We marched for the big stuff. We marched to get our title to the foreshore and seabed back.

And that’s why I’m appealing to you guys to please, please let this go.

Go and see John Key and tell him -

“Sorry mate, but we just can’t do this. It’s not what we marched for in 2004, and it’s not what our people want in 2011. Our iwi leaders don’t like it, 95% of Maori submissions were against it, and truth be told John, we’re having a hell of a time getting anybody apart from Api to say anything nice about it at all. And if you want us to be around for the next coalition, then you got to let us off the hook on this one.”

And then give the man an out too -

“Tell you what John. Let’s announce that we will repeal the 2004 Foreshore and Seabed Act? Everyone will love us for that. And then we announce a moratorium on all foreshore and seabed development for 2 years to give Maori the opportunity to come up with a better deal than this. That way, the issue gets taken off the table in election year, everybody gets something out of it, and nobody has to back down.”

Repeal, moratorium, 2 year conversation.

C’mon team. That’s a decent compromise for everyone, and one that just might help you come election time.

See you in the house …
Yours sincerely,
Hone Harawira
Te Reo Motuhake o Te Tai Tokerau

Good words and a solution that's worth considering - leadership we need, in action.