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

they know but still continue

The truth does come out, but it can take some effort. The greens have had to use the OIA to get the official truth about the Bill to replace the Foreshore and Seabed Act and the information recieved confirms what we have been saying - that the Bill is discriminatory against Māori. And not only that but the Government knows it and that means the maori party knows it. They will vote for a Bill that they know discriminates against Māori.

Scoop

(my emphasis) "In relation to the spatial definition of the shared marine space, the exclusion of private titles creates a double standard whereby pre-existing Maori rights (e.g. customary title) are within the shared marine space, while the rights of private title holders are left outside it. This approach continues the discriminatory effect of the 2004 Act."

The Ministry of Justice refused to release this information on the basis that it was legally privileged. It was only released after a complaint was made to the Ombudsmen. The original request for information was made in October 2010, the relevant excerpt of the cabinet paper was provided yesterday.

As Metiria says,

"The cabinet paper we have received under the OIA confirms that the Government knows this bill creates a double standard and discriminates against Maori but they have done nothing to change it," added Mrs Turei.

Why, why are they doing it? They know but still continue - why? This great article from Rawiri Taonui tells us the answer

The Maori Party is supporting a bill because it has become too wedded to the idea of obtaining utu over Labour for what it did in 2004, overly wedded to the relationship with National and the charismatic John Key, and simply wedded to power.

Rawiri also discusses the hikoi and the diference between this and the last one. This is Māori against Māori is his answer and I agree, this is a silent hikoi of shock.

Maori Party support for the bill has stunned Maori into silence rather than action upon an execration for mobilising against other Maori.

Some may believe that the maori party can survive this but not me.

I can hardly see you

They are going to ram the Bill replacing the Foreshore and Seabed Act through parliment over the next few days and when they do the maori party will stand guilty of lowering rights for maori. One aspect of this legislation is to solidify that maori rights are lessor than other rights and they do this by creating Customary Title. The stipulations around Customary Title are only for maori not for any other owner of the foreshore and seabed. Those private owners have wider rights than maori and the maori party will create and vote for that position. It is all over for them.

A good press release from Green Party Co-leader, Metiria Turei.

The hikoi that is making its way down the country highlights that National’s foreshore Bill is the same as the deeply flawed and unjust 2004 Act, said the Green Party today. “I would to acknowledge and pay my respect to the hikoi takutaimoana that is making its way into Auckland today... Maori have been denied representation in the super city, and this new foreshore bill discriminates against Māori. This cannot go on, it is time for the voices of Maori to be heard. This bill should not go forward as it is.”

“This bill is unfair as it does nothing to change the status of the 12,500 existing private titles in the foreshore and seabed. This creates a double standard which treats Māori rights as inferior. “Nothing in this bill will stop owners of private title stopping access or selling the foreshore into foreign ownership,” said Mrs Turei.

This point is also explained well by Moana Jackson in his primer

... However that “Maori customary title” is not the title exercised by Iwi and Hapu prior to 1840. Neither is it the full and exclusive title guaranteed in the Treaty of Waitangi. Rather it is a limited bundle of rights subject ultimately to the presumed authority of the Crown to define their limit and extent. They are necessarily subordinate rights. For example they are less than those that might be held by a Pakeha person with land contiguous to the foreshore and seabed. Indeed the Crown has stated several times that while they are a “property interest” they are something less than a freehold title. That is not only discriminatory but a blatant redefinition of tino rangatiratanga and any accepted understanding of mana tuku iho.

The maori party will let us down in the worst way - they are becoming smaller as they move away from the people.

prisonwood

I think this is a good call by Metiria - it is naive for iwi groups to support private management of prisons. The multi-national companies don't care about prisioners or maori - they care about profit. Iwi groups working for profit off the prison system, when 50% of male and 60% of female prisioners are maori, is wrong.

From RadioNZ

"Waatea News reports iwi including Tainui, Ngati Whatua and Nga Puhi have investigated possible joint ventures with private prison operators in line with a Government move to open the sector to competition.

Ms Turei says the multi-national companies likely to win such contracts are driven solely by profit, and it's foolish to think they share the Maori interest in rehabilitation.

"These corporations don't care for us. They just want to make a buck," she said.

Exactly! I do not believe that prisons should be run for profit. Don't get sucked in iwi groups and please don't go there.

Idiot/Savant has a good post on the news that the disgraceful 3-strikes legislation is now law - this law is terrible. It will mean more prisioners and more maori in prison. It is so futile to just get people out of societies face, pretend there is no problem, lock them up, punish them - can people not see that that does nothing to fix the problem.

greens and maori party - the old one-two

Good work by the Greens, especially Metiria. Got to keep the pressure on regarding their evil plan to mine our National Parks. And also very good to see the maori party get their supplementary in - it caused a few problems for double dipton.



Hat tip Frogblog

Metiria is a leader

Thank you for this post Metiria. I agree with your conclusions that keys attack on hone are wrong and i think you have highlighted why they are wrong very accurately.

The greens are leading the way politically and morally at the moment - they are showing that they are the true left in this country.

Hint for key - say tino rangatiratanga slowly and it will come out less mangled.

Hint for goff - I can't be bothered.

goff - knee jerk without the knee

I watched goff over the last few days and i agree with met.

"Green Party co-leader Meteria Turei has accused Labour's Phil Goff of playing the race card on changes to the emissions trading scheme.

Mr Goff claims the Government's negotiations to win support from the Maori Party for its plans means race-based legislation is in the offing."

goff has found a rich seam, as many have before him, and he is mining away. The sad aspect is that while he gets the hanky out because he is so offended and upset  - the opportunities for him to create a statesman-like presence and grasp the high ground for all people of this country are lost. But you have to be a stateman to take on that mantle and goff isn't. Not even close. He is an opportunist.

"The idea is some iwi who received forests in their treaty settlements would be given the right to plant trees on parts of the conservation estate and collect the carbon credits.

But Ms Turei says the there could be some merit in the proposal.

“It's not about being race based. It‘s about the value of those settlements and Labour can take some responsibility for issues around the valuation of settlements and themselves when they were in government. It’s a silly comment from Phil Goff and playing to the worst kind of politics,” Ms Turei says."

I agree - the WORST kind of politics and goff has been around since he used to ride his trike into the chamber, so he knows exactly what he is doing. No vision and no future goff.

"She says the forestry deal should have been part of the scheme anyway, and the Maori Party is selling its support cheaply and ignoring the long term interests of ordinary Maori."

Exactly! well said met - this is good leadership and a good model for goff - much better than the brash model he is using now.

Turei skewers groser

I think we may need to come up with a good nickname for you Tim.

"Questions for written answer 

14938 (2009). Metiria Turei to the Minister of Conservation (02 Oct 2009): What is the status of his response to Meridian Energy's offer of a land exchange in relation to the proposed hydro dam on the Mokihinui River; what advice has he taken, what public consultation will occur, when will the decision be made?

Hon Tim Groser (Minister of Conservation) replied: Meridian Energy's land exchange proposal is currently being considered by the Department of Conservation. The department has received advice from a number of experts in relation to the ecological values, recreation and planning matters which are affected by the exchange proposal. As part of the land exchange consideration, the department is required to consult with Iwi in accordance with its responsibilities under section 4 of the Ngai Tahu Claims Settlement Act 1998. The Conservation Act requires it to consult with the West Coast Tai Poutini Conservation Board. The Conservation Act does not require the department to consult with the public where an exchange is being considered. The consultation phase of the process has been completed. The department is now considering all the matters with respect to the exchange proposal and once this has been completed a final decision will be made."

No consultation with the public. Fake consult with maori. Consider the situation especially in relation to the next election. Decide to swap do you think Tim? - after all, it's good for business. I'm thinking along the lines of - minister of destruction.
 
Hat tip Think our forests were safe? Think again. Frogblog

Brown and Green the new Black

So the new co-leader of the Greens has put the call out for maori to join them.

"Co-leader Turei keen to attract Maori to Greens.

Green's co-leader Meteria Turei says if fellow co-leader Russell Norman wins the Mt Albert bi-election it will bring another Green Maori MP into parliament.Speaking following her election as co-leader to replace Jeanette Fitzsimmons at the weekend, Meteria Turei says the Greens have always had a strong Maori focused kaupapa.


She says her election to the co-leadership role will attract more Maori to the party.“It helps to bring Maori issues to the fore but also it means that Maori can reflect back on Parliament and see themselves in these kinds of positions, and that’s what we want, we want to keep building up models of leadership in different ways. For example, if Russel Norman wins Mt Albert, we will get our second Maori MP, Dave Clendon, into Parliament as well,” Ms Turei says."


Having maori in a position as leader of a party doesn't mean that that person will focus on maori issues or look at things from a maori point of view. In fact you could argue that the maori kaupapa is diminished when a maori MP is given high position within another party. Because their overriding focus has to be with the party that elected them. That is why we have had so much upheaval over the years with MP's that are maori . And that is why I personally like the maori party. You know where you stand with them; you stand with maori!


But the problem is, if you vote for a maori party electoral candidate within the maori seats, then you still have your Party Vote left. And who to vote for there becomes interesting. You could give it to the maori party but then they have a threshold of seats that are available to them. If they achieved more Party votes than available seats, based on percentage of overall vote, then I can't see how they would get more members into parliment. I may be wrong, if so please tell me. The second option is to vote for one of the other parties. I suppose most people follow their natural tendencies to go left or right, to vote for a major or minor party, to vote on a single area of importance or an overall philosophy.


And that is where I touch base again with Turei. For me the Greens, as taina, are an ideal partner for the maori party. I'd love to see the two of them govern.


I'm not sure about this vote for someone and get someone else elevated. The vote is totally tactical, and I wonder if it is right. It certainly is pragmatic. I just have a desire to vote for a person who will represent me. Keep it simple and clean. But the nature of MMP will always entail some strategic and tactical voting, so I spose it makes sense to do it consciously rather than just blunder through it.

Good luck metiria and sue

I hope Metiria Turei is elected co-leader of the Greens. I like Sue Bradford, she is strong and effective but i think metiria will be a nice counter to russ the mus. I am not really a massive fan of russel.

"Dunedin-based Green list MP Metiria Turei is "quietly confident" she will be named the party's new female co-leader at its conference in the city this weekend.

Ms Turei and Sue Bradford are the two nominees to replace co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimmons, who has been in the role since the party's beginnings in 1995."