no equality if there is inequality

Morgan at Maui St has a good post about Hone Harawira and his personal attitude towards gay marriage. 

Maui St

as I said Hone Harawira is opposed to gay marriage, or marriage equality as it’s positively framed. This position has been opposed universally within the Mana Party. Leading members have asked Hone to justify his position, but he is yet to face the membership with a justification. This is unacceptable from the party leader and he will be rightly savaged for it. 

Hone says he is morally conservative and he is going to hear what Mana Party members think before he declares his position.

Tangatawhenua.com

Yesterday, he said he would not give his position until the Mana Party decided on its formal policy. When asked if he still had morally conservative views about it, he said: “I have views which are relatively conservative on a range of moral issues”. However, he indicated he would vote accordingly if the party decided in support of gay marriage.

Well I am a paid up member of Mana and my opinion is that all inequality is wrong and must be opposed. Hone has to listen to the voices that will articulate equal rights for same sex couples. There is no compromise on this and I don't think there will be from Mana.


Mana isn't Hone, it is bigger than that and that is why it is a movement of and for the people. I have no issue with any attitude of any office holder as long as it aligns with the parties polices. Hone is a man of mana and he will be learning a lot at the moment and hopefully he is learning the truth of the history about oppression of sexuality and gender. Our struggles are interrelated and there can be no equality if there is inequality. 

Hattip- Maui St, Tangatawhenua.com

reducing our rights

A good post by Morgan on the latest watering down of Māori rights by the government and the Maori Party here

the Maori Party cannot continue to claim to any credibility as a representative of Maori. This is a weak outcome and not the one Maori signalled they wanted. The government comes out of this looking clean, but the reality is far from it. Contrary to media reports, the status quo has not been maintained, it has been eroded.

Carwyn also has some great analysis here

First, nobody was saying that other shareholders were a party to the Treaty, rather the argument is that the Crown has obligations to act consistently with its Treaty obligations. If it is going to divest itself of responsibilities (such as giving up full control of State Owned assets), then it needs to do so in a way that ensures rights under the Treaty are protected.

and Hone cuts to the chase here

"This bill will reduce the protection that the Treaty provided for assets held by the government because the Treaty protection clause, Section 9, has been changed so that it will not apply to the 49% of shares being sold to private investors".

Harawira said that Maori wanted Section 9 in the new legislation because the Treaty applied to all people all of the time. "Nobody at the consultation hui supported the notion that government could sell off half our assets without having to account for the Treaty interests."

I've totally given up on the Maori Party - they have eroded Māori rights not enhanced them.

 

heard it all before and didn't believe it then

Call me cynical but I don’t think the threats by The Māori Party to walk out of its relationship with the National Government holds water. It is bluster, maybe to get credibility with Māori, maybe to put the pressure on for the decision on Cabinet posts.

It is easy to see this because the same lines used here were used in the past with the disgraceful legislation pushed through by that party and the gnats on the Foreshore and Seabed. Remember they were going to ask the people and then do what the people wanted - but what happened? They didn’t listen and they didn’t follow the wishes of the people and that is why this latest attempt at spin is fake.

RadioNZ

Mrs Turia says the party will take guidance from its constituents, as well as iwi leaders. She says the party will be vigilant and, if it comes down to the wire, the party will consider its position with the Government.

Her co-leader, Dr Pita Sharples later told Checkpoint that if the party's constituents tell it to walk away from its relationship with the National Party, it will do so.

He said the party was getting bombarded with calls about the matter.

I bet they are, but will they listen? We’ll find out soon enough and I expect they will squirm around and then get their cabinet posts and it will be business as usual. And if they do decide to represent Māori they still won’t get a pat on the back from me – too little, too late.

The prime mincer says he is confident nay extremely confident that The Māori Party will remain in the fold – that is a telling statement. And all of this coming so close to Waitangi Day – I don’t believe in coincidence in politics – that is deliberate.

The fact is that key and his mates will be selling everything they can this term, everything we value – the land, the infrastructure, and our environment – have no illusions they want to do it and they will do it – unless we, the people, stop them.

Morgan outlines who will be pushing the government line to iwi here and his take on The Māori Party drumming here.

Hone and Mana have come out with a statement which starts with

Scoop

"The Treaty is stopping the government from flogging off the nation's assets, so they're gonna throw the Treaty out"

To the point and excruciatingly accurate. Yep the year has started and the battle is on and we fight for ourselves and our children and our children’s children.

shutter shudder

Some powerful comments in the blogosphere about the governments plans to rush through retropective legislation to allow secret filming on private property. It is a scandal and against the principles of law, but these legal commentators can say it much better than me...

Morgan at Maui Street

If the Police were aware in the Urewera investigation, which occurred years ago, that they were employing illegal investigatory methods, yet continued to do so in the years following the completion of the Urewera investigation, then the Police must be held to account. The law should not be bent to accommodate law breakers (i.e. the Police), the law should be used against those who break it intentionally.

Andrew Geddis from Pundit

So what the Government really seems to want to do here is short-circuit the courts' role in deciding if the Police's unauthorised (and, according to the Supreme Court, unlawful) use of video and photo surveillance should be allowed to stand as evidence. Instead, it will require such evidence to be let in - irrespective of whether or not it was obtained unlawfully in breach of the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990 (which it wasn't ... because Parliament will deem that it wasn't).

Dean Knight from Victoria Law School

Let’s recap now. As a consequence of the Supreme Court ruling, the police do not have any legal power to engage in covert video surveillance – but they knew that anyway. For investigations already undertaken, whether or not unlawfully obtained video evidence can be admitted in court depends on the context. For serious charges, it will probably still be admissible. For less serious charges, it will not be admissible. It might also turn on how significant or insignificant the degree of intrusion was and rogueness of police actions or attitudes.

Idiot/Savant from No Right Turn

In such circumstances, ramming through a bill under all-stages urgency to retrospectively validate deliberately unlawful behaviour by the Police is a gross assault on the rule of law. The police violated the law, and they should pay the price. If they didn't want to pay that price, then maybe they shouldn't have deliberately conducted unlawful surveillance in the first place. 

So there is an uproar - and the Green Party, Mana Party and The Māori Party have all said they will not support it, ACT are wavering - Labour will support it with conditions like a select committee hearing apparently but the gnats are under pressure. They have 6 sitting days of parliment before the election so it must be passed under urgency. It is obvious that we cannot trust this government - they cannot even follow the recognised process of the law that they are supposed to govern under and the evidence by the respected legal minds that blogged above is testamony to that. This issue is not going to go away and reveals a terrible truth about the gnats - they will just do what they want. The Mana Party is the best vehicle IMO to effect change and put a stick in their heinous agenda.

Hat tip Maui St

the mayor of hubris

Some talk of hubris on the by-election trail mostly directed at Hone by supporters of the labour candidate. Good post at The Standard on that. And Morgan has a good one up about the 'mare of Tariana's comments about the maori party candidate Solomon Tipene. I like Solomon a lot better than Kelvin who is really the one out of his depth. anyway for hubris how about this - not so much the apology from Tariana for taking the legs off their candidate but how flavell frames it

NewstalkZB

MP Te Ururoa Flavell fronted media this afternoon. "Having heard from one or two that took the wrong end of the stick, the belief was that she needed to make it really clear that it was never the intent by her own statement, a mistake was made, we're owning up to it and we're just saying let's get on and finish this campaign with a victory on Saturday."

 You may be wondering what exactly hubris is - wikipedia to the rescue

Hubris ( /ˈhjuːbrɪs/), also hybris, means extreme haughtiness, pride or arrogance. Hubris often indicates a loss of contact with reality and an overestimation of one's own competence or capabilities, especially when the person exhibiting it is in a position of power.

Yes it is all there in that statement from Te Ururoa Flavell - can't wait for this election.

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.

you should listen to this nobody

There is some disquiet with the Mana party and Hone in the Maori blogosphere. I also share it because i cannot stand injustice and discrimination. Abusing and dehumanising people because of their sexuality or gender is sick and wrong. Speaking at a conference to get votes is supporting them and what they believe. The bigotry of Destiny Church should be denounced not supported for fucking votes. Let me be quite plain Hone - this is just off mate, this is the sort of thing that will drop Mana before it even gets going. You can't have it both ways - you can't be for equality when you support inequality. It is still possible to step back from this (hopefully) and it will take a statement from you Hone saying you were wrong and declaring not to do it again. I know, I know - who the hell am I to be saying all that - well I'm a nobody, just a blogger, like these bloggers

Ana at Whenua Fenua Enua Vanua who has published Dr Leonie Pihama's statement (below) and made many true comments on the blogs below

The scenes of Pita Sharples, Hone Harawira, Tau Henare and Shane Jones lining up to be ‘blessed’ and to hear their platitudes of thanks to a homophobic and misogynist institution is not merely disturbing it is sickening. We should never forget the ‘enough is enough’ hate marches instigated by Destiny Church. We should never forget the kinds of hate speeches that Māori gay and lesbian whānau were bombarded with during the Civil Union debate, and the ongoing homophobia that Destiny Church leaders and members continue to openly express with both fervor and hatred.

Joshua at Maori Law and Politics

The Destiny Church should not be supported by Maori politicians, it should be criticised and ostracised from the Maori political debate.  We, as Maori men, need to realise that just as it is not ok to hit our partners or our children, nor is it ok to hate others because of their sexual orientation.  Sadly, our political leaders did not live up to that ideal over the weekend.

Kim at He Hōaka

Seven years ago, parliament removed some legal discrimination against same-sex relationships. Thousands of Destinites marched to parliament in protest. I will not forget the righteous arrogance of those Destinites who threatened, pushed, hit, spat at, and generally abused those few who dared to stand for queer solidarity that day. Naively, I had hoped Mana would take the opportunity to stand with us last night.

And Morgan at Maui St

I am disappointed with Hone Harawira. He should not, as a matter of principle, be appearing before these fundamentalists. After all Hone perpetuates the notion that he is a principled politician. I guess it is a matter of definition. I read Destiny Church as a toxic ideological cult that actively encourages discrimination against Takatapui and, through a bigoted patriarchal system, encourages discrimination against Wahine.

 Strong comments from all of these bloggers. Listen to them Mana Party, listen to these voices.

Great blogs

I just want to highlight some blogs that i have added to my blogroll and a couple that i visit frequently.


Māori blogs are really going well. I have added Quite Interested which is very interesting and comes from a 'National supporter' viewpoint. 

A blog about things that interest, annoy and excite me with a focus on general and iwi politics in New Zealand, by a well travelled Maori professional.

And because that is a politically 'right' blog, and i am a very 'left' blog i've moved roarprawn and BB into here too, even though I generally have the opposite view to her.

Another Māori blog I like is Maori Law and Politics. I often disagree with Joshua but it is so great to have voices in the blogosphere to disagree with.

Welcome to Maori Law and Politics, a site for the discussion of issues relation to law, politics, and policy within Te Ao Maori.

Morgan at Maui Street is such a fantastic voice for Māori. His success is well deserved and his mana is evident. I hope Hone is having a word - he'd be a great Mana Party MP - he is man with a massive future. His latest post is so on the money.

I am disappointed with Hone Harawira. He should not, as a matter of principle, be appearing before these fundamentalists. After all Hone perpetuates the notion that he is a principled politician. I guess it is a matter of definition. I read Destiny Church as a toxic ideological cult that actively encourages discrimination against Takatapui and, through a bigoted patriarchal system, encourages discrimination against Wahine.

I visit Robb at Musings from Aotearoa often, and for a while he took a break from blogging. He has started again and his writing is as evocative, as honest and brilliant as ever. He weaves many threads together and I found this latest post, Hokia ki nga maunga (Return to the Mountains) really affected me.

I am once again in the back yard of Top Maropea gazing down the valley and mist shrouded peaks above it. This time, however, I will be venturing further into those alluring views. The next five days will be spent roaming about with my oldest son, who returns here after almost a two year absence from the hills

So many great sites and awesome voices. Go and visit them and read their back catalogue, it will be well worth it.

new terror raids being planned?

Good post by Morgan at Maui Street on potential terror raids on Te Whanau a Apanui and their continued opposition to the exploitation of their land and seas.

If the police suspect something untoward is going on then the sensible step is to engage with Te Whanau a Apanui on reasonable basis – i.e. face to face in a non-threatening situation. There is no reason to blow this issue to Mars.

Tangatawhenua.com

The proposed raids on Te Whanau a Apanui are a direct response to a community who are trying to stand up for their own rights. They oppose oil drilling off their coast and this is how they are being treated! Their concern is for ALL New Zealanders, they know if Petrobas is granted permission they are the first in a line of many who will ravage much more than the East Coast. We need to show our support.

The sources seem plausible so we will see what happens - we are watching and as we have seen with the terror raids against Tuhoe - they are just that - 'terror raids' - based on, and designed to propogate, terror. Kia kaha Te Whanau a Apanui.

Hat tip Maui St

known by the name

It doesn't really matter what the new name is for Hone's new Left Māori Party. It seems to have leaked via the greens that it is The Mana Party. We will see - I like that name and for me it says it all - no explanation needed. It also provides a relationship to Mana Motuhake and The Mana Māori Movement, and that whakapapa is important. 

Update - well it seems pretty official now - The Mana Party - launch next Saturday.

For the new party the effectiveness of the message is the key - keep it simple, repeat often and keep to the planned pathway. Some things need no comment, others a little and then there are times to really give it heaps and saturate the coverage. The battles are those that align with the kaupapa.

What does the party stand for and believe in? Simple and repeatable phases. Hone is onto it with his latest excellent press releases about petrobras. His quote about the 'warships coming over the horizon' is evocative, simple and repeatable. His outrage that this should be happening on ANZAC day to tangata whenua who have given so much, is genuine and I share it. They have no shame.

The kaupapa that i believe will attract all people is one based upon support for equality, the disadvantaged, kaitiakitanga and tino rangatiratanga. I will say it again - these principles are universal human rights and values that are not attached to any ethnicity. It will soon be time for people to make choices and I believe many people will join the waka.

silent footsteps

A brilliant and beautiful report about the hikoi from Morgan at Maui St.

... It was incredibly moving both watching the hikoi and then joining it at Parliament. You could feel that the people walked with the wairua of their tupuna and this gave them strength.

Thanks Morgan and everyone who joined and supported the hikoi.

the stirrings counter

The hikoi to oppose the racist replacement legislation to the hated Foreshore and Seabed Act has begun. Great footage and links from Ana here and here and here. It is likely that the hikoi will get to Wellington after the new Act has been passed - that will be an opportunity to show them what Māori think of it. We oppose it, vigorously. Kim has a great post on the hikoi and the reasons behind it - awesome links and analysis.

The hikoi comes at a time when the haters are getting bolder. Who would believe that we can live in a country where at a political party conference an interjector can advocate bringing in shooting the natives and that the response from the delegates is laughter. Not one politician had denounced this heinous statement and response - not one! Bloggers are leading the way -

Lew from Kiwipolitico

... the delegates in attendance at the ACT party laughed. At the suggestion that New Zealand implement a system of genocide against its indigenous people which, even back in 1840, was a source of shame for Australia, those in attendance at the annual conference of a New Zealand government party whose ranks include two ministers of the crown laughed.

Idiot/Savant from No Right Turn

... This little blurt is very revealing about where ACT is now: deeply racist, willing to voice the previously unthinkable: that people should be murdered based on the colour of their skin to prevent them from irritating rich white people with their demands for justice.

 Eddie from The Standard

3-time election loser Don Brash spoke at the ACT conference on the weekend. It was an attempt to revive the Owera days with an anti-Maori speech. When he made a ‘they don’t know how lucky they are’ reference to how Australians used to “shoot the natives”, a ACT member yelled “bring that back” and the audience laughed.

and Morgan at Maui Street

... I wonder how well Brash’s Maori bashing will go down this time. A considerable amount of New Zealanders hate Maori culture (rather than Maori people), however in light of the Chch earthquake and the disaster unfolding in Japan issues such as karakia before public functions appear terribly insignificant.

This is the tamest line in an awesomely accurate description of brash from Morgan.

We are lucky to have such strong voices out there. Thank you all.

dirty truthy

the treaty

The waters around Waitangi are so polluted after the storm that they have issued warnings not to eat shellfish or swim, on the weekend of the rememberance of the signing of the treaty of waitangi - that is symbolic. When you combine that symbolism with the maori party releasing the findings that maori make up over 40% of Taranaki's unemployed yet are 14 percent of Taranaki's population, the symbolism of the dirty water is made real, right in front of us. The inequity is all around us - in all the statistics, in people's lives. The maori party way of fixing this, of being government and supporting the gnats agenda, has not done anything, other than make it worse for people and harder for them.

Hone preempting Pita's speech? well the gloves are off but hone's backers have been pretty quiet and that isn't a good sign. Perhaps hone would be better as an independant as Morgan at Maui St says. Any new party will not get off the ground now and sorry hone, the greens will not want you. Independant means you can pretty well say what you like, which will be a good thing.

the treaty?

sure we could go through the different versions with their different meanings, the misinformation, the lies, the fact that many didn't sign or those that did, signed the maori version. But you know, I can't really get the thought out my head of 40% of the unemployed in Taranaki are maori...

threat recognition

I have just posted this comment up on Maui Street in response to Muzza's latest post on corporate iwi elite - based on Annette Sykes Bruce Jesson lecture. Why would I bother arguing against such a thing as corporate iwi elite when I cannot stand injustice and inequality? Well for one thing the line is too pat, too easy to roll off the tongue - what does it actually mean?

The other main reason is I want to effect change and villifying people won't do that.

I’ve been considering this issue of corporate iwi elite for a while - I’d like to put a counter argument almost as a devils advocate.

Maori as people have all sorts of ideologies – they have evolved as we have and they are valid because at the core they incorporate Te Ao Maori. Do we really believe that Tuku Morgan or Mark Solomon have plans to make themselves billionaires whilst their people starve and suffer. Are the members of the ILG and all of the other ones scum who are betraying themselves and their people? Or is it that they are doing their best under an oppressive capitalist worldview, combined with the monumental effects of colonisation, to gather power and influence for maori. What influence do they actually have? What jet airplanes are they flying around in? Mark Solomon’s pay is in Ngai Tahu’s annual report along with all of the various ways the money is being spent to empower maori. So what is the story? They are victims like all maori because they are maori. They aren’t some powerful elite – they are ex truck drivers and school teachers who have been elevated to positions within their iwi. They didn’t ask the government to set up the corporate iwi structures – they were given them and we have seen the scrutiny they get and the ridicule when mistakes are made. By defining maori via class or some other western construct, we devalue our own heritage and kaupapa. We are maori that is the beginning and end of the story. We use whatever to further the empowerment of maori as we always have done. We use the throwaways they give us and we tunnel away and undermine their paltry agendas and when the dust is settled, maori are empowered.

So I let myself rant on a bit there - aroha mai. Just remember that IMO empowerment of maori, will empower us all and bring us all together - we are all connected on the same waka.

My point around the ranting is that the real enemies for all of us are capitalist, commodification, individualist, selfish and greedy ideologies - they are not maori constructs although some maori follow those false gods with vigour.

I oppose those false gods with vigour.

Maui Street - great new maori blog

Great to see that muzza has set up a maori blog Maui Street - we need more maori blogs and we need to connect them all up.

I've been an avid reader of the New Zealand blogsphere for quiet a while now and i've recently noticed the shortage of blogs written from a Maori perspective. This blog is an attempt to address that shortage. Most of my postings will deal with Politics and are written from the perspective of a young Maori male.

This post from muzza discusses the maori party and there successes/failures - an excellent summation and discussion.

A common criticism from the left is the MP have favoured symbol over substance. To a lesser extent they have shown far too much deference to the “Iwi elite” and not enough compassion towards urban Maori – or poor Maori. In my opinion the first criticism holds true. Many, if not most, of the MP policy wins have had very little practical effect.

Awesome to have more korero - thanks muzza - looking forward to part 2.