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.

you look like trouble

The use of Māori Wardens to target drunk Māori during the Rugby World Cup is racist and wrong and for reasons that are as obvious as the colour of your skin.

TV3

Wellington bar owners say drunk Maori will be specifically targeted during the World Cup, by a 50-year-old law that has been pulled from the archives by police and the city council.

The law allows Maori wardens to enter bars and remove drunk or violent Maori.

Many bar owners say it is a shameful, racist law and the Government now wants to take a look at it.

Bill in the comments on The Standard hits the nail on the head

Bill 10 August 2011 at 9:52 am

Since NZ doesn’t have identity cards; and since being Maori is not predicated on ‘how much Maori blood you have in you’, like in the U. States for example, where to ‘be’ or ‘designated’ or ‘recognised’ as Cherokee or whichever indigenous culture requires 25% (or whatever) ‘Cherokee blood’, then the whole thing would be impossible to implement.

A pale skinned red head person can be as Maori as the dark skinned, dark haired person next to them. Maybe even more so. Being Maori is largely about self identification, or culture here. Not appearance.

Which means attempts to enact the law would impact on all (young?) brown skinned people; not Maori.

This isn't about Māori - it is about brown skin and that is why it is racist and unacceptable.

ever decreasing circles

The plastic waka controversy - it seems a non-issue - if local tangata whenua want to do it - then they can, they have negotiated a good deal. but there are some real issues around this waka. Personally I'd rather they actually carved a waka in front of people - show the skills and abilities and for me a plastic waka is meaningless.

 A real issue is that this is the only promotion of Māori culture to the supposed hordes coming for the rugby. That is it, apparently, although this post notes another. If true it gives tokenism a bad name. Some people wonder what tino rangatiratanga is, well in my view it is the opposite of what we have with this situation. The rugby world cup is marginalising maori by presenting a false face, and behind the illusion we are creating is real suffering, real issues that need addressing. You cannot hold a people down and expect there to be no consequences - they are there in every statistic. Nothing will be fixed without self determination, it is the beginning, middle and end. Nothing will be fixed while we hide from our truth, which we will have to confront at some point. The whole paradox of it is, that when that happens, we will all be better off.

Another issue is this murk around the fact that sharples, the elected MP, without tender, gave the contract to a group that are his constituents. This could turn out really bad for Pita, I'm afraid. At the least, it gives his opponents ammunition but whatever happens the cloud has been cast and many will find it slightly distasteful, even if all the rules were followed.

To me the whole controversy reinforces why we need strong representation in parliment, why we need Hone to get this new Left Māori Party underway so that we can all hop on the waka and get to paddling. Self determination is a basic, essential human right - it is not based on colour or ethnicity - everyone, from any background can support that right. Tino rangatiratanga is not something to be afraid of, it is something to welcome. The truth will set us all free.

Hat tip - No Right Turn and Roarprawn

retrospective promises

When I posted about maori boycotting the rugby world cup I envisioned a different scenario than the one we have now. For instance in my version I had the maori party leading the hikoi and the protests at the rugby world cup - but the maori party are leading nothing. I thought that the maori party would lead but that is not how they see themselves. Tariana recent video entilted "Keeping our Promise", is professionally made and she talks of the

"two things that maori party supporters asked the maori party to achieve in their first term of government - to repeal the foreshore and seabed act and provide a way for maori to go to court" 

Tariana declares that they have achieved that and the problem is that the bar has been raised.

Tariana also is keen to describe how the Bill abolishes crown title and introduces recognition of customary interests. Customary title is described as "giving iwi development rights" - and she talks about those rights pertaining to, say - "sand mining and further oil exploration"! Thanks for letting us know your agenda.

Without bating an eyelid she praises the select commitee process, saying,

"people will be able to have a say" 

The body language just after these lines tells the story.

Iwi leaders have said the hurdle of customary title is a biggie and Tariana explains that because of the racists the

"government gets incredibly nervous from their polling about what it means for them, if an election were to be called."

What the - who calls the election? But don't worry all of that is just "political realities".

and Tariana also says that the maori party job is to open the doors to enable whanau, hapu and iwi to negotiate their own positions on this issue (the foreshore and seabed repeal) and the maori party have done that. -

"so, we've kept our word to keep the door open  and allow people to get in here basically to negotiate their own deal" 

Tariana states that the Bill has to go through or it will revert and all of the new rights will be lost and it will be much harder for iwi because,

"the government won't be under any obligation to in fact listen to them, or to put anything in place".

Umm Tariana isn't that the party you support - even against the wishes of the people?

The message is clear. Tariana says expectations are too high and that

various iwi have been prepared to accept settlements of between 1% and 3% of what has been taken from us ... when measuring achievements of what has happened with the foreshore and seabed has lifted the bar... and created, not only an opportunity, but the maori party has set a precedent that for the first time ever, our people in numbers, have been able to access ministers of the crown in a way that they never have been before - when you're in opposition you get no opportunity... we have to build relations in this place because unless we do that, the door will always be shut to us.

Of course Iwi have been prepared to accept whatever crumbs they have been offered - a good analogy with the maori party position. So, the lines have been set and the "We've kept our promise" is the big theme for this and probably the election. It is an interesting framing because I cannot recall the big promises as such - but if you want to present your argument, you create strawmen and then proceed to argue - the "promise" line is in that catagory. It is made up and irrelevant. My view remains unchanged - the Bill is a farce and reduces maori rights and the maori party should listen to their people and not support it.

T-shirts are insult - BB

Busted Blonde has a provocative post up about the T-shirts for the RWC. I'm not so worked up about this although I have to say 'ka mate' does nothing for me - it's not my haka. Every iwi has histories of fighting and enemies - that is a given. What to do about them - that is the question. Most iwi have histories of infighting, where brother killed brother - certainly Ngai Tahu whanui have plently of those stories - do we hold the emnity tight and foster it? The lamentations of the fallen are still ringing in our ears, utu demands reciprocity - how do we fufill those obligations in today's world?

Hat tip - Roarprawn

Nooooooooo - not the rugby

The lament from the maori party is, "we can't withdraw support for our bill because john key said that he will pull it and we will be back to the existing Foreshore and Seabed Act, and that discriminatory Act was a major reason the maori party formed in the first place." It is certainly a dilemna - here is my provocative solution.

Recommit to the orignal goal of repealling the Act - with title vesting in Maori and with the Crown having to prove non-customary ownership. This is the line to hold.

Accept that the gnats will reveal their true colours, as will labour and they will oppose this line.

Facilitate a hikoi to parliment to show maori support for the return of the stolen foreshore and seabed. Get onside with iwi leaders and the activist arm - they are all parts of the whole.

Explain to the crown that unless the repeal is passed then the maori party will lead maori boycotts and protests at the Rugby World Cup.

Yes i know that is a big call but it is time to WAKE UP. Maori have few opportunities to really put the pressure on and these times must be taken - otherwise we just leave it for our mokopuna - and that's not good enough for me. Our tupuna have sweated blood and tears to try and get back what was stolen - how much blood and tears have we given? How much are we prepared to give?

No iwi or hapu voluntarily gave up their land including foreshore and seabed - why would they, it was and is the source of life for them, the source of mana and connection. No iwi or hapu have said that they would restrict anyone from going to the beach, in fact they have emphatically stated that everyone will still be able to go to the beach. Why should private owners be able to restrict people?

What about the backlash? Yes there would be some but many would agree and what is the alternative - pretending - pretending that everything is all okay while the rugby is on, when the statistics don't say that, when the actions of the government don't show that, when maori views are barely considered if at all. And when the international marketing opportunity leaves town - everything goes back to the way it is now? It is better to lance the wound and that means allowing the pus to flow - it is there anyway. Once the pus is oozing that will cause many people to realise that they are on the side of equality, rather than be associated with nutters. There will be pain and redness and swelling but we will get to healing.

It is time to turn the assimilation strategy back on them, it is time for us to talk to our fellow workers, friends and family and all people who live here, it is time to tell the truth and bring some light into the darkness of denial. We must look to Tane's example. It is up to all of us because we all want a better world for our moko and we are in this waka together.

And what does this solution mean for the maori party? A bit of downsizing on the expence accounts no doubt as the gnats exact revenge. Increased mana within maoridom and more seats in the election. The question is really, do you think john key would allow boycotts and protests at his ego-fest, in front of his mates and the international media?

Believe it or not i think this strategy would bring us together.

rugby and race

I have not really been interested in the haden/crusaders/darkies/rugby controversy.
 I don't rate haden - he is a cheat and a big mouth and his darkies comment, while offensive, is really nothing new.

This is a non-story designed to distract us from other things - but it is interesting to note riach's statement

"Meanwhile, Crusaders chief executive Hamish Riach says he remembers speaking to Fraser at a Ranfurly Shield match last year, but denies he mentioned the franchise operated a quota system for Polynesian players.

Riach was adamant that he had not mentioned a quota or a racial selection policy.

He said he was aware that, throughout rugby, there were frequent conversations about race."

Oh really - like what?

Anyway you can see where that all goes - into the black hole of denial.

Of course one of the big reasons for trying to lance this boil is the rugby world cup. Yes everything must be in place to show the world what a country of one people we are. We are? Are we?

NZRU and SARU apology to maori

So both the South African and NZ rugby unions have now apologised for excluding maori players from tours to SA. I'm afraid it is pretty meaningless - too late and with the world cup coming up it is obvious the NZRU just want no waves leading up to and during the tournament. But notwithstanding that, it is a positive that the actual apology has been made.

From Stuff

"Today, on behalf of the New Zealand Rugby Union, we wish to say sorry first and foremost to those Maori players who were not considered for selection for teams to tour South Africa or to play South Africa," the statement said.

"We apologise to the families of those players and to the wider Maori community who were affected directly or indirectly by the decisions taken to not include Maori players for those teams and tours.

"It was a period in which the respect of New Zealand Maori rugby was not upheld and that is deeply regretted."

I think that should read "It was a period when the respect of Maori was not upheld and that is deeply regretted."

"The NZRU first set out to consider this issue in 2009 as we prepared for the centenary of New Zealand Maori in 2010 and believed it was right to ask for advice from the NZMRB.

Jeepers only started thinking about it last year - epic fail.

The SARU have also widened their apology.

"A number of Maori rugby players became innocent victims of the racist ideology of our former government, a policy that oppressed the daily lives of all black South Africans," Hoskins said in a statement.

"Those policies also denied thousands of talented black sportsmen and women the opportunity to compete for selection for South Africa's national sports teams.

"As the current guardians of the game of rugby union it is therefore appropriate that we take this opportunity to apologise to those Maori players who may have been excluded from selection and to the offence this may have caused to the Maori community.

"But, even more importantly, this is the opportunity to apologise on behalf of rugby to black South Africans who were denied the opportunity to represent not only their country but also their provinces throughout those long dark years because of the connivance of our predecessors in the systematic suppression of the majority."

They are sorry and we can be thankful for that and I hope it goes someway to creating a farier and more just society there and here.

rugby shame shame shame

Imagine you have worked your guts out to make the team – the all blacks, to be considered a hero, to be accepted by all who own everything and have all the power. You have accepted that sport is the great equaliser, that sport makes you feel accepted in this country of your ancestors. And then they say you can’t go, you aren’t white, you are maori and you think about the land and your whanau and your mates at the club and the little boys that come up and want to just be near you, and you think about the farm and your kids and you drop your head and walk on.

A lot of apologies are needed.

Equality for all.
Freedom for all.
Respect for all.

From Stuff

"South Africa's sport and recreation minister, Rev Makhenkesi Arnold Stofile, has officially apologised to Maori players left out of All Blacks tours to the republic in 1928, 1949 and 1960 because of their race.

Stofile also praises the Kiwi "heroes and heroines" who put their bodies on the line in the bloody protests against the 1981 Springbok tour.

NZRU said no comment - as usual they are as, if not more, guilty that SARU. That world cup is coming so I'd advise you to sort out your skeletons NZRU. I have to say that I have no time for rugby - the '84 tour was when we parted company and bugger all has changed since then.

Rugby World Cup - negative for maori aspirations?

Does the lust for money from the Rugby World Cup create a negative effect for maori aspirations?

IMO - yes it does
From scoop

"With 50,000 visitors expected in Wellington for the Rugby World Cup, the Te Wharewaka O Poneke Trust might have been expected to welcome the opportunity to demonstrate the rich heritage of waka culture. Instead, its new wharewaka will be used to demonstrate the Kiwi culture of rugby and beer.

The city council is enthusiastic about such commercial activity. Its vision for the wharewaka is as a place for event sponsor promotions and giveaways, areas for rugby merchandising, capacity for Rugby World Cup theming and branding … meet-the-player sessions and autograph sessions, media promotions, recruitment and training of staff, and fund-raising. Almost as an after-thought, this week’s report to the council mentions that the wharewaka will also be used for a cultural experience including powhiris and Kapa Haka, cultural performances and entertainers … If there’s any space left for them in between the rugby-focused events and the souvenir stalls.

Sir Ngatata Love said three years ago: “The purpose of the development (of the wharewaka) is to bring waka culture to life around Wellington’s harbour and beyond … for events that celebrate waka and their use, together with local Maori history.”

The Rugby World Cup could be a disaster for maori aspirations, because when the fiasco moves on we will still be here trying to sort out the mess. And no amount of powhiri or haka and other maori-wash, that will be applyed during the cup, will make any difference to the lives of maori. So while everyone is holding hands pretending to be one people for the cameras - the real stuggles will still be going on and will resurface after the circus is gone.

Rugby World Cup - it is about money not sport

We go all ga ga for big sporting events. Like the Olympics for instance. We look at the 'good' and don't consider whether the 'bad' may outweigh the 'good'.

The 2010 Winter Olympics are in vancover. There are many who resist this event. Not just for the damage it causes to the environment, the less well off, indigenous rights but also for the corporate greed, advertising and marketing. I mean, you don't really think the olympics are about sport and fairplay do you? They are about making money. First second and third. Everything else is well behind that.

So what about the Rugby World Cup - how does that stack up? Go through the video and just think about our country and what has already happened. For instance, they extended the runway at Auckland by digging up the graves of maori. Is this not an abuse of indigenous rights. We have had the debarcle over the TV rights - is that not an example of inherent racism? What envionmental damage is going to be done? Is there going to be any damage to the environment when they build the waterfront screens and party area? Does extending stadiums cost anything environmentally? Or do we just not really care.

Think about our big sporting event and think about the reasons for it. If you think it is about rugby - you are wrong. It is just one big excuse to try to make money.



Hat tip - Ana at Whenua Fenua Enua Vanua