Edwards: Waitangi – A barometer for racial tensions
Bryce Edwards has a useful roundup of the goings on at Waitangi.
Politics
Maori Issues
Opposition speeches & ‘Roads of Madness’
Debates on the PM’s statement to the House show that this do-nothing government needs to go. Plenty of good ideas from opposition MPs. An excellent speech by Genter against Joyce’s ‘Roads of Madness’ & for public transport.
Green Party “I’m in – for the future”
For once lately, I agree with Matt McCarten on the Green Party being Centre Stage this week: a housing policy for renters and buyers on low incomes, including state housing. Memorable speech at Ratana by Turei. Today: Picnic for the Planet, State of the Planet speech & the launch of a new “I’m in – for the future” initiative.
Annette Sykes: a future MP?
Mana Party president, Annette Sykes could become an MP in the next election. The future of the Maori Party is in doubt. Hone Harawira is considering a Mana-Maori Party merger. Sykes is committed to left wing values, social justice, Maori land & water rights, and social & economic justice for Maori.
Hone in the House
Mana has established a clear identity, as shown in Hone’s adjournment speech. Based in practice and activism. For all people, especially those on low incomes. A voice for Maori, Pasifika people and children. The Maori Party’s future is in question. What’s the future for Mana and Hone?
Turia’s legacy
Tariana Turia’s on-again off-again retirement is on-again. She will not be standing in 2014, and is looking to her “legacy”. Unfortunately, Whanau Ora is profoundly flawed. But if Turia wants a legacy to be proud of she still has time…
Judicial review of water ownership rejected
A win for the Nats, a loss for the country. The Maori Council’s request for a judicial review of water rights has been rejected.
Advocacy activism in precarious times
In these troubling times, it was uplifting to see the flax-roots, practical and collaborative action at the Onehunga Recession Busting rally for beneficiaries today. Volunteers in front of the WINZ office in Onehunga Mall, are giving support and assistance to those most in need.
Public service broadcasting and politics
Public service broadcasting and commercial TV cover politics in different ways. Will Sky TV’s new public service channel, Face, (incorporating some ex-Stratos/Triangle shows), do it the commercial or PSB way? What will be the impact on NZ’s political journalism?
Eruption
Humans tend to feel we have conquered nature, but, every now and then, we are reminded that we are dependent on it. Maori have continued to have more respect for the awesome power of nature. Tongariro has had a relatively minor eruption today.
World class education
The Secretary for Education has drawn the wrong conclusions from data on educational performance, and a bunch of commentators (including a particularly egregious anonymous editorial in The Herald) have been quick to follow. We certainly have a world class education system. The fact that not every child can take advantage of it is our real failing and our shame.
The slow decline of the Maori Party
In my opinion the MP signed their own death warrant when they allowed the split with Mana to happen. Coverage arising from their Conference paints a picture of a party in terminal decline.
Mighty River sale on hold
As expected, the High Court advised today that the government should hold off sale of Mighty River Power. The government is complying.
Asset sales grind on
Amidst all the current scandal and chaos, the Nats’ privatisation agenda grinds on.
Maori unity and aspirations
Yesterday’s national hui on water rights has resulted in the best possible outcome for Maori, a decision to present a unified front in the face of National’s divide and rule tactics.
If they didn’t want to sell it, we would all own it
The National/Act government wants to sell essential public infrastructure assets that we all own, and that returns a public dividend, to a few of its mates. It’s private appropriation of public assets that causes the problem. Take that away and the problem becomes different, and resolution much easier.
Tribunal calls for asset sale delay
Waitangi Tribunal says Government must halt asset sales until Treaty issues sorted, and Tom Scott gives a progress report. National’s wheels are coming off.
The illusion of consultation
For some reason the Nats are in a hurry to complete their privatisation programme within two years. Anyone in any doubt as to how the process of consultation with Maori will play out might be informed by some recent history.
The luxury of an ethical opposition
Although Key’s privatisation programme has hit plenty of problems with Maori water rights, his job is made a whole lot easier by the luxury of an ethical main opposition party.
Waitangi Tribunal: Asset sales should stop
The Waitangi Tribunal has recommended that asset sales should stop.
Will update as reaction emerges.
Everyone hears what they want to hear
Key has been giving different messages on the water rights issue to the Maori Party and to the wider public. No one knows what, if anything, his “promises” mean. Why isn’t the Maori Party (which has been burned before) seeking urgent clarification?
What does Key’s promise mean?
Key is already qualifying a promise he’s made on Maori water rights. Does the promise mean anything at all?
Welded to National
The meeting between Key and the Maori Party leaders last night reached it’s predictable conclusion. From his point of view Key has played this brilliantly.
“Opportunistic”
I don’t know which is stranger, a currency-trading capitalist denigrating people for maximising their economic opportunities, or claims dating back to The Treaty being passed off as somehow superficial.
Asset sale delay likely
Even John Key is now admitting that the asset sale program is facing a serious legal challenge, and that delays in the sales are likely. Any such delay would have several implications…
Dumb or dissing?
Some of the media reckon that Key slagging off the Waitangi Tribunal was an accident of honesty: he was just stating reality that the Tribunal’s findings aren’t binding, he didn’t realise it would provoke a firestorm of reaction. Others say he knew exactly what he was doing and provoked the firestorm to try to split the opposition to asset sales along racial lines.
Key’s fight with Maori no accident
Just 32 hours after Key started running the line that the Government would ignore the Waitangi Tribunal’s decision on the Maori Council water rights claim if it didn’t go his way, the Maori Party reacted. Key is abusing the privilege of his office by trying to pre-empt a judicial body’s decision says Pita Sharples. Tariana Turia says they will talk about their ‘future’ with National.
Buyer beware
Are you keen to buy shares in Mighty River Power with a dividend return of 4% pre-tax? You can beat that in the bank, and paying off debt is a far better use of money. But say you’re still keen. What about the threat of Mighty River losing water rights or having to pay for them – will you buy in with that unresolved? Only nutters would take Key’s offer with that up in the air.
Asset sales & Brand Key becoming inextricably linked
It’s getting almost sad, how desperate John Key is to sell our assets. He’s preparing to overturn convention and ignore the Waitangi Tribunal. Meanwhile, something on the order of 3,000 people a day are signing the referendum petition on asset sales. Key is now spending every day fighting fires on a highly unpopular policy. It’ll make for a sad legacy.
Can iwi stop asset sales?
someone will have explained to Key that Maori have a solid claim to ownership of water that could affect asset sales. But someone else will have been in his other ear pointing out that picking a fight with Maori over the Treaty could be a good way to win some votes back and wedge the opponents of asset sales. Guess who he listened to.
Asset sales fight cont…
As the Sir Graham Latimer and the Maori Council launch their bid to halt asset sales in the Waitangi Tribunal, the grassroots campaign is gathering steam too. This Saturday is to be a National Day of Action.
Iwi and the riverbeds
The only remaining possible legal threat to the Nats’ plans to sell off our power companies is a Treaty based claim to water rights or riverbeds.
Half way there
It’s great that foreign fishing vessels in New Zealand waters will now be required to be flagged here and, in theory, will be subject to New Zealand law. But I reckon that abuses of those crews is only half the problem. The other problem is that we have Kiwi quota owners, in particular iwi, employing foreign fishers while quarter of a million of our people are jobless.
New record set in ironic racism
The good people of Devonport are outraged, just outraged, about the Waitangi settlement that will see Maori moving in next door.
Queen of Thorns has more…
Key gets what he wants at Waitangi
While Key was away on his 4-week holiday in Hawaii, the world economy deteriorated, reports on the dire state of poverty in our country came out, and access to strategic resources became a pressing issue – both with our farmland being bought and Iran threatening to close off the globe’s oil supply. But Key was working on a plan – to stoke up racial dissent at home.
Key runs from Waitangi
National’s honeymoon with Maori is well and truly over, as Key beats a hasty retreat from Waitangi.