At Last-Tame Iti can get a life...

And he can sing that nursary rhyme we all learnt at Native School;

" Hey diddle diddle the cat and the fiddle; 

the cow jumped over the moon; 

the little dog laughed to see such fun;

 and the dish ran away with the spoon." 

That rhyme makes more sense than what's been happening for the last whatever number of years. It's a bit late for the Prosecutor on behalf of the Crown to say that they have stopped because of the cost. They should never have started if that was the case. Like the cat and the fiddle the Crown ie tax payer was diddled; the police tried jumping over the moon; those who retained their sanity laughed to see such fun; and Tame Iti ran away with the spoon. 

The US Marines Have Landed

In January I maintained that the US is the biggest raruraru in the world today in terms of military occupations, military bases and generally have by default become the new rulers of the world. Their strategy which seems to be in place regardless of their "Yes we can..." President, but not begun by him, is marching on regardless. It's obvious the "military-industrial complex" first expressed by former President Eisenhower a Republican is making huge profits from a massive military budget for those who produce the military hardware and these bases; occupying land in places like Italy, Okinawa Japan, and other places. The end of the cold war with Russia meant not peace, but more bases in countries occupied once by the Soviet Union. Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, a small colony of Britain was given to the US and the 2000 tangata whenua kicked out.The British Supreme Court has over-ruled all other judgements in favour of them.

This year so far they have set up in Darwin, Australia with at least 700 troops. How long before the tail starts to wag that dog? Waiouru became host to 70 US marines in military exercises. The secretary of the US "Homeland Security" vbisited to spread his brand of paranoia and claims that NZ and Australia are targets of terrorism. He leaves no evidence and obviously expects a response. I suspect that both governments have done a secret deal. His brand of toxic propoganda was on radio, but not on TV. Did I miss it? There was no questions about all of this in Parliament. Am I the paranoic one?

I don't think so. The US has about 250,000 military bases and installations in the world. Is Obama's new emphasis on the Asian-Pacific region going to mean more of their bases including NZ? Are we being set up? Given the imperial intentions of that nation since at least the end of WW2 I find it hard to believe that they won't at least ask NZ for a military base and the next thing nuclear weapons stationed here will become an issue like it was last time. Let's make it clear. We want nothing to do militarily with a country that has a human rights record in occupied countries, torture, and military crimes and human rights abuses as bad as theirs.

Mining As Political Paranoia

Ngati Kahu's Stance On Mining; A Media Beatup?

Dr. Mutu the Chair of the Ngati Kahu Runanga has threatened to kick mining interests off Ngati Kahu land. Apart from the fact that there's not a lot of it left and what there is is not under the Runanga's jurisdiction (yet!) the threat is nothing more than her usual grandstanding. The largest areas of land such as Rangiputa is still SOE land under claim by the said iwi just as soon as the Runanga claimants get their a into g. They also are attempting to link Carrington Farms Ltd land to this mining threat. The Dr. "won" a case against this company who were planning a subdivision near a former burial cave (Te Ana O Taitehe) only to be hit with an appeal a week later by the company and the FNDC. This was after they lost before a FNDC hearing and the Environment Court. That case is still pending, it's holding up the iwi's claim, and much of the iwi's time and resources have been spent on this ego trip also. 

Te Karere's report has her calling my tupuna's ana Te Ana O Taite. They have failed to correct it. It's not their fault however that they don't know that the ana was a burial ground but Tohunga and Anglican Maori Ministers lifted the tapu off this and other burial places on the Whatuwhiwhi-Karikari Peninsular in the 1870s once church style cemetaries were established. This enabled land use for stock on the open range, gum digging, and other activities otherwise hampered by "tapu."Incidentally in the litigation concerning the subdivision neither side could find this "ana." The High Court decision made no mention at all of it, and its judgement was based on an "agreement" between the Runanga and Carrington Farms Ltd concerning resource consents. This agreement managed to tramp on the mana whenua of both the marae and hapu. 

Our iwi rohe in fact was subject to copper mining by a Walter Brodie between 1839 and about 1845 at a place called Te Kapa. (Click map to enlarge. Brodie's OLC is visible) Fortunately for us it wasn't successful and only a hole in the ground was left. Mining is obviously of much interest and quite rightly there have been protests at Te Whanau A Apanui where oil exploration has begun at Ruakumara. However why is the Dr. jumping up and down allegedly on behalf of Ngati Kahu? Mining exploration licenses have been granted there some years ago but not taken up by the applicants. Finally she needs to be warned that should her dire prediction materialise, then the hapu affected will decide their response  unlike other decisions dictated by the Runanga in the past.

Government By Sleaze

It's just one thing after another. A member of the National Party tries to assist another member get special treatment in her ACC application and refuses to take no for an answer. Then the PM negotiates with Sky City for a convention centre in return for changing the law to give them more one armed bandits (500?). In the process it is revealed that Sky City gave an anonomous donation to Mayor Banks for his unsuccessful election campaign to the mayoralty. Then the big Dot.Com gave him even more; ie $50k split in half ie two separate cheques of $25k each so that they can be given as "anonomous."

Laws that were passed by a previous government it seems can be changed because they are an inconvenience. Trying to justify more bandits and convention centers for economic reasons is not only very dubious, it's plain stupid. It's government on the hoof and without vision, forethought, and planning. Surely one hell of a lot of huis would need to be held before such a venue would pay for itself.  How many jobs will be created? There's no detailed analysis provided. Is this another circus instead of bread economics like the Rugby World Cup? It seems that John Keys' economics is like his time as a merchant banker and foreign currency trader; another gamble. 

As for Mr. Banks? Stand him down from his Ministerial positions until the police finish their criminal investigations. If he's guilty and so far there's no reason to believe otherwise, then kick him right out of parliament. Maybe he can get a job in the new convention centre; as a cleaner. 

It's good to see the special emphasis this ANZAC DAY on Maori TV on Old Boys of Te Aute College who fought for God King and Country in WW2. When I was there (1952-6) the war was very much a part of Maori culture and very recent history that affected all of us at Te Aute. We all had fathers or uncles who went to war. Te Aute began each year with a "Cadets Week" complete with parade drill, such as marching, sloping and ordering arms with real rifles (WW1 Blunderbuses), and the whole school in four platoons marching past our Principal (formerly Col. Webb)  to end the week. Thereafter we had Cadets at least for four weekends during the year.  However if you were capable and got into the Shooting Team which I did you spent that time practicing at Roys Hill shooting range for the interschool  Coleman Shield shooting competition. The Seniors also practiced with the Bren Gun at the same range. You can take it from me, being in the shooting team was far more enjoyable than "square bashing," If you were Wi Kuki Kaa however you could invent your own moves on the parade ground provided you didn't get caught. Another activity we took part in was to provide a guard of honour for Anzac Day at Otane, Waipawa, Waipukurau, Ongaonga and Tikokino. We were part of the ceremony and stood guard around the cenotaphs. We listened to the same speech by the same person at each of those places but at the end there was a huge lunch for us. At Te Aute then that was really something.

I remember the soldiers from home returning after that war namely Sgnt Horiana Rupapera and Pvt Mu Timoti Hetaraka. Pvt. Patana Matiu was repatriated back in 1943 after a very rough time in Greece and Crete. My uncle Pvt Jimmy Ritete wasn't so lucky. He was in the HQ Company of the 28 Battalion and ran over a mine on a motor bike. Wounded, he crawled into a cave and was captured by the Germans. he spent the war as a POW in Italy which he loved and Germany. The powhiri were held on our marae when it was at Waiari. Mu's mother was blind and had to use her hands to see her son. They also had a tangi for Pvt. Ranga Raharuhi who was killed in Crete. Probably every marae and hapu like ours had those powhiri and tangi during that time.

I remember reinforcements for the Maori Battalion training at a place called Perehipe. They had target shooting practice with targets floating in the sea about 100 yards off shore. Us kids picked up the empty shells and put them at the end of our pencils at school. Those soldiers went overseas and I don't know if they saw any action. Their officers took over an empty house which once belonged to Pari Raharuhi an uncle of Ranga. Before that I remember a tank coming over the sand hills at Tokerau Beach but since my mother passed away I have no way of verifying if I saw a tank or what. An American plane landed in the gumfields at Lake Ohia. We saw it flying low over Te Ahu on a bad stormy day over our place at Waiari. The next day we were told of the crash. No one died but the rumours were that the plane had to jettison its cargo that included lollies and chocolates. The plane was trying to land at Waipapakauri Aerodrome.

I remember one Anzac Day at Rangiawhia Native School when a relieving teacher Miss Jaimison described the invasion of Gallipoli by the Anzacs. She said that a soldier got his head shot off on the beach. He ran around in circles without his head and then fell dead. How she knew I don't know but she was a very warm and emotional person. She etched Gallipoli and Anzac into my memory for good.

Ka nui enei mahara mo te wa. Nga mihi me nga tangi mo nga hoia o nga pakanga katoa. E kore ratou e warewaretia.

Atihana

Labour's Shearer:

The new leader of Labour had an opportunity to be something else besides a nice, moderate, centrist Mr. Nice Guy. Somebody should have reminded him that that gated community has been bought by the other fulla from Parnell. He studiously avoided talking about workers on the Auckland wharf and freezing workers at AFFCO works all over are on strike. It's in the news for God's sake. Also the words poverty, low waged, children going to school hungry etc which are issues that real Labour leaders like Norm Kirk would have shouted about are not part of this insipid leader's vocabulary. Does he mean that NZ has to put up with a decade more of market and rampart capitalist bull? Poverty for 20 percent of the population is the outcome of two decades of it and an increase in wealth at the top well beyond justice and fairness. Someone on Qand A thought that he should have given a Brash type Orewa speech. Well! What happened to Brash?

He should be given six months in the job. If he doesn't register with the bottom 50 percent of income earners to begin with by then, then the Labour Party should dump him for Cunnliffe. This David will at least have no compunctions about taboo subjects like poverty and I think he has more rapport with that end of income cohort. Just look at the real situation. Who can afford a home now? The supply of houses is determined by the real estate boys and girls. They sell existing homes. This is where the government of the day should intervene. Remember whole suburbs of state houses? That supply increase countered rent rises and rent racketeering. Right now rent rises are hitting those on low and fixed incomes and increasing the droves of homeless people in our cities. 

That's just a few issues of the day. So come on David (Shearer). If you don't start talking about these real issues affecting people they won't see a brighter future without a home, better incomes and jobs. If you are not brave enough to be a real social democrat then hand over to someone who is.

"Maori Terrorism"

The Urewera "terrorists" now down to four have reached the end of their trial for being part of a criminal group and arms charges. What I saw on TV were shadowy figures, carrying guns, aiming them, and going in single file through dense bush. No one's identity could be ascertained through the Police video lenses and of course there were more than four in the video; the rest having had their charges dropped. Which ones according to the video were criminals and which illegally carrying arms? Why were the four chosen? Tame Iti was an obvious one. After shooting our precious flag with a shot gun and having it shown on TV ad nauseum and his past doings, he was a marked Tuhoe. The others however were not known except apparently as activists. I'd never heard of them. 

The jury's verdict will be interesting. I can't believe that four make up a criminal gang. There's no evidence shown on TV that marks them out as such. Arms charges may have some point although unlicensed guns are quite common in NZ including the Urewera. Tuhoe have been hunting pigs and deer for many years. I doubt if all the guns I saw while camping with a Tuhoe whanau up the river from Ruatoki were licensed. If these arms are such a big deal then the Police should be watching the arms dealers and sellers not those playing with them in the bush.