Macsyna King and Ian Wishart's Book

Just as the Coroner's hearing for the death of the Kahui twins was in its last days, Mr Wishart reveals his book about Macsyna. Perfect timing! Garuanteed to sell record numbers of copies. If he can get book shops to sell it. If they don't there's Trade Me and Australia. In spite of the facebook boycott Mr. Wishart can get around the "lynch mob" as he calls it. However there's a potential problem, which is the aftermath of the Coroner's findings. What if there's enough evidence from the hearing to prosecute Macsyna? One has to ask why she wasn't at home at the time in question? Surely her negligence of the twins was appalling, unforgiveable and since their births regular. Whatever Mr. Wishart gets for the story, it will be dirt money and an exploitation of the twins deaths. Horrible. Free speech? No. Ratshit journalism more like it. One thing's for sure. Mr. Wishart has set off another round of media frenzy to equal the first one. It will add nothing to an understanding of child abuse. But then that's never the purpose.

Mana Party 21% Haua Hoki (Don't Know) 20% Lab 11% Maori Party 4%

Looks like my cuzzies in the Haua Hoki Party are running Hone close. It really depends on whether they bother to vote or not. Only 63% voted in Tai Tokerau last time and as this is a by-election the turnout is likely to be under 50%. In other words Haua Hoki means, "I don't know if I'll bother." Let's hope they do bother. It's no use not voting and then complaining about the result after. According to these figures therefore it's a shoo in for Hone unless my cuzzies get their A into G and vote. He might still get in however depending on who they vote for but the result won't be as the French say a fait accompli.

There has been some comment about the negative effects Hone's whanau are having on the possible outcome especially what happened at the Maori Party meeting at Te Tii Marae, Waitangi and what happened at my home town Kaitaia outside the Dalmation Hall as the Maori Party were going in to have their hui. However by election day it will be forgotten; provided it's not repeated in any dramatic form. The Labor % is not impressive; only 11%. They need at least half of the Haua Hokis. They have not polled as well as I thought after getting some good vibes on my last trip home. As far as Horomona Tipene is concerned he and the party have an up hill battle. Of those in the running he is the least known although not in the north. Also he has a very short time to impress the electorate. I think it's too late for him.

So who would you have voted for had you been living at home, Atihana? Eerr. Haua hoki!

Is Ngati Kahu's Claim Settled? Not yet!

What is the problem? Apparently the Minister of Treaty settlements is not happy with the "partial settlement" proposal that includes cross claims from the rohe of our whanaunga such as Te Oneroa A Tohe, Te Aupouri Forest and Maungataniwha. I can see where he's coming from. He wants a full and final settlement and so do I. We have wasted enough time trying to get one. Surely it was obvious he wouldn't agree. The proposal as outlined in the Runanga's mail out was chock full for a "partial settlement." Briefly the structure of management was as follows:

Ngati kahu Iwi:
Nga Hapu Me Nga Marae O Mamaru Waka
Te Runanga A Iwi O Ngati Kahu

Secretariat Management

Various boards and Companies

In the space available I can't do the proposal justice but already it is obvious that such a one will be unwieldy and costly. Since the Runanga has turned down a substantial financial offer ($23m?) as part of the claim then there is no money to fund this edifice initially. The structure could be simplified and the Runanga deleted in favour of a Hapu Council:

ie
Ngati Kahu Iwi

Settlement Trust: 7 members elected by beneficiaries Holds ALL the Assets And establishes and funds the electoral process. This Trust has a fixed term of Two years to do the job. It becomes defunct and assets become those of the Council.
Kaunihera Or Hapu Council Of Ngati Kahu:
Once established it receives all the assets held by the Settlement Trust; elected by the beneficiaries for a four year term: 12 Members: elected by the beneficiaries of each hapu marae and 7 elected at large by the beneficiaries.

Council Appoints the Boards, Companies etc and Employs the Management and Administration. Note: A Commercial Arm must be separate and its kaupapa must be "Business".

The negotiators must go back to the five iwi forum to negotiate these cross claims on the basis of whanaungatanga, aroha and kotahitanga not to mention good faith. Compromises must be made and egoes set aside. That shouldn't be too hard for people who purport to come from Te Ao Maori. In the meantime like I said the opportunity cost of NOT settling gets bigger each day.

Rugby World Cup: A circus or what?

Like most post WW Two boys I was rugby mad but living in a rural back water by the sea we did have heaps of other activities to interest us, winter and summer. We followed North Auckland and the NZ Maoris avidily. At Te Aute College it was one of three compulsory subjects; that, English and Maori at least to Form Four. Fron 155 boys between 1952-56 we managed to field eight teams regularly every Saturday on the train to Hastings. The First 15 had a number of rugby tours around the country. In my day we played in the curtainraiser for the Springbok-NZ Universities game at Athletic Park in 1956. Not a protester in sight. After a stint in Senior B rugby in Auckland and country rugby I more or less gave it up at the age of 24 except for stints of coaching school boy teams, selecting and finally coaching under 21 teams at Waikato University I gave it up and became a TV spectator. All this involvement was voluntary and for interest and enjoyment.

The big change came with pro-rugby and competitions like Super 14 and World Cups. The game it seems has become a corporate one where regional loyalties are lost in favour of Super Team franchises. Team names are now brand names like Hurricanes, Blues, Crusaders, Chiefs and Highlanders. It is globalized, glamorized, and celebrity-fied; vehicles for advertising and selling merchandise.Before long the Super 14 franchises will be sold. Rugby in fact has been homogenized much like a McDonalds menu. Frankly, this to me a country boy who was privileged to see Colin Meads getting ordered off on his home ground, is too much. The hype surrounding the World Cup therefore makes me sick of it already and I wish it would hurry up so we can focus on far more important things like who is going to govern us after it. It seems to me to be all part of the malaise NZ is in. In medieval Europe the rulers whenever the peasants were starving and beginning to revolt, used to invite a circus into town to entertain them and make them forget that they had no bread. In political and economic terms isn't that what NZ has become?

Ngati Kahu Claim Through At Last?

I want to think that it is, after the meeting with The Minister of Treaty Settlements last Saturday at Toatoa. I did try to get to an iwi meeting at Taipa the previous Saturday but I had car trouble in Auckland. I didn't know about the Toatoa hui. It seems that it is a partial settlement proposal only involving the AIP between Ngati Kahu and the Crown at Kareponia following the five iwi forum set up at Waimanoni. My opinion is that if it is that based on that AIP, then I am in favour of it; ie

> Rangiputa Block

> Kohumaru Forest and Land Corp land

> Co- Management of DOC land and more of this back in "fee simple."

> Cultural redress of at least $15m

> Cash to buy back schools police stations and other assets and lease them back.

My stipulation would be that as the claim is made in the name of Ngati Kahu then all Ngati Kahu benefits including those like Ngati Tara Parapara and Te Paatu Kauhanga who have put in other claims. Those should be separate from the AIP claim. It is not their fault nor the Runanga's that these claims have been made since. They should be allowed to pursue them with our blessing. The fact that Parapara protested at the AIP hui should not mean that they are NOT included. For the sake of unity and whanaungatanga we should forgive and forget.

Which brings me back to the five iwi Forum and the cross claims. Kauhanga and Te Paatu should be allowed to continue with the other iwi to pursue common claims to do with Maunga Taniwha. If we are not prepared to share Rangiputa and Kohumaru with the other whanaunga then we are not entitled to Te Aupouri Forest and Te Oneroa A Tohe or a share in any other assets not in our rohe. Our interests in Te Oneroa for example can be handled by Ngati Moroki of Ahipara and our marae of Korou Kore. The hassles that prompted the walkout by Ngati Kahu has destabilized the Forum and were of Ngati Kahu's inability to think kotahitanga and whanaungatanga. We also walked out of Muriwhenua back in the day but the irony is that our Ngati Kahu claim is based on the same Wai 45 but this time signed by someone who wasn't a part of it at the time. Ah well....that's hitori.

Governance: A Ngati Kahu Settlement Trust; This should be set in place by an Act of Parliament. It's purpose is to hold all assets and cash until a Governance and Commercial Structure is establish by the iwi according to rules and regulations established by the said Act.

This protects not only the iwi interests as beneficiaries but also establishes transparent accountable and commercial and professional management of the assets and cash. It also establishes dispute resolution processes for the beneficiaries.

A Cause Celebre; Finding Tapu Places On Pakeha Land

Doubleclick to enlarge map.

Where I come from there's a block of land called Parakerake which was sold by two tupuna vendors in 1868 but the title didn't change hands until 1872 because it was subject to the "Fraud Preventions Act." Only two of the 10 tupuna on the Crown grant "got the money" according to the son of one of them. Anyway once a Mr. Corchrane the purchaser got the title (the Crown's Treaty right of prevention was waived at the time) he sold it. This whenua changed hands many times until "Carrington Farms Ltd" an American company bought it and developed a farm, tourist hotel, golf course, vinyard complete with a winery and continued with the subdivisions begun by the previous owners. What was once a gum field dug over by Maori and Dalmation whanau including mine. It was also unfenced winter grazing for stock.

However, when the owners began to subdivide a portion for 12 house sites overlooking Karikari Beach and the Puheke wetland, the Runanga of Ngati Kahu objected on the grounds that there was a wahi tapu called Te Ana O Taite which they claimed was a cavern under the said subdivision and they produced a map which showed it allegedly at least half a kilometre long. Firstly, the tangata whenua do not have a tupuna by that name. The correct name is Taitehe. Secondly the said ana was a crevice in the bank below the subdivision. This whole and utter nonsence became a cause celebre for the Runanga and its leader. Objections were made before the Far North District Council. The non-notifiable consent was upheld. Then it went to the Environment Court and again was upheld. An attempt to apply for a High Court injunction against the subdivision was again dismissed. The aggrieved appelants are now seeking a High Court hearing on the matter having wasted the iwi's resources, money and time on an ego trip. The korero now prevalent is that the Runanga is trying to get back Parakerake Block under its Treaty claims.

The fact is that there are many former burial grounds on the Karikari Peninsular mainly in the many sand dunes on land that is under Maori, Crown and general title. As Christianity encroached on our burial customs tohunga and clergy lifted the tapu on these places and we developed church style cementaries. Many of these sand burial places are mentioned in Native Land Court records. Also the use of iron digging tools allowed us to dig through the clay pan.

The "Ana O Taitehe" controversy is nothing but hypocracy and misuse of tikanga by people who are not tangata whenua. There was a good case for objecting to the said subdivision based on the environmental impacts of development which are already visible. The main culprit has been Crown agencies like Lands and Survey, and DOC. Had they pursued these issues they may have had more support especially from the Conservation Movement. However once they got the "Taite Buzz" they were away. Currently the Runanga according to their minutes is attempting to collect money from their constituent marae and from the money and assets they hold on behalf of Ngati Kahu. I doubt if this move is constitutional. Finally in any objections to development there's no need to tell blatant lies. Common sense, a knowledge of environmental impacts, tangata whenua appreciation of ones ukaipo, and a history of a particular place would have served the Runanga better.

The Political Spring

What a month this has been politically! The Hone Harawira split with the Maori Party had been boiling for sometime. Now it's official. There's also a new party (Mana) led by Hone, some Maori intellectuals, socialists and unionists, and some of the same disaffected that began the Maori Party. Not to be outdone, the Brash Don rears his ugly ideology again kicks Hyde's butt right out of the Act Party and is voted in as the new UPOKO without a seat in Parliament! Phew! So that's what the far right means by "democracy". At least Hone has forced a by-election to give Tai Tokerau a democratic choice.

Already Act's gone up in the polls and Mana is at least registering below the margin of error. What happens if Act gets 5-6 seats and Mana 3-4? It's going to be a very interesting result. Hone thinks that Labour will in spite of what they say now, be ringing him to be part of a coalition. I doubt it. They will be seated on the cross benches. Act will be different. National will let them into government but put them on a short leash. What about the Maori Party? What's left of them will go with the government which ever one. And don't forget New Zealand First and the Greens.

The next parliament will be a very different if unruly beast. And who knows, we might get a better government out of it. There is also an unknown party of ethnic minorities who may be able to break party restrictions and vote in their own minority interests. If Brash starts picking on Maori those in National, Labour and other parties may join forces.