I ain't going to no hui, akshully

"In rejecting the Kingitanga’s national hui and assuming this is “a thing iwi/hapu have to work out themselves”, the Maori Party have endorsed divide and rule. Their stupidity amazes me."

Shame on the Maori Party, says Morgan Godfery @ Maui Street.

Kei te tika tou korero, Morgan.

Shameless Strippers

"61 politicians just conclusively proved they are crooks. Voting for the asset stripping bill."


Kerry Thomas

Taking back what's given.

In what seems to me to be a serious sign of trouble for the Maori Party, gifts of goodwill given to them by Kaipara and Tamaki Makaurau Maori will be uplifted and removed by those who originally offered them, as a sign of the retraction of confidence in the party because of the position they've taken over the Takutai Moana bill.
Marty Mars blogs on this strange turn of events here.
He quotes:

"A contingent of Kaumatua, Kuia, Pakeke,& Rangatahi from the Kaipara & Tamaki Makaurau will be arriving at Parliament tomorrow between 1-2 with the express purpose of uplifting, retrieving, and returning a 6ft hook (Matau) and anchor (punga) which was gifted to celebrate the Maori Party’s 1st year in parliament, and express support for their mangai MP Hone Harawira. The group has asked that the taonga be placed below the steps of Parliament so that they may ensure the easy return of these taonga."

I hope the television cameras are there to record this event which seems to me striking in its symbolism and a serious turn of fortune for the Maori Party. I'd like to witness that interaction.

Nandor on MP

It's not unusual for Nandor Tanczos to be the one expressing the clearest view on issues that otherwise tie political commentators in knots and here he describes his take on where the Maori Party and Hone Hariwira presently sit (or at least sat a week ago).

"One of the factors in the Maori Party's success thus far is the enormous energy and enthusiam of its activists. It is those activists, the election harvesters, that are starting to down tools, pack up and go home. If the party loses their support it will still survive but in my view will go into decline."

Foreshore & Seabed - what Metiria thinks.

Revised legislation on the foreshore and seabed repeats the injustices of the original act and does nothing  more than paper over the cracks, the Green Party said today.
"The first Foreshore and Seabed Act alienated Maori from areas of the coast that they had strong customary connections with by placing all these areas in Crown ownership and removing from Maori the same rights in court that other New Zealanders have," Green Party Co-leader Metiria Turei said.
"This created a fundamental injustice. The new Marine and Coastal Area Bill does nothing to address this injustice.
"There is no substantive difference between the ‘common marine area' and the ‘public domain'.
"Instead of letting Maori have claims to customary title determined by common law, this bill spells out what those rights entail. These are substantially weaker than the private title rights enjoyed by non-Maori owners.
"Under this bill, Maori will only get what the Government has decided they can get, irrespective of the strength of their claim under common law.
"Yet 12,500 private titles over areas of the foreshore and seabed are unaffected. This is unfair and creates a double standard which treats Maori customary title as inferior.
"It also puts our coastline at risk of privatisation and foreign ownership. If John Key's Government is worried about public access and ownership, it should be amending the law to ensure that no foreshore and seabed land can ever be sold, rather than singling out Maori."
Mrs Turei said she was very disappointed that the Maori Party would support this unfair law.
"Repealing the Foreshore and Seabed Act 2004 was a founding principle of the Maori Party, and yet they have ended up supporting a bill which essentially repeats the same injustices.
"I sympathise with the Maori Party who have found themselves backed into a corner on this issue, but their commitment should be to their people first and foremost and I am incredibly disappointed that they have chosen to support this bill."