Ryan's Ruminations (page 2, The Weekend Sun, March 2) contained some disturbing opinions that need to be addressed. You claim a state of partnership between Maori and the Crown did not, and does not exist. You are correct that the word partnership does not appear in the treaty, however it does not have to.
It was the intention of the British to create self-governing areas for Maori, as contained in the Constitutional Act of 1852 and later. Partnership therefore exists, synonyms of which include cooperation, association and sharing.
NATO is a partnership. Marriage is a partnership. The Treaty of Waitangi is no different because its articles are articles of association.
Similarly your opinion on sovereignty falls short.
Sovereignty is not an all-encompassing, no-compromise, state of being. External sovereignty is the recognition of a country's right to be governed by itself, without interference from external sources.
Internal sovereignty is something very different.
The Treaty of Waitangi, whether desirable or not, has to be considered in all of its ramifications. It is recognised in law and is working well. Public opinion is something else, but uninformed opinion has no place in what should be an open, factual discussion.
Last of all, Maori representation is simply a recognition that without dedicated wards, Maori cannot get elected in general seats, on Maori issues. There is nothing sinister about it. Embrace it, and allow the Maori people a semblance of dignity.
R Bell, Omanawa (Abridged).
8 comments
Excellent piece
Posted on 24-03-2018 18:56 | By waxing
Will they be able to be in any way focused in their comments or will they as usual shift the goal posts away entirely?
Partnership, yeah right
Posted on 27-03-2018 19:14 | By crazyhorse
With 2034 claims lodged by 2009 but only 11 claims brought to Parliament in 1920, its clear that now money is the motivator. Also contemporary claims represent a real problem for New Zealand, the troughers think they have stumbled onto a "gold mine", As long as there is a Waitangi Tribunal claims process in existence to give legitimacy to fabricated claims, all other New Zealanders will be forced to pay the price and the racial division will grow. And as long as the political class remains committed to appeasement, the country will remain vulnerable to further attempts to extract more.
diversity on the WT please
Posted on 28-03-2018 10:42 | By Captain Sensible
How about some "diversity" on the Waitangi Tribunal.....an honest person not motivated by lies and greed would be a great start!
Crazy - you are the threat to racial harmony
Posted on 28-03-2018 13:39 | By waxing
Your crazy emotional ideology that bears no relationship to facts whatsoever is the threat to racial harmony in this country. If your family's land was taken without justification, would you be sitting quietly and accepting it? Would you be happy if we occupied your front lawn? And the reason for the higher claims by 2009 is quite simple - it reflects the establishment of the Waitangi Tribunal to adjudicate on such claims and make recommendations to Government. And if it's money that is the motivator, why have Maori accepted only 10% of the compensation they are legally entitled to? But then facts don't matter with you. You are just interested in sitting at your computer stirring things up as much as you can.
Ideology, lol.
Posted on 28-03-2018 17:45 | By crazyhorse
It's 2018 "part" Maori have had nothing taken from them and we have taken nothing from them, grievance industry not grievance process, water, radio waves, natural resources, take everything but a job.
you continue to show no knowledge
Posted on 28-03-2018 21:58 | By waxing
If you knew anything at all about Maori (and indeed virtually all indigenous cultures) you would know that there is no such thing as "part Maori". But don't let your prejudices get in the way of reality, you couldn't cope. Just as you will never ever accept that iwi have trained their people and created employment out of their treaty settlements, as well as provided all sorts of services (eg medical) that the Government should be providing. And if you just did the tiniest bit of research instead of flaying around with your emotions, you would realise that many genuine grievances aren't yet settled - an example locally is Panepane Point, taken under the Public Works Act with no compensation at all, yet having continually provided a commercial return to originally the Tauranga Harbour Board and now the Western BoP District Council.
REALLY WAXO,
Posted on 29-03-2018 14:55 | By crazyhorse
Waxo says treaty settlements, are providing all sorts of services (eg medical) that the Government should be providing, should be providing?, perhaps Waxo can name a few of these services the government "should" be providing for maori, then explain why since maori have their own health services, plus Maori providers all around NZ and whanau ora, all who are majorly supported by the NZ taxpayer they need more, what services do maori want that's different to the other 85% of K1W1's?.
ALSO WAXO
Posted on 29-03-2018 15:28 | By crazyhorse
Going back to the "partnership, and righting wrongs of the past, it was Ngati Mutunga and Ngati Tama who went to the Chatham Islands killed, enslaved and cannibalised the peaceful Moriori, "proper" historians saying Moriori were spread along the beach and butchered like animals, men woman and children, now Ngati Mutunga have actually settled a claim through the race-based waitangi tribunal giving them part of the Chatam Islands and a large sum of money, do you not find this a tad bizarre? or is this just how the grievance system works? doesn't matter what your"ANCESTORS" did you are liable for never-ending koha, lol, I bet now revisionist historians probably have the Moriori eating Ngati Mutunga, I'm sure Waxo will sort it out for us.
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