The Treaty of Waitingi – saving us from our own folly
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Whilst 60% to 70% of New Zealanders opposed state asset sales, bizarrely 47.31% still voted for National.
See: 2011 general election official results
This blogger knows two tradesmen who voted National last year despite being vehemently opposed to selling state assets.
It’s a quirk of our nature that some folk vote for things they don’t like or support. The assets sale issue is another example of New Zealanders demonstrating a form of political ‘schizophrenia’ and voting for something they dislike.
Go figure.
Luckily – despite not having a US-style Constitution to protect our interests from nutty, neo-liberal National Party ideology – our very own Treaty of Waitangi may have pulled our collective backsides out of the fire, and may be the one, single mechanism that puts a halt to National’s unpopular policy to hock off our property.
The irony of this should be abundantly obvious to all; the Treaty was orginally designed to protect tangata whenua from the excesses of colonial rule (which was not exactly a stirling success).
Now, 172 years after Te Tiriti was signed, our Founding Document may be the means by which Pakeha are saved from their own collective folly.
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We should hang our heads in shame, and be thankful to Maori. Because of their efforts, our power companies, Solid Energy, and Air New Zealand will not end up being owned by investors from Beijing, Berlin, or Boston.
We may just have saved something of our treasures for our children to inherit.
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Additional
Radio NZ: Waitangi Tribunal recommends asset sale delay
Dominion Post: Hold off asset sales, Waitangi Tribunal says
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= fs =
we are not saved yet, Shonkey has already stated that the government is not obliged by law to follow the recommendations of the Waitangi Tribunal. I am interested to see what his response will be.
Laura – “we are not saved yet, Shonkey has already stated that the government is not obliged by law to follow the recommendations of the Waitangi Tribunal.”
Yeah, I know, Laura. I’m the eternal optimist… right up to when the Nats are selling our first born to work in a Bolivian tin mine…
Those Bolivian tin mines are the jobs Our Great Leader is promising us…
I’ll be interested in the Maori Party’s response to what Key does.
Don’t count on the Maori Party – their apparent need to be in power no matter what will be their undoing.
Given the last time the Maori Party stood toe to toe with JonKey, when it all ended in wet smiles and handshakes and talk of an ‘accommodation’, I’m not holding out any hope for government shaking actions from that quarter…
Yes and this can only be good for future race relations and will no doubt make people more appreciative of the Treaty and not continue bagging it.
Gosh aren’t the maori party n national bac together in marital union bliss now ..gosh who cares what that four tongue maori party thinks they ‘re just as responsible for sharing in nationals traitorist acts ..
I’ve never given the treaty much thought up to now but I think I see the value of it. I think I’m a converted Kiwi!
The Treaty is what gives me the right to be Pakeha. Today it has made me proud to be one.
Ditto, Murray, ditto.
Hear hear!
I knew there was a catch…
at least if he doesn’t listen Frank, we have a damn good reason to go after him
Better still, Laura, perhaps certain redneck Pakeha will start to view the Treaty in a new light…
we live in hope Frank
While he isnt obliged to heed the recommendations, only a fool hellbent on self destruction would completely ignore them and risk inviting the wrath of a people tired of being lied to, stomped on and sold up the creek. Key would be well served in thinking long and hard while looking in the mirror before putting a political shotgun to his and the national
Party’s heads.
Sadly I think it will be used to divide and rule us.
Only if we let it Noel. Are we prepared to do that? So many are saying no, I doubt the people are prepared to be divided like this.
Unfortunately, I think we can just about count on it, Noel…
Well you could say Hone Heke was right to reject the settlers 170 years ago …. you just can’t trust those bloody pakeha’s!
What I do think is this convenient change of stance on same sex relationships is designed and timed to shift our focus just long enough for him and his cronies to sneak one or two surprises under the radar. Be watching that very closely.
Taura he has a mandate to push these asset sales through alright and it isn’t from the people of NZ, he only every planned on 2 terms, he has a nice home offshore where he can keep himself quite well on the shares he buys in our power companies once he has achieved his mandate.
We may be able to shaft him on that if Iwi can form a conglomerate and buy the shares with their combined incomes. However we do it, it has to be soon.
it’s game on
And even if he goes ahead and tries to sell, if the southern iwi get the water rights, they can make things very messy for the potential shareholders through water tariffs and other nasty little charges.
Basically, we make life expensive for whoever wants to come and mess with us. No business likes things to get more expensive than they thought or planned for. Including little johnny.
As a relative newcomer here to Aotearoa (24yrs) I hope I understood what the treaty signifies to most true Maori the first time a wise Maori friend explained it to me very simply and should for all who live here..
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Care for the land, Care for the people, Go forward.
Manaaki Whenua, Manaaki Moana, Manaaki Tane, Manaaki Tangata, Haere whakamua
and that, like you I try to do..
Woops Johnny, woops Johnny, woops, woops, woops
I am going love seeing him get his a*** wupped
We all would love to see that Laura. And then some
Taura – I hope you are right about people not being prepared to be divided. Because it happens everywhere else I think we need to start telling each other what makes us different so we have lots of reasons not to be divided. Might sound trite and P.C., bit I think we the people need to remind ourselves how special we are and why what we have is worth saving. That will help unite us – for our own reasons.
What makes us different? We’re a little country with big balls. Once upon a time, we were known for our take no shit attitude. Then apathy came along and we quietly got screwed over. Yes, we’ve fought amongst ourselves, but because we were conned into a false belief that it was Maori vs Pakeha by the crown and it’s lackey government. That is changing fast.
we were the first to give women the vote due to the direct action of the Suffragettes, we were the first to say to nuclear, direct action saw an end to nuclear testing in the Pacific, direct action stopped a Springbok Tour of NZ and was instrumental in bringing down appartied. Te Whanau a Apanui stopped Petrobras and have just won in court against the Crown. Direct action can stop this too, the people are not divided we are only just coming
Well said Laura. Beautiful. We also brought in the 40 hour standard working week.
Indeed, we must not let these bankers win, we owe it to our tamariki and our mokopuna to look after their birthright.
Love this korero wonderful. Kotahitanga!!
Kia ora, HMS!