Waitangi, facts vs. Fiction.

Waitangi Day has come and gone but the debate about things Maori continues. It is really strange that those who oppose the Treaty often like to create the picture that the Treaty process somehow bestows on Maori ‘special privileges’ that others don’t receive.

Don Esslemont a broadcaster on AccessManawatu Radio constantly refers to Maori as Part-Maori and also constantly reminds us that he believes in ‘one law for all’. Sometimes I think that he does protest too much. But be that as it may Don of course fails to comprehend the difference between rights and privileges, the rights in the case of Maori were bestowed when the Treaty of Waitangi was signed between 40 Maori leaders and one Englishman on behalf of the Queen. Later the English ignored those rights. Only the rich or royalty have privileges and the rest have rights when they can get them that is.

In spite of the English betrayal, the Maori people and the new [Settlers], for the most part, lived in peace, they intermarried. They fought in all the Wars that NZ entered on behalf of the British Crown and died in their thousands to keep their betrayers in power here and around the world.

Yet after all this they still didn’t demand ‘Special Privileges’, privileges like being able to speak their language in public schools, being able to vote individually on land issues rather than collectively.

As the British racist policy of divide and rule, as practiced throughout their captured territories, decreased and once NZ citizens took control over their own now independent behaviours, NZ as a Nation via its democratic process decided to honour the Treaty between Maori and the British Crown.

The Waitangi Tribunal was the pathway for making progress in that direction; the British apartheid system was at last dead in the water here but remained in South Africa and Australia. In fact the effect of the shift from injustice to justice has been dynamic and even today Scotland is moving to independence from British rule using a similar process. And thousands if not millions of part-Scots are looking forward to a taste of real democracy.

Don in his discussions with himself likes to suggest that those alive today should not be held responsible for the past behaviour and there is some truth in that when dealing with individuals. But the bad behaviour lies and theft was not simply carried out by individuals but by the Crown or the State in its name.

The treaty was signed between two States one Maori and the other British, therefore wrongs can be corrected. There is nothing privileged about that because the States still exists, it hasn’t changed.

Just imagine if this process was followed throughout the British Isles, Canada, and The USA what a fairer and more equal world we would live in.

On the same subject having Grant Miller of the Manawatu Standard [Monday 6^th of February 2012] lecturing us on the word Mana was a bit like being taught honesty by Richard Nixon or intelligence by George W Bush or even financial wizardry by an Italian named Ponzi. Grants request for Hone Harawira to control his nephew Wi Popata is also rather strange. Should I hold Grant Miller’s father or uncle responsible for Grants penmanship? Once again Grant creates the impression that Maori are asking for special treatment…they are not, they are simply asking for justice. When have they ever received justice or anything for that matter, without having to protest and fight for it. The PM knew the protest was coming in fact he encouraged it and as we have now seen the main stream media obliged as did the protesters, and to suggest that the protesters are 'less classy citizens' sure proves to me who is racist. Still his item was just an opinion and we are all allowed our opinion, no matter how farfetched.

Grant should read http://tumeke.blogspot.co.nz/2012/02/on-waitangi-day.html to get a greater perspective on just what Waitangi means I’m sure it would help his education over this subject more that simply reading John Keys press releases…

Mathew Hooten that ex-national party employee and right wing blogger suggests there is no real problem between the Nat’s and the Maori Party and that it’s all the fault of the Unite Union and the Mana Party and that John Key was simply worn out after his lengthy holiday in Hawaii [poor fellow] and that’s the reason why he is not grinning [smirking] lately.