WAITANGI DAY FROM WAITANGI

Another Waitangi Day been and gone (my first as a Paihia resident).   Perhaps I am naive but it is sad to see what should be a time a national celebration high-jacked  by a bunch of renegade Maori; facilitated by weak leadership from the elders of Ti Ti Marae and egged on by a news media only too anxious to highlight the negative and ignore the positive.

Lets look at that.   Hone H bused in a couple of hundred ratbag supporters determined to do their best to disrupt the celebrations.   Nothing much new in that.   A small group of Maori radicals have been doing that for years.    But where it gets really sad is that the Ti Ti Marae Komatua have aided and abetted over the top protest by their abject failure to exert authority over 'their' Marae.    I understand Marae protocol.   Visitors are to be welcomed and accorded respect even though individual Marae members may have issues with them.   Debate on a Marae can be robust but guests have a right to be heard and not shouted down although they can expect to be challenged in debate.     The antics of Hone's mob breaks Marae protocol and tramples on the 'mana' of the Marae.   And just why the Marae leadership stands back and lets Titiwhai Harawiri attach herself leach like to the Prime Minister's party beggars belief.    She has no mana; she denigrates Maoridom with her presence.     If there is any light at the end of the tunnel it was to hear my old mate and fellow Vietnam veterans Dick (Rahiri) Dargaville, Marae Chair, say on national TV that enough was enough and the abuse of Marae protocol had to stop.   Dick, words are cheap and deeds count louder but if anyone can force changes then you, as a decorated Vietnam veteran, are tough enough to do it.   More power to your elbow.

But away from all of that there were a reported 30,000 people at Waitangi/Paihia determined to enjoy the festivities.   For the vast majority of those the antics of Hone's mob were an unwelcome distraction and not too much to get excited over.

The Maori Party is playing a dangerous game with its threat to walk over the issue of Treaty clauses vs the partial sale of State assets.   They can only play that card once and they are backing themselves into a corner.

I believe that National was right in reaching out to the Maori Party but their is a limit as to how far the Government can go in trying to accommodate their wishes.   But the Maori Party has no mandate to speak for the whole of Maoridom and they would do well to remembers that National has more MPs of Maori decent than does the Maori Party and Mana Party combined.   If the Maori Party walks Maori will still have a voice in Government while 'they' are reduced to bit player status.  

This is my last post for a little while.     I am going into Kensington Hospital in Whangarei to get some replacement bits and pieces later this week.   36 bad parachute landings on the end of a military PX2 parachute has finally caught up with me.    Grapes (of the fermented variety) are welcome and for Judge and Redbaiter, my foes from the hard left and uber right of the political divide no, don't bother with the Hemlock 2012 Chardonnay.