LAND OF THE BLIND

Land of the Blind is a dark political satire based on several incidents throughout history in which tyrannical rulers were overthrown by new leaders who proved to be just as bad, if not worse. The title is taken from the saying, "In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king." It’s a metaphor for leadership based less on talent and more on lack.

I thought of that saying last month when Haami Piripi claimed that Margaret Mutu had told the Waitangi Tribunal Ōkakewai marae didn’t exist.  The truth of who said that can be heard 2 hours 7 minutes and 46 seconds into this recording of day 5, session 1 at Ngāti Kahu’s recent Tribunal hearings http://ngatikahu.iwi.nz/sites/default/files/Ng%C4%81ti%20Kahu%20Hearing%20-%20Day%205%20Session%201.mp3, and it wasn’t Margaret or anyone from Ngāti Kahu.

The above saying came to mind again last week when Mangu Awarau accused Ngāti Kahu of a ‘selfish campaign to increase their share of the settlement.’  The falseness of Mangu’s claim can be seen by comparing the agreements in principle reached by the Crown with Te Aupōuri in 2004, Te Rarawa in 2007 and Ngāti Kahu in 2008. 

In the Crown’s recent deeds of settlement Te Aupōuri went from $12m in 2004 to $21.040m in 2011, Te Rarawa went from $20m in 2007 to $33.840m in 2012, and Ngāi Takoto went from $0 to $21,040m.  Although the gaining of those settlement dollars was not worth the cession of mana and sovereignty required, good on those iwi for their gains.  But for Mangu to ignore where those gains originated and to instead accuse Ngāti Kahu of selfishness shows a sad lack. 

As for his claim that Ngāti Kahu failed to ‘front up to meetings, respond to phone calls and emails,’ he’s not only lacking, he’s wrong.  Unlike him Ngāti Kahu’s leaders go to every hui they agree to attend and record in writing the statements and positions they’ve been instructed by their people to make and take.  The fact that the Crown and he chose to ignore what Ngāti Kahu said, especially with regard to Rangiāniwaniwa, Te Make, Hukatere, Kaimaumau and Kaitāia, is another example of lack.  So too is his statement that Ngāti Kahu has been ‘dealt a harsh reminder of reality’ because the Tribunal has declined to hear its urgent application against those Crown deeds.  No wonder the Crown gets away with its pissant settlements when so-called leaders like Mangu accept a wrong decision as harsh reality rather than see it as worthy of being challenged. 

In his novel ‘Country of the Blind’ H. G. Wells tells of a mountaineer who falls down a mountain and arrives in a country where sight has been completely lost over time through a genetic disease. Seeing an opportunity to take advantage of the citizens, he recites the above quote over and over.  But the citizens other senses have sharpened and, having never experienced sight, they perceive him as either a madman or one with an overactive imagination. At any rate, he never gets to be their king.  Ka aroha kia ia mo tana hao nui kapō.