MANAGING THE MANA GERMS

A few years back when I first made it to management, a mate asked me if I knew what most Managers were. Like an idiot I said, "No - what are we?" "Most of you," he said, "are really 'Mana Germs' who work hard to take the credit and give away the blame."

What do you do with that kind of advice? Me – I just stared at him and wondered, "Is he right or is he wrong?" Since then I've figured he's both. As a group, Managers are no different from anybody else. When it comes to voluntary mahi most people find it easy to be humble. But as soon as we feel we've got something to lose – cash, reputation, power, status or whatever – very few of us are immune from the mana germ. In fact some of us never get over it.

So I take my hat off to Chris Hook for his back down over the Cable Bay bridge to mayhem. That whole scene was shaping up to be nothing but a breeding ground for the nasty little blighters, and it took guts to recognise that and change your direction, Chris. In medical circles it’s called recovery, but I know it as repentance. Either way, well done chum. You’ve survived and, hopefully, built up immunity to the germ.

Sadly I don’t see and can’t think of many similar recoveries in recent times. Instead, those who get the bug find ready comfort in numbers. Philip Taito Field is an example. He’s resisting taking his medicine on the grounds that he did nothing wrong. And the main thing shoring up that clearly loopy belief are those who have chosen to back him because he’s a person of standing amongst them. I reckon the higher you stand in a group the more accountable you should be held by that group for what you do and how you do it. Then there’s Rick Ellis of TVNZ who, last week, showed all the signs of a full-blown attack of the mana germs with his sorry excuses to the Maori Affairs Select Committee that his employer is meeting its charter obligations to Maori with a programme mix of Shortland Street, Police-Ten-Seven, Game of Two Halves me nga mea. The feedback to this tells me there’s a mana germ epidemic in this country, and, even if Rick Ellis tried to retract he’s likely get it in the neck from those who reckon Maori are not only well served by TVNZ, but have our own TV station. Well, how about this for an idea? Let's make sure only Maori are allowed to watch MTV and get TVNZ to fulfill its charter obligations to all the other races in this country with the same programme mix Mr Ellis listed. If that happened, do you reckon we’d see a rush of people canceling their SKY subs?

Koutou ma, I’ve made more mistakes in my life than you’ve eaten hot hangi. I know how easy it is to give in to the mana germ. Engari, like most of you, I’ve learned from my mistakes. But the really smart people learn from others’ mistakes. So may I suggest to whoever cut down those pohutukawa trees at Coopers Beach recently – don’t be a mana germ.

Hei konei. Hei kona.

FROM THE LATE MRS GRAVES

We’ve had to postpone the long-awaited Coroner Hui that was set to be held today in Oturu marae because of a death involving the main whanau of the host marae. Deaths and resultant hui postponements go hand in hand inside an iwi. So, instead of tearing my hair out, which was my first instinct when I heard yesterday morning, I’ll use the opportunity to share more information in prep for the hui, when it’s reconvened, by sharing with you an email exchange I had with someone who is interested but doesn’t know much about the issues.

Kia ora Anahera … what are the major concerns and difficulties iwi Mäori have experienced with the current system?

[The issues are], apart from general hostility to the concept of operating on our tupapaku, and the consequent disruption of their tangihanga:
1. Modesty: It doesn’t take much [for pathologists] to maintain body cover, particularly of the genitals, during post mortem.
2. Intrusiveness: Pathologists … don’t have to remove the whole top of the scalp to get at the brain unless it is absolutely necessary. ... Yet in Whangarei this is still standard practice.
3. Liaison with Whanau: Too often pathologists don’t seem comfortable with the living who want to connect with the person operating on their whanaunga.
Regarding the Act, some of the issues are:
1. On the surface it looks like progress that whanau can object to post mortem. But the inability, once an objection has been made, for whanau to rescind it or for the Coroner to over-rule it, until the full time allowed in the Act has lapsed, makes it likely .. [to] cause damaging delays.
2. The Act defines autopsy as “full internal and external examination of the body” … [What will that] mean in practice?
3. … in reducing the numbers of Coroners in the country from 52 down to 15, there will now be only one Coroner in the whole of Taitokerau, instead of the current three. … Will [that person] have a good grasp and experience of local / regional sensitivities and networks? … Because it’s a political appointment, we simply don’t know.

Thank you Anahera. That doesn’t sound good. I have heard ... that the chances of Mäori going to a coroner can be greatly reduced by … being seen by doctors/NGO’s more often … can I ask if you think that assertion is still valid?

The short reply is yes. The long answer is that autopsy is always mandatory when there is no medical doctor willing to sign off on cause of death. … But autopsy is also mandatory for any death which:
1. Is a matter requiring police investigation (accidents, murder, suicide, etc)
2. Takes place while a person is in custody or in care (prison, hospital, etc)
3. Takes place in suspicious circumstances (e.g. during commission of a crime)
I personally don’t believe investigation of cause of death (including autopsy) is inherently against Maori tikanga. Old whakatauki show we were constantly reviewing and learning from past experience. It’s the way in which it’s done and the attitudes of the people who have statutory roles in the process that needs review and change in some places. … Engari if we take better care of ourselves, … then we do reduce the likelihood of having an autopsy when our turn to shuffle off this mortal coil comes.

Koutou ma, the Coroner’s hui will be reconvened as soon as possible.

Hei konei. Hei kona.

EARTH TO IWI INSIDER

What is this life if, full of care, we have no time to stand and stare?—

We who work for the iwi get passionate about things like human rights, biological diversity and economic sustainability. Important stuff, sure – but not always a priority in the everyday world of our whanau. To stay in touch with that world from which we came, we do things like mahi in the marae kitchen where we’re just another working stiff, and the VIP we rubbed shoulders with yesterday doesn’t give us any special privileges today. Or we’ll ring fence our whanau time and do the kohanga reo papa bit, the rippa rugby nanna gig, me nga mea. It’s sobering and refreshing to get that jolt back to earth that only whanau can give. Here are some examples.

A STORM IN A TEASPOON
I remember having my monthly report back from the Runanga to my marae disappear without a ripple as the aunties paused briefly to let its last echo fade before moving on to the real bizzo. “We had 100 teaspoons when this whare kai opened and now we’ve got none. Na wai he tangata tahae!?”

BUGS IN THE BELFRY
Our mokopuna love bugs. Shiny bugs, fat bugs, round bugs, buggy bugs – it doesn’t matter. They indiscriminately love the lot. In fact when our second oldest mokopuna got kutus he proudly and loudly told complete strangers in public places, “I’ve got bugs in my hair!” While I’d be saying with a sick smile and an inward cringe, “Well … you know they’re an occupational hazard in the north,” for him it was a source of wonderment that they had chosen to make his head their habitat. He didn’t care to worry about whether his biological diversity was being upset.

THE ARM OF THE ANGEL
On ANZAC morning, while our kids raced round and over the monument, three mothers sat under the angel in Kaitaia’s Memorial Park sadly looking at the names of those who left to fight in two World Wars and didn’t come home again. We felt sad. Then one of the kids asked, “Where’s the other arm of the angel?” And it’s true. I’ve sat under that angel since I was a kid and can’t remember – did it ever have two arms? Well, if it did, it doesn’t anymore. How could I not know?

TAKE TIME
A century ago W H Davies wrote the poem, “Leisure.” I can’t say it any better.

… A poor life this if, full of care, we have no time to stand and stare.

Hei konei. Hei kona.

SOMETHING REMARKABLE

When my grandpa Spike died in 1986 he and nanna Alma had happily bickered through fifty eight years of marriage, produced twenty one children, more than seventy grandchildren, close to a hundred great grandchildren and something like eight great-great grandchildren.

Gloria and Jim Herbert presenting the 'Ray and Alma Herbert Sports Memorial Trophy for Team of the Year"

By the time Alma died in 1998, I had personally given up counting. But I’ve never stopped feeling that such durability and fruitfulness is something special – even something remarkable – in these days of shrinking love and expanding self, as described in 2 Timothy 3:1 – 7.

The truth is that my grandparents’ whanau experience is not unique. That’s why, when we had our pilot planning hui for Ngati Kahu Fest 2008 last week, I found myself smiling fondly when the suggestion came up that we should make whanau our focal theme. In spite of the regular horror stories that hit the headlines, this week being no exception, most Maori whanau can only be labeled ‘good’. And even amongst those that wouldn’t win any “Family of the Year” competition, most are just trying to do what’s best, especially for their kids and kaumatua.

That’s what prompted the thinking behind our theme. Put the good up there where it belongs as something precious and delightful for all to see, and let it be a model for copying. As a point of celebration it works.

And, like any carrot, what we hope to see come out of it at an everyday level is consistent teaching and support of whanau so that there’s less and less need for the big stick of castigation.

And you know that there are many sticks with which to beat Maori backs. Our famed collective sense of guilt and shame is real for me. A murder, rape or other headlining crime is reported and I find myself thinking, “Oh please – don’t let it be a Maori.” So, no, we are not succumbing to a Pollyanna syndrome and, yes, we are still in touch with reality. But that reality abounds with more happiness than misery. So excuse us while we smile about that. In fact, come and join us if you’re interested in working hard to spread the reason for smiling around.

Ae ra – Ngati Kahu Fest 2008 is definitely on the front burner and, next Monday 14th, we’re going to officially launch its planning stage with a working hui here at Parkdale Crescent followed by lunch. We’ll meet fortnightly thereafter in a variety of locations around the rohe so that all our workers get a chance to host the planning mahi.

I remember my nanna telling me once that after the sixth child things got a lot easier as the older ones showed the littlies what to do. And that’s one of the main beauties of belonging to a large, prolific and rambunctious whanau. Everyone has something remarkable to contribute.

Hei konei. Hei kona.

IN WHOSE INTERESTS?

I enjoy watching our mokopuna playing together because they are completely honest about their self-interest. Rules are made up, bent and chucked out at will – all to secure a victory. It got to the point recently where the bossiest moko invented a rule that if you won a trick in the card game being played, than you actually lost. The trouble was he couldn’t quite bring himself to lose a trick and ended up crying because, as his cousins gleefully reminded him, according to his own rule, he’d just lost the game. At five he can be forgiven for not knowing the political reality that, whenever a decision is made, someone’s interests are always going to be served. And it’s good that he is learning in childhood that, when the interests being served are his and his alone, then everyone else will probably end up resenting him – a lot.

Not so our local authorities. In whose interest did they make the decision to allow Crystal Waters to build luxury condominiums on the hill overlooking Cable Bay? And whose interests will be served by their decision to allow an overbridge from those condominiums to be built onto the beach?
In spite of evidence that the survey boundaries for the overbridge were wrong, making the Councils’ decision to let it be built legally questionable, this proposal never died when public opposition to it got too intense. It just went behind closed doors along with the developers, the planners, the consultants, the consenting authorities and the law enforcers. Recently they all got together – the Far North District Council, Northland Regional Council, Transit New Zealand, McBreen Jenkins Construction, Crystal Waters Developers and the New Zealand Police met in Council’s Chambers and talked about a construction start date. Some of you may have read in last week’s Tuesday Age a press release giving three working days’ notice that the Far North District Council is hosting a public meeting on this matter today in the Mangonui Hall at 4 p.m. Or maybe you missed it. Te Runanga-a-Iwi-o Ngati Kahu joins the Cable Bay Beach Watch Network in urging you to go to tonight’s meeting.

You know, you’d think that they would have gotten the message from the past opposition to the proposal, including an 8 week 24/7 presence on the beach, that they had better include the local hapu and community in any ongoing process. For sure, however they might spin the answer to the question, “In whose interests did you make these decisions?” it’s a dead cert that not many, if any, of the local Pakeha community, and not one of the local Maori hapu were included in the process by which they reached their decisions.

It almost seems like they have as much understanding as my mokopuna of political realities. Well, I think they are about to gain some enlightenment. Unfortunately there’s not much fun in watching adults re-learn childhood lessons.

IN WHOM CAN WE TRUST?

He Panui Aitua na nga hapu o Te Whanau Moana me Rorohuri e noho atu nei i roto i te ao pouri. Kua mate a Aunty Suzie Reihana.

Last week I made mention of feisty women who speak their minds, and this week I got the really sad news that one of the feistiest of all has gone the way of the world. Throughout her long and lively life, Aunty Suzie Reihana had a strong belief in the afterlife. So I feel sure she herself is not sad to find herself ki muri i te arai. It’s me who’s the sad one. Just as I was getting to know her twinkly, prickly humour – kua haere ia. Promoted. E hika!

This brings me to the new Coroners Act. On Tuesday 22nd May we are hosting a hui at Oturu marae. The Chief Coroner and other key Ministry of Justice officials will be there to explain the differences between the existing Act and the new one that comes into power on July 1st. So, that’s good. But I reckon, though some will want to know what the new Act means, others might simply want the chance to tell their story and be heard. When I mentioned this to Fiona Kale, the Department’s Project Manager who is liaising with me on the hui arrangements, she said that the Chief Coroner will be cool with whatever comes up at the hui. So, that’s even better. E nga iwi katoa, haere mai ki Oturu mo te whakawhiti-korero o te kaupapa tino hohonu nei.

Since the debacle of the FSSB Bill, no piece of proposed legislation has caused as much of a stink as the electoral law reforms put forward by government last week. I had very carefully read Nicky Hager’s meticulously detailed book, ‘The Hollow Men,’ and was already convinced of the need to reform the electoral laws. So, when the government’s proposals came out I carefully read those too.

Question: Given the screaming need to ensure election campaigns are above the corrupt practices that were rife in the last election, how the heck did government get the reform process so wrong? Answer: By making it a unilateral one, and by obsessing over the religious affiliations of seven wealthy men who played a major, if shadowy, role during the last election.

The key issue is not the fact that these characters had affiliations to a particular religion, but that senior National party leaders and they hid their collaborations with each other. Why? Because they wanted to secretly raise and spend more money on the election campaign than they were legally allowed. I think the technical term for that is – buying an election.

The fallout from that gifted this government the chance to make the needed reforms. But, by not making the process as open, independent and transparent as possible, and by making too much of the religious right connections of one group, it has mucked up badly. Meantime the electoral laws are still in need of serious review and reform.

Who can we trust to do it?

Probably not many politicians.

Where are the Aunty Suzie’s when we need ‘em? Moe mai ra e te Whaea ki roto i te ringa o te Matua. Hei konei. Hei kona.

SPEAK THAT I MAY SEE

For hundreds of whanau in Te Hiku, IMB started last Saturday, and we, like countless others, had to make the choice between our kids’ sport and a hui. I went to the hui-a-marama at Kareponia for Te Runanga-a-Iwi o Ngati Kahu while Doug got the hard job (NOT) of going to the Rippa Rugby. Apparently, in his first game ever, our five year old, raised on watching the adult game, failed to connect the concept of ripping a ribbon off opponent’s shorts with the game of ‘rugby’ and tackled everything in sight. He now answers to the name ‘Sin-Bin.’

I went to a hui once where the first guy up said, “Kaore a au e mōhio he aha au i haere mai ai i tenei ra.” Like my mokopuna, he had failed to connect the concept with the outcome, and he too got promptly sin-binned by my feisty karani who stood and told him if he didn’t know why he was there – sit down, listen and learn. Then she did an A-grade job of laying out the issues and kick-starting the whakawhiti-korero. She did the mahi of the Taumata which, traditionally, has been done by men, and is critical to the progress and effectiveness of any hui.

The ideal Taumata has good speakers with good minds and hearts who help clarify the way forward for the people. The best will work together and can offer love as an antidote to hate, counterpoint wrong with right and challenge lies with truth, all the while stitching and mending any tear in the fabric of the hui.

I tenei ao hurihuri the Taumata need solemn wisdom and a wicked sense of humour, topped with some life experience. So, when the scarcity of men who can man the Taumata came up on Saturday, Te Runanga-a-Iwi o Ngati Kahu delegates talked about the pros and cons of teaching our boys to do it. How to protect them from being gored in the cut and thrust of the task at hand? How to ensure they enjoy their childhood before being asked to take on a man’s work? They talked about the pros and cons of women doing it, with lively recollections of Muriwai Popata who spoke whenever she wished because the only thing she cared about was whether or not the talk was walked. Are today’s women as strong? Are we prepared to take on other traditionally male roles? Will we butcher the beast, collect the kai moana and cook the hangi? Are we prepared to see a man take on our role of kai karanga?

You know, I hate weekend hui because they chew up precious whanau time. So when I do have to sit through one it at least helps when the quality of the korero is as good as what went down last Saturday. Regardless of who we think should be on the Taumata, we all have a right to expect quality from it. We can take a leaf from my forthright karani and sin-bin the wafflers. Or, if we are of gentler persuasion, we should at least take them aside and help them get up to scratch. And if there is a woman or a younger man there who can do a better job, then just do it – please.

Speak that we may all see.

Hei konei. Hei kona.

REDEMPTION SONG

“Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery,
None but ourselves can free our mind.”

In 1979, when Bob Marley sang his iconic number, Redemption Song, he struck a chord in Maori hearts and minds that resonates to this day.

“’Ow long shall they kill our prophets
While we stand aside and look?
Some say it’s just a part of it,
We’ve got to fulfil da book.”

I always think of and play this sing every Easter weekend when, throughout the country, whanau gather from all over the motu to countless rural marae for the uniquely Maori unveiling ceremony known as He Hura Kohatu. 

With a similar programme to the day of burial it allows us to once more publicly share our sorrow, while at the same time releasing us from all future obligations to our whanaunga, other than quiet remembrance. 

In 2007, my whanau was amongst those who gathered for Hura Kohatu.

Death is always sad, but for those of us who have lost loved ones to whakamomori, it can also be really, really destructive. For me it was like a nuclear bomb going off. Years later the fallout continues and so does the hurt in a way that no other death has. 

With respect and tenderness I offer these personal insights to anyone who is being touched right now by suicidal feelings or acts. 

First, hope is the one thing everyone needs to be scripted for. How different things would have been if my brother had found a ‘hope script.’ But here we are, and if we've learned anything from the distress of his suicide it's exactly that. Hope is paramount. 

Second, consider this statement: - "If I start piling weights on your shoulders, you're going to eventually collapse ... no matter how much you want to remain standing. Willpower has nothing to do with it." 

Third, here’s another statement to think about: - “Suicide is not a choice; it happens when pain exceeds resources for coping with pain.” 

You're not a bad person, or crazy, or weak, or flawed, if you feel suicidal. I mean, sure at any given time, you might feel you are any or all of those things. Please believe me, you are not. You simply are having more pain than you can cope with at that time.

BUT (praise God) I am here to also tell you that suicidal feelings can be survived when you find ways to reduce the pain and increase the coping resources.

“But our ‘and was made strong,
By the ‘and of the almighty.
We flowered in this generation,
Tri-umph-ant-ly.”

Help is waiting for you right now. It’s only a phone call or a prayer away.

Taku tuakana, Bo, I will always miss you. But I know that in a way you are closer than ever to the comfort, hope and charity made possible by He who redeemed the world during that first Easter season - our big brother Jesus Christ.  I love you my brother.

“Won’t you ‘elp to sing,
Dese songs of freedom?
‘Cos all I ever ‘ave
Redemption songs.”

THE WAY OF JOY

At every Te Runanga A Iwi O Ngati Kahu hui, a recurring theme and dream I hear is - let's hold a regular Ngati Kahu Festival and celebrate.

Even though the treaty claims are not yet settled, and some people are not always nice to us, joy is a much more welcome and healthier emotion than misery, and there are some seriously choice things for this iwi to celebrate - not least that we are still here. In fact when I look at our runanga and its members I am reminded of a sign that the Prophet Gordon B. Hinckley reported seeing hung by a rusty staple to a rundown barbed-wire fence in Texas. It read:

Burned out by drought

Drowned out by flud waters,

Et out by jackrabbits,

Sold out by sheriff,

Still here!

The biggest reasons to celebrate are our people. We feel justifiable pride at the continued emergence of youth like Rangi Moses (2003 Maori Sports Scholar) who will continue to shine in the academic arena, long after her feats in the sporting world have passed. We claim with pride seasoned men of strength and achievement like Hekenukumai Busby (master waka builder) and Eric Rush (double international in rugby union and sevens). And we applaud our women leaders like June McCabe and Dr Robyn Manuel.

Another cause for celebration is our influence and presence on the geography, history and demography of the Far North in our marae, maunga, awa and moana. Place names like Mangonui, Taipa, Puwheke, Rangiputa, Karikari, Oturu, Kenana, Te Paatu, Takahue, Mangataiore, Waiaua, Waiari, Toatoa, Parapara, Kohumaru, Oruru, Kareponia, Peria - these and so many others bear on-going witness to us as descendants of Kahutianui and Parata.

Then there are those things that we do that make it simply cool to be Ngati Kahu. Fishing, pig hunting, kapa haka, fishing, purakau, fishing ... you get the picture.

So, at the urging of ourselves, we are going to hld a big hooley in 2008 and celebrate. The organising sub-committee is being formed now, and if you want in on it, you can contact us on 408-3013, nkceo@xtra.co.nz or www.ngatikahu.com

On the other hand, if you think it can't be done, kei te pai tena. But please don't get in our way while we do it.

To paraphrase peace worker Doris (Granny D) Haddocks

- this is great work. Aren't we joyful for this moment, when all is at stake? We are, we are, and do not stand in the way of our joy. For what is life, if not a theatre of the soul where we might take our part for good or ill? What better thing do we have to do in these months ahead than prepare to celebrate? We will, we will, and do not stand in the way of our joy.

Hei konei. Hei kona.

MAORI POLITICS

In 1993 Ross Himiona, wrote, “Maori politics are practiced with great gusto, much noise, good humour, and sometimes too with considerable acrimony, … by the wise and respected, … by the not-so-wise, by the manipulators, numbers men and power brokers, behind doors and in dark corners; … by our womenfolk quietly getting on with the real business while the men prance and bluster; just like the other variety.”

The big difference of course is that the other variety doesn’t have to first convince its constituency to vote. That’s the dual challenge for Maori in this year’s local body elections; convince Pakeha that it’s in their interests to vote for you, and Maori that it’s in their interests to vote – period.

You’d be smart to run as part of a slate of candidates who are known to be good listeners, harder workers and champion communicators. And you’d be smarter still to avoid the killer mistakes that put paid to Maori success in the past. First, don’t stand Maori against each other. In 2004 three Pakeha and four Maori competed for two seats in the Western Ward. Result? Two Pakeha won. Second, don’t let mana get in the way of eliminating weak wannabe candidates. If someone can’t attract Pakeha support and excite Maori participation, do everyone a favour and cut them. Third, while you should talk to them, avoid public endorsements for your campaign by any organisation. Electoral laws on campaign spending aside, they can lose you more votes than they’re worth. Finally, don’t run with Maori only nominees or so-called Maori issues. Pick people with character and ability who understand that every issue is of interest to Maori.

Some independent candidates will likely get in, regardless of anything you do. Look at who amongst them might make attractive allies on Council, but don’t get too bogged down trying to win them over pre-election. The same goes for the Mayoralty. Run your own strong candidate before thinking about how you might work with an independent.

You should already have a hard-charging campaign team on the ground to raise the money, run the strategies and close the connections between you and the voters. Engari, the Maori Party showed that, even at very short notice, it can still be done successfully.

Policy statements haven’t played an important part in past local body elections up this way. But this year, if you’ve got a strong slate, a heavyweight Mayoral contender, an ace campaign team and key alliances, then a policy platform that tells voters clearly what to expect from you would be nothing but a plus.

If you can pull it all together in the next few weeks, you’ve got a fighting chance to overcome the dual challenge of conservative Pakeha and disengaged Maori voters, although, from my point of view, the real political challenge facing this entire country is how to make the Maori political process part of the mainstream.

So, how do you convince a Pakeha to vote for a Maori? The same way you convince a Maori to vote. Put your head down and bum up, than go kanohi ki te kanohi and door to door for every vote.

Hei konei. Hei kona.

WHAT'S THE BUZZ

This weekend I attended two quite different but equally invigorating events. Friday night I went up to the powhiri at Parapara marae, the venue for the long-awaited Tangaroa me ana Tamariki hui, and was blown away by a couple of things. First the Pakeha there almost outnumbered Maori. Second, as soon as manuhiri arrived they went into the whare kai to help get the evening meal ready. That told me straight away this was going to be a hui where a number of different groups would work together practically and get to know something about what made the others tick.
This hui came out of korero between the workers of the Doubtless Bay Marine Protection Group, Te Whakaminenga, the Department of Conservation and Te Runanga-a-Iwi-o Ngati Kahu. Now, you couldn’t get a more motley crew if you tried. But they took their shared sense of caring for the sea and everything in it, and they carried on talking to each other. The result was the hui – a bridge if you like. For the sake of Tangaroa me ana Tamariki, me nga iwi katoa, I hope it’s one that will get used and extended often.

Sunday, our whanau joined the throngs down at the local pool to celebrate Children’s Day. There was a good buzz happening right from the off with free sausages and cold water being served on demand plus plenty of cool handouts promoting the love and protection of our Tamariki. When the giant inflatable train / obstacle thingy was floated, the buzz deepened. Moving amongst the myriads of ages, shapes, genders, sizes, races and creeds packed around and in the pool I felt the moment when that buzz shifted from good to primo.

Nah - this is really a pool in China. Look relaxing to you?

Spacifix is a West Auckland hip-hop band who started as a school group three years ago, write and record their own songs, tour extensively and have a TV series. Fresh back from Los Angeles they turned up at Kaitaia on Sunday.

Love that Hair. These guys had energy to spare.

What a coup for the organizers, and what a frisson for the crowd. Yep. Their arrival onstage definitely marked the moment that Children’s Day went primo. And don’t ever believe hip-hop is only for brown boys. Because, quite frankly, this fifty year old nanna reckons we could do with way more events like this one in our town. And, judging by the way he rocked his five month old to sleep bopping to the beat, at least one young Pakeha dad would agree. Way to go REAP, Whakawhitiora Pai, Te Hiku Media and everyone else responsible. More please.

To close – last week Trevor Mallard and Mark Burton (Ministers of State-Owned Enterprises and Treaty Settlements respectively) opted for a common-sense month long moratorium on Landcorp sales while they review the ‘policies’ involved. We’re not out of the woods yet regarding Rangiputa, but we have every base covered and will do everything we can to help the Ministers in their review. If you’re interested in knowing more you’re always welcome to phone or call in to our Parkdale Crescent office any time. Or come to the Runanga hui-a-marama on Saturday 31st at Kareponia marae.

Hei konei. Hei kona.

CHOOSE YOU THIS DAY

Na e aku tuakana teina aroha, ko ahau ko Anahera ki te ritenga o te mahi e tau ana ki runga ki a au hei mahi maku ki te Atua, hei whakanui maku i toku karangatanga i runga i te whakaaro nui, kua tae ake nei ahau ki a koutou i tenei ra kia whakapuaki ai ahau i te kupu a te Atua ki a koutou. One of the things that defines being Ngati Kahu is spirituality. Go to any hui and you can guarantee that someone will be called on to open and close it in karakia. Prayer is great, but not when it’s used to disguise ill-will. I am talking directly to you who lost the battle for Ngati Kahu’s mandate.

The mandated negotiators work hard to keep everyone informed, including you. But you work harder at staying uninformed. Na, kei te mohio tonu koutou, i nga wa kua pahure ake nei, i u tonu ratou ki te whakarite i te karangatanga i karangatia ai ratou. Yet you won’t come to the well-notified monthly Runanga hui where there’s a clear standing agenda item – ‘Negotiators’ Report’ – up for discussion every time. I personally put into your hands all the written negotiators’ reports that had been tabled for the last four years. But, instead of acknowledging their hard work, integrity and transparency, you called a hui and gave them two days notice that their presence was required to report to you. When they declined to meet this unreasonable ‘request,’ you complained you were being ignored instead of owning up to the truth that you were being ignorant.

You want the negotiators to work with and for your leader because you reckon he can open doors in government that they can’t. That might or might not be true. But more to the point, if this government is willing to do a better deal with someone who failed to get the mandate of the people, rather than with those who hold it, doesn’t that ring ethical alarm bells for you?

The negotiators have had a presence at all your hui except the last one so, if you genuinely want to know and have a say in what’s happening, come to the next Runanga hui at Kareponia on the 31st. And before you moan at being talked to through the media, remember that you’ve had this invitation put to you in person several times already, but still haven’t come.

Ae ra, nana toku wairua i whakapouri nana ahau i mea kia memenge i te whakama i mua i te aroaro o toku Kai-hanga, kia whakaatu atu ahau kia koutou mo te kino o o koutou ngakau. He mea pouri ano hoki ki ahau kia korero ahau me te maia, me te nui o te reo ki a koutou, i te aroaro o a matou kaumatua me a matou kuia, he tokomaha o ratou e tino ngawari ana ta ratou whakaaro, e hekore ana, e tu-oi ana i te aroaro o te Atua, ko te mea ia e ahuareka ana ki te Atua.
You have a clear choice before you. Follow the path of the one who sows discord amongst the people, and you might reap war. Follow the path that Paul recommends in 1 Timothy 2:1 – 2, and we will all reap peace.

Both paths are spiritual, but only one is tika. Hei konei. Hei kona.

RANGIPUTA HIKOI

Although I wasn’t there, (had to keep a prior appointment), the Hikoi through town last Friday went off like clockwork I hear, thanks to the organizational efforts of those on the Noho Whenua as well as old hands like our Taitokerau Member of Parliament.

Thanks also to the many Pakeha who have either lived long enough amongst us to know the justice of our land claims, or are fair-minded enough to have acquainted yourselves with the facts. Having done so, you have supported our cause and not felt threatened by or resentful of the truth that this land should eventually be returned to Ngati Kahu. Thank you also to the workers on the station. Although you’re loyal and good employees of Landcorp, you’re also part of our community, and we’ve had korero kanohi ki te kanohi at a good and human level with you all.

Sadly that’s not been the case with the Office of Treaty Settlements Director (Paul James), Landcorp’s CEO (Chris Kelly), and Landcorp’s Board who are chaired by Jim Sutton, an ex-Labour MP, now a roving Ambassador for New Zealand. Sure they’ve been polite enough, but in the end they’ve all chosen to actively pursue or passively watch the carve-up and sale of our land. To do so they have had to first ignore and deny at an almost cellular level the truth that they are perpetrating and benefiting from an ongoing land theft. It genuinely puzzles me how and why the eight Directors on the Landcorp Board in particular can do that. They are all passionate landowners themselves. So I wonder, if their land was stolen as ours has been, when would they and their descendants stop seeking its return?

But orchestrating it all are the Crown Ministers behind the Office of Treaty Settlements and Landcorp. Trevor Mallard (Minister of State-Owned Enterprises), Michael Cullen (Minister of Finance), and Mark Burton (Minister of Treaty Negotiations) cannot show how they got their hands on our land. Yet, rather than do the honourable thing and work towards giving it back to us, they’ve all chosen to ape Pontius Pilate and Herod. Well wash away you Honourable members. It’s clear you’re here after every cent you can gouge out of our land, and I don’t doubt that you’ll be able to dodge justice a while longer. But how you’ll stand and defend your actions in the hereafter, I have no idea.

Hoha matou! We get tired of it sometimes, BUT we will carry on trying to get our ever-changing Treaty partner to do the right thing and follow its own rules.

And with that in mind, a final and emphatic thanks to Hone Harawira for the excellent questions in the House. Pai ana to mahi Hone hei reo mo tatou i te whare Ngarara. Rangatira o korero. Kua mau nga mahi a te Kawana. Koia e wetiweti nei ki nga Kereme nei.

Kia kaha tatou ma. Hei konei. Hei kona.

THE WOVEN PEOPLE

Out at the noho whenua on Rangiputa last Saturday I heard a catch-cry I often hear that goes along the lines of, "We’re all the same." Whenever I hear stuff like that, I know straight away I'm listening to someone who's feeling different to me and really means, “I want you to be more like me"

To reword something written by C S Lewis: No man who says, we are all the same, believes it. He wouldn't say it if he did. The St. Bernard never says it to the toy dog, nor the scholar to the dunce, nor the employable to the bum, nor the pretty woman to the plain. The claim to sameness is made only by those who feel uncomfortable about others’ differences.

Take a look at the weaving in this picture. The korowai at the top is by the late Nicky Lawrence. The rain cape (pake) at the bottom is, I think, done by Jane Allan and Betsy Young of Ngataki. The silky, milky muka and the green putiputi are by Lydia Smith, while the whariki on which they lie were a joint effort by a number of us under Lydia's guidance. Although they are different in make, form and usage, these items are all woven on two universal principles – the horizontal weft and the vertical warp. Just like love' and 'marriage, you can't have one without the other. Well, you can try, but they’ll fall apart as sure as eggs.


Koutou ma – we don't have to be like each other. We don’t even have to like each other, although that would be nice. But we do have to live alongside each other. Why not do it as a woven people? Te whiringa o te muka tangata, ne? Hei konei. Hei kona.

RANGIPUTA REPOSSESSION

In the 1980s, under pressure from Maori, the government created 27B memorials on Crown lands under claim that were being transferred into the State Owned Enterprises (SOEs). For Ngati Kahu this included the Rangiputa station on the Karikari peninsula which is now being used by Landcorp. The idea was that the station would remain available to Ngati Kahu for inclusion in any eventual settlement. But because of the way the Crown has set it up, even though it got the land for nothing, it tries to assert that Ngati Kahu can only get it back if we buy it at market value using the cash portion of any settlement package we might accept.

Te Runanga-a-Iwi-o Ngati Kahu holds the mandate to negotiate this and all other historical claims of Ngati Kahu. In October last year the Office of Treaty Settlements let our negotiators know that Landcorp was going to carve off a small section of the station and put it on the open market with an asking price of $3.5 – $4 million. Now, given that the Crown had offered us no more than $8million cash to settle all our claims – you can bet we objected. Do the math yourself. If this small section of the station chews up 50% of the entire settlement cash being offered, we really don’t have much hope of getting the entire station back do we?

Still, we didn’t give up. We decided to find a capital venture partner who would provide us the money to negotiate a fair price with Landcorp in exchange for a long-term leaseback arrangement on the section which would allow him to recoup and grow his investment. That way Landcorp would get its cash, Ngati Kahu would hold ownership over of its land, the investor would get the use of it for an agreed term and, at the end of that term, usage would also come back to Ngati Kahu. The idea isn’t new. It’s been successfully done all over the world, including in Auckland where Ngati Whatua has an agreement over the Devonport Naval Base. It was a win-win for everyone. But nope – Landcorp wasn’t interested. Its CEO told our lawyer that the property would go on the open market in early 2007.

Our negotiators asked the Office of Treaty Settlements to purchase the section and hold it in the Landbank, which is another flawed but tried mechanism set up by the Crown to supposedly protect claim lands from being irrevocably alienated away before settlement. But nope – OTS didn’t have the money. Next the Urlich whanau of Te Whanau Moana, the local hapu out at Rangiputa, tried to engage the Crown and Landcorp in sincere dialogue. But no – they too were treated with disdain and fob-offs. Make no mistake. This land was stolen by the Crown. This is backed up by the Crown’s own Waitangi Tribunal which reported in 1997 that it was never sold. The Crown and its tentacles have made mega-bucks off it and continue to do so.

In last Thursday’s Age there was a glowing description of the land going up for sale. For Te Whanau Moana and Ngati Kahu that was the final straw. We have tried every possible avenue to resolve this. Been to the Tribunal, got a report that’s now ten years old, entered negotiations and offered innovative solutions. And what have we got out of it thus far? Nothing. So when you hear that there is an “occupation” out at Rangiputa, don’t you believe it. It’s just Te Whanau Moana repossessing a small part of its whenua.
Kia kaha koutou ma. E tautoko kaha ana Te Runanga-a-Iwi-o Ngati Kahu me nga tini hapu o Ngati Kahu i tenei mahi toa, mahi tika.

BEING HERE

Sometimes being an iwi insider can be a pain. Like when I hear the words “mai ra ano” as an explanation for why things can or will never change. Don’t get me wrong, I get a kick out of being here and I value those traditions that give shape and meaning to this life. But even paradise can start to pall if things forever remain the same. So I’m really grateful to be something of a magnet for quirky people.


They challenge, exasperate and bug the heck out of me … and yet I must like being here with them because I have no trouble telling people to permanently go away, and I’ve yet to do that with any of them.

There’s my old mate, a Pakeha, who has for years annoyed me with his korero about a “third way” which, according to him, will result as we in this country move from being either western (read Pakeha) or eastern (insert Maori) to this “third way.” He was bad enough on his own then he met and joined up with one of my Kaumatua. Together they prove the theory that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. I don’t happen to agree with hardly a thing they have to say … and yet I admire their passion and commitment to the “third way” that they now actively promote throughout the motu.

Another man I worked with was a chronic boozer who, after decades of marriage, had to build himself a custom-made “dogbox” in which to sleep off his benders because his former one got totaled one morning by a visiting horse. I think it involved the horse’s head. Not long after that he and a pal established a political party and their meetings were always in the office I shared with him. I never heard such learned discussions before … nor since. He exasperated me no end with what I saw as an utter waste of one of the best intellects ever to visit this earth … and yet I always felt energized when he was around. God rest his pickled soul.

If you have an hour or a day to spare I recommend you spend it with another mate of mine to just listen to him alternatively korero i te reo Maori and English. You say you don’t speak or understand te reo? Believe me it won’t matter, you won’t get much more than an edgeways word in every now and then anyway. But sit with him long enough and I promise you this – you will learn so much more than you ever thought possible about yourself. Many of my other quirky mates would tell you not to waste your time … and yet his challenging company remains a stimulus for some of their own best thinking moments.



I make no apologies to my well-loved friends who have either been included or excluded from this column. You are truly awesome people so don’t feel anything but pride if I’ve shared some thoughts about you, because you are the point, the reason and even the message for today.

Being here is a privilege. It doesn’t last long. Think about that. That’s one thing that quirky people do really well. Instead of rejecting the possibilities with a “mai ra ano” they think in unlimited ways. They are the ones who give me hope that it might actually still be possible to have an original thought. You know – the kind that produced the wheel and changed the world. Let’s face it, there’s precious little of it happening anymore. But if it does happen it’ll come from one of them. It may even come from one of you. And that would make any pain well worthwhile. God willing.

Hei konei Hei kona.

ON YOUR SHOULDERS

THE ANNUAL GENERAL

Since becoming CEO with Ngati Kahu I’ve come up with my own interpretation of the acronym – Carry Every One!





One of the most stressful times of the year is that leading up to and inclusive of an Annual General Meeting. This being both my first AGM with Ngati Kahu and my first as a CEO made it nerve-wracking, hair-tearing stuff as my three month lead in time dwindled to weeks then days before the final ‘i’ got dotted and the last ‘t’ was crossed on the Annual Report.

As a result I’m giving a very stern warning to everyone from our directors to our printers – please don’t do this to me next year. OK?

Anyway it turned out to be a great day at Oturu marae. The deliberations were deliberate, the humour was hilarious and the goodwill was … good. Oh yeah, the finances received an unqualified audit report, and so too did the food which was fabulous. More importantly, the unity of purpose and passion lit up the day as bright as the sunshine outside. Yeah I know, you can just about hear the birds singing and the harps playing. Put all cynicism aside, those who missed it missed something special.

TANGAROA ME ANA TAMARIKI

So don’t miss out again this weekend when Parapara marae hosts this Tangaroa me ana Tamariki wananga which literally means, for those still learning the reo, Tangaroa and his Children. But you know Maori, we need to look behind the literal and find the symbol, and it’ll help you to do the same if you want to build the relationship with us and to be part of protecting the marine environment in our rohe.

There’ll be some talk, some practice and heaps of learning. Presenters include Kaumatua, marine biologists, and local Taipa Area School students. They’ll cover a range of kaupapa like how to build and use a hinaki, monitoring marine health and making it happen. If it is fine on the Saturday, there could be a trip to Aurere.

The hui is being co-hosted by the Department of Conservation, Doubtless Bay Marine Protection Group, Te Runanga-a-Iwi O Ngati Kahu and Te Whakaminenga. Come along for the whole weekend or come along for an hour. Everyone is welcome. Oh, and a plate for supper on Friday and a hand in the whare kai would be very much appreciated.

PATHOLOGIST SERVICES IN KAITAIA

Sorry to close on a glum note but I have to signal something that’s going to get my attention. Sitting at the market on Saturday morning I met a whanaunga who told me that post mortems are all being done in Auckland now. Probably not news to a lot of you but, man, who needs the additional burden of having to travel to Auckland and back when you’re already heartbroken and might also be broke?

We’ve got a local funeral service that’s building a new complex with purpose-built post mortem facilities included. So what’s the problem about doing post-mortems up here? That’s what I’m going to find out.

CEO remember.

HERE'S TO THE DREAMERS

Industry captains and benny-day millionaires, five year old boys and fifty year old nannas, local governments and marae committees – they all have a dream for the future. The difference between realizing their dream and watching it turn to dust most often boils down to three simple things.

Belief is first up – the kind that does not let anything cloud the dream. Second up is planning – the kind that takes note of then disregards how or even if the dream stacks up against everyone else’s. Because if you play that game the ones at the top of the heap tend to stay there and the best everyone lower down can hope for is to be asked how they feel about the deal when, in most cases, it’s already done and dusted.

Too many times that’s how consultation feels when it comes to central, regional and local government plans. You can forgive people if they feel it ain’t worth the bother. But Ngati Kahu doesn’t have that option. In fact no iwi authority does when the consultation and plans are all about the use and development of our resources. In the face of every attempt to ignore, destroy or diminish that simple fact, it not only persists – it positively flourishes.

The government passed the Foreshore and Seabed Act, so Maori put people in Parliament with the nouse and guts to seek its repeal. Council decided that a resource consent application for an overbridge on to the foreshore didn’t need to be notified, so Maori took firm action and the development halted. The Resource Management Act became government’s legislative framework, so Maori churned out resource management graduates by the bucketload who used it to enhance our practice and government’s understanding of kaitiakitanga.

That’s the reactionary aspect of being whanau, hapu and iwi in Aotearoa. But the really mindboggling achievements are in the proactive stuff that’s going on out here in iwi-land. We have produced educators, broadcasters, jurists, tradesmen, entrepreneurs and other influencers – most of them legitimate and most holding the same world view as our tupuna had of this country’s resources. Naku te ao. Eventually all that collective belief adds up to reality.

That brings me to the last and probably hardest part of realizing our dreams – relating to all those others who either share or think they share our interests. The good news is that it doesn’t have to be hard. Right now Ngati Kahu, the Department of Conservation and the Doubtless Bay Marine Protection Society are all working together to enhance the protection of our marine environment. It has its exciting moments but largely it’s being done very amicably under the mana whenua / mana moana of Ngati Kahu.

So here’s to the dreamers and schemers amongst us who turn the impossible into the unremarkable. Long may we dream.

Hei konei. Hei kona.

IT'S NOT ABOUT STATISTICS

Statistics are not as sexy as headlines that shout “Welfare State Killed Kahui Twins” or some such, but did you know that in Northland last year there were almost 15,500 crimes recorded and only 7,500 resolved? Yeah I know you’re thinking – so what? Is crime going up, going down or just going round and round?

Remember these are statistics, so probably any meaning is possible. What is probable is that most of you reading this will be thinking at least one or a mix of the following things.

§ Pakeha colonization is the root cause of most of the crime around here.
§ Maori commit most of the crime around here.
§ I don’t feel as safe today as I did ten years ago.
§ I’ve never felt safe.

If you can truly say you didn’t think anything remotely like any of the above you either have a well-developed case of ignorance or a highly evolved sense of perspective. Well, commiserations to the ignorant and congratulations to the perceptive. Feel free to stick around. But this is probably not about you.

As for the rest of you – your thinking might be right or it might be wrong. You might be Ngati Kahu, Ngati Pakeha or Ngati Kore. I don’t care. But if you’re honest enough to own your thoughts and you’re willing to do something about either verifying or altering them, then this is about you.

First off – if you aren’t happy with the way you think things are, than change them. But try not to be an ‘-ist’ about it. Racists, ageists, sexists, tribalists – even herbalists – they all made up their minds once a long time ago and they aren’t ever going to do anything that might put them in the way of having to change it. ‘-Ists’ are about as useful to Ngati Kahu as feathers on a frog. So, please, don’t be an ‘-ist.’

Second – if there are people in your neighbourhood you don’t know much about, try meeting and getting to know them on their terms. If you live in the Ngati Kahu rohe, which is roughly between Kaitaia, Mangamuka and Kaeo, and you haven’t done it yet, find out when the local Marae or the local Ratepayers Association next meets and get on over there. You’ll find an everyday life going on that’s as different to yours as Paris, Rarotonga or Rome. Call us here on 4083013 and we’ll put you in touch with the marae. Sorry we can’t help you with the Ratepayers Association because that’s still on our personal list of different people we have yet to meet. But please, don’t let your differences stop you from experiencing our differences.

Third – if you ever feel bad about something you hear one of your mates say or do to anyone different to them, have the courage to front them. Mahia nga mahi ki runga i te tika, te pono me te aroha. What you sow you will reap. So please, don’t be a coward.

You know, one definition of crime is ‘an action or an instance of negligence that is deemed injurious to the public welfare.’ That includes letting ignorance, prejudice and cowardice guide the way you live your life. So if you don’t like things the way they are, it’s not about crime statistics. It’s about you.

Hei konei Hei kona.

STUMBLING BLOCKS INTO STEPPING STONES

On last week’s Ngati Kahu radio show I interviewed Carol Hudson, Adult Community Education (ACE) Coordinator and Librarian at Taipa Area School, about how she and a number of teachers at the school want to deliver their “Stepping Stones and Pathways” to the taitamariki / young adults in their rohe. They’re especially concerned about those who are no longer at school, not yet employed in their dream job, and wanting to get some unit standards under their belt. Sadly they’ve found it hard to gauge the interest level because only two people turned up to their first informal meeting held on September 7th. So here’s me doing my bit to promote what Carol and the ACE team are trying to do in Taipa.

ACE used to be known as “night school” and, even though the name has changed, the dedication and commitment of the people who are willing to give up their time and talents to tutor others remains bright. Take a look at the following lineup of prospective tutors and courses at Taipa. They have Jo Berghan (Parenting Skills), M’am Fiona King (NCEA English), Wyane Walsh (NCEA Math), Dianne Vette-Welsh (ESOL), Jessica Lightband (Cooking on a Budget), Matua Tangira (Tu Tangata), Mark Edwards (Computing), Steve Tansey (Graphics) and Karen Gally (Budgeting). Those look like pretty useful skills for anyone to gain, let alone those who are unskilled, unemployed and wanting more out of life.

Whatever the case might be, the opportunity and challenge are there for people to get along to see Carol at the school and take a look at what’s possible. They have the keen-as tutors, they have the venues – and I’m willing to stick their neck out and bet that if you can’t get in they’ll try and get out to you. All they need now is the interest and feedback from you their community. Carol can be contacted on 4060159 ext. 220. So over to you Tokerau / Doubtless Bay.

Onto another kaupapa altogether. This week I met with Te Ohu Kai Moana’s Asset Transfer Team Manager to see how we can iron out the last few kinks standing between Ngati Kahu and our share of the 1992 Fisheries Settlement. We are not far away from getting the population-based portion of our allocation. But like Ngapuhi, Te Rarawa and many other Mandated Iwi Organisations (MIOs) we’re still some miles from getting our coastline-based portions of the assets because we have yet to fix a spot on the map defining the boundaries between us and our neighbouring iwi.

Why must iwi, who have managed for millennia to co-exist without defining where our shared interests begin and end, now have to put an “X” on a map? Because that is what is we have to do in order to get our own assets and to stop paying for their use. And because fighting against it has already cost us terribly. So that is why Ngati Kahu, in spite of the internal tussle within ourselves about doing so, is taking part in something we didn’t design, don’t like and suspect won’t deliver what we want. But after this week’s meeting I feel more hopeful that, as with most things that come our way, Ngati Kahu will turn even this stumbling block into a stepping stone.

Hei konei. Hei kona.

WORDS AND CONTEXT

It’s fascinating how words get most of their power from a context that very few of us have an inkling about. An example of that happened at the opening of the new Mangonui police station a few weeks ago. From my perspective the whole affair was strange for a bunch of reasons, not least being the relegation of Ngati Kahu kaumatua to a supporting role in their own rohe. But the strangest moment of the day for me personally came from a local VIP with whom I’ve always been reasonably friendly. After congratulating me on my recent appointment, she turned to the staunch Ngati Kahu man with me and said, “I’m so glad Anahera is on board with Ngati Kahu. Now we might have a decent relationship with you.”

I have no idea what the VIP meant to communicate but I had a very clear idea by the curl of his lip what my mate heard her say. Ask anyone who knows me, I’m not often left speechless. But the utter crassness of the moment frustrated me, and I just walked away. It’s not my style anymore to have public stoushes with VIPs, especially in a police station, but I wondered how Ngati Kahu could have a “better relationship” with someone who hadn’t a clue about our context?

Think about it. This is an iwi dealing with development pressures in our rohe like no other in Tai Tokerau. Karikari peninsula alone had a 7% population increase between 1996 and 2001 when the change for the entire Far North district was only 3.3%. And you can bet the house that the population has shot up even more sharply in 2006. The last lot of unjust land clearances in our rohe happened in the 1960s when the Hetaraka whanau were forcibly removed from their farm on what is now the fantastically popular camping ground administered by DoC at Maitai Bay. That’s in the living memory of a lot of us. Land is still being lost to rating pressures, and the Crown is still resisting the chance it has in the treaty negotiations to return or pay a fair price for what it stole from us.

The correlation between landlessness and powerlessness is our context and VIPs of varied ilk have presided over that. So to all VIPs out there – past, present and budding – no. I won’t tame this ‘stroppy’ Ngati Kahu lot and I won’t deliver them on a silver platter anywhere they don’t want to go. But I will do my very best to help you understand, if you want to, their context.

Who knows, you might come to admire this quite resilient iwi as we change our context and, in the process, you might get to have a real relationship with us.

Hei konei. Hei kona.

RATIFICATION ROUNDUP

The Ngati Kahu constitution was ratified two weeks ago with a 97% approval vote. The results and supporting evidence have been sent to Te Ohu Kai Moana so it can release to us in the New Year our share of the fisheries settlement. The process was onerous, but the result is a great one by any standards.

MERRY MAITAI CHRISTMAS
This Christmas holiday period some of you might be thinking of heading out to Maitai Bay campgrounds for a day or two. Before you go here are some facts that will make your visit a lot more meaningful.

1. The Hetaraka Whanau and this land belong to each other. In the 1960s they were unjustly and forcibly removed from it and their ownership rights over it were usurped by the Crown. Two years ago they moved back onto the land and the Crown finally began addressing the serious wrong it had done them. Alan Hetaraka lives there and, along with Te Runanga A Iwi O Ngati Kahu and the Department of Conservation, is building a solid partnership towards its future management and development.


2. Respect goes a long way in Ngati Kahu. Within the Maitai Bay Reserve there are areas of high spiritual and cultural value to Te Whanau Moana, the local hapu, and the wider iwi of Ngati Kahu. Additionally the fore dunes are environmentally fragile and also need to be treated with respect. Ngati Kahu would prefer that they not be used at all due to the large number of past burials in close proximity to the beach, but we’ll be satisfied if you use existing tracks to the beaches and don’t take vehicles onto Merita Beach at all (except to launch boats at the left hand end of the beach). Foot traffic on that beach must be limited to below the high water line and boat trailers must be parked in the area provided within the bounds of the camp.

If you’re going to visit Maitai Bay this summer, then take the time to familiarise yourself with these facts. If you arrive with fireworks, firearms, speeding vehicles, an attitude, alcohol, drugs or dollar signs in your eyes – don’t expect the welcome mat to be rolled out. But if you come prepared to treat the area and its people with the utmost respect, you’ll be welcomed back anytime.

HEI KONEI HEI KONA
Here at the end of 2006 I thank God for many things. Another year of life in all its gory glory. Blessings and burdens of family and friends. Hard times and good times. The growth that can only come out of hard times and the laughter that lightens the load. In 2007 I hope for many things. But most of all I hope that, as you approach the manger this year and greet once more the Child who is born to save us, you find comfort in the company of shepherds, angels and a poor but joyous couple and their newborn Son. Then, after all the holiday hoop-la has dissolved. I pray you can look inside and outside yourself, then truly feel grateful for the mystery and the miracle of life before you, and confident that ‘for all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world.’
See you in 2007.