Hard News: Friday Gold: An email exchange with Michael Laws
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You are all very earnest, aren't you!
When we're not being frank.
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Laws is loved, in part, because he is so politically incorrect
You mean profoundly disrespectful of others. Go right ahead and vote en masse for that, but if you inflict it on the rest of us then expect some interest. Same goes for Auckland and our mayoral choices. I expect ignorant rudeness in public life to be a concern across the political spectrum.
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The post about this at Reading the Maps is pretty even-handed.
It seems to me that both Laws and Turia base their positions on unrealistic pictures of the state of race relations in W(h)anganui, and elsewhere in the North Island. Laws is fond of talking about how 'we're all one nation now', and how all the residents of his town except a 'few extremist stirrers' identify as Kiwis, rather than as Maori or Pakeha. This sort of rhetoric is an implicit denial of the real history of the Whanganui region, and of the North Island in general. Laws should be reading Mark Derby*.
For her part, Turia claims that only a few 'rednecks' will be riled by the junking of Wanganui in favour of Whanganui. Such a view grossly underestimates the level of Pakeha anxiety about Maori attempts to right the injustices of the past. Laws has built himself a substantial base by appealing to the fears of impoverished provincial Kiwis that Maori are getting a 'better deal' than them. A generation has grown up since the neo-liberal 'reforms' which gutted industry and infrastructure in provincial New Zealand. In a town like Wanganui, where the trade union movement and the organised left was decimated by the closure of the railway workshops and other key industries in the eighties and nineties, rational, politically progressive explanations for low standards of living and poor services have often been unavailable.
In these circumstances, Laws' claims that the problems of towns like Wanganui are the result of the fleecing of the taxpayer by Maori dole bludgers and the 'Treaty grievance industry' fill an ideological vacuum. Although Laws defends Pakeha privilege, he appeals to a real sense of victimhood amongst his poorer supporters. By seeming to over-ride the wishes of most Pakeha, Turia risks reinforcing this sense of victimhood. Laws stands for the hegemony of Pakeha culture over Maori culture; on this issue, at least, Turia simply inverts his position.
* Mark Derby's new book "The Prophet and the Policeman" is mentioned.
Perhaps a stronger progressive voice might fill the vacuum?
Some good follow-up in the comments too.
Although I personally always say 'Whanganui', and empathise with the view put forward eloquently by Marty, I accept that Pakeha residents of the town say 'Wanganui', and associate that name with their own culture and history. 'Wanganui' may be nonsense in Maori, but it has become meaningful to many conservative Pakeha. The word cannot be extinguished by bureaucratic fiat.
What I object to is not the right of Pakeha to commemorate their culture and history, but the attempt to make Pakeha culture and history hegemonic - to say that the Pakeha history and culture represented by names like 'Wanganui' should be the official culture and history of *all* residents of these islands.
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To be fair there is a reasonable compromise and that's to adopt BOTH spellings officially recognising BOTH heritages. It happened with Mt Cook/Aoraki. Why not Wanganui/Whanganui?
All I will say on Laws is that his voters and his radio bosses are probably happy because he's entertaining. We like controversy otherwise we would have nothing to comment on!
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Yes, this nation needs more entertainers in civic decision-making roles. Someone off Shortland Street for Prime Minister, perhaps. Or a rugby player for Mayor. As long as they're fun.
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Emily, who was the candidate that stood against Laws last election?
Would you agree that part of Laws' appeal to Whanganui is his high profile, regardless of his politics? That he draws attention to the area?
The few people I still know there loathe him , but usually also say that he puts the town on the map, in the 'all publicity is good' kind of vein. -
In the south, we tend to give the name first used priority - e.g. Aoraki/Mt Cook-
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An interesting letter in Saturday's Dompost (not online):
"The radio ratings survey period runs from August 29 to October 10.
Talkback host and Wanganui Mayor Michael Laws writes his abusive reply to letters dated April 2 and April 3 from Otaki schoolchildren on August 27.A Woman's Day cover story on Mr Laws' marital break-up/make-up appears on August 31. the introduction of Wanganui's gang-patch bylaw came on September 1.
A strange convergence of coincidences? There are no flies on that boy for planning.
Lorna Sutherland, Wanganui."
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To be fair there is a reasonable compromise and that's to adopt BOTH spellings officially recognising BOTH heritages. It happened with Mt Cook/Aoraki. Why not Wanganui/Whanganui?
With all due respect to you, Emily, that double naming thing is only ever used, I believe, and I am perfectly happy to stand corrected, with tourists in mind. and perhaps as a bit of a nod to our bicultural history and heritage. I also think that it has only happened in this one case. I can think of no others that are commonly used. People either use the Maori or English names for places. Personally, I understand that the Wa/Wha thing down your way has become less about the extra h and more about a bit of a power struggle. I say stop the madness. It was Whanganui before your ancestors and mine arrived here, and Whanganui it should stay. Seriously. Think hard on it, Emily. Is calling your fair city Wanganui/Whanganui really a sensible way of approaching the whole thing. A bit pointless perhaps? Not to mention, smelling a little of civic selfimportance?
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no flies on that boy for planning
And it's that cynicism if true that makes him truly disgusting.
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Jackie, there's some discussion in the Reading the Maps post about Taranaki/Egmont. Mind you, at least those are two independently meaningful names for the same thing, not just a spelling mistake.
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The candidate here against Laws in 2007 was a very distinguished gentleman John Martin - impeccable CV being ex-Army, ex-American Express, Laws' age and born and educated here. He had the backing of everyone from the Greens and local MP Jill Pettis through to Chamber of Commerce president, most community groups and every artist and student. The very popular regional councilor Annette Main publicly endorsed him.
Very visible campaign but didn't get anywhere. Laws got 55 or 56% of the total voters I think. Martin about 35%. It was a two horse race.
On the radio ratings/timing issue - I don't think the Geo Board, Parliament and local council would all choose to drop their decisions just to boost his ratings. That sounds like another 9/11 conspiracy theory!
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Jackie, one of the points of the Kai Tahu settlement with the crown was for - eventually all- names in our rohe to have both the Maori & the English names where relevant. And Sacha is exactly on the mark-
it applies to places like Matakaea/Shag Point or Mawhera/Greymouth,
not to a spelling mistake in Maori (spelling mistakes in English are another matter altogether - there is a long tradition of mispelling in English, and an equal tradition in keeping spellings that bear little resemblance to how the placename/family name/whatever is now pronounced.) -
I hadn't realised that, Islander. Thanks for that clarification re the Kai Tahu settlement.
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On the radio ratings/timing issue - I don't think the Geo Board, Parliament and local council would all choose to drop their decisions just to boost his ratings. That sounds like another 9/11 conspiracy theory!
Well, i have to wonder why he waited the best part of five months to reply to the Otaki letter. We all know he's had a hard time with his personal life, but a reply after five months seems pointless. He would know when the WD story was being published, so two stories in the news is better than one, with the gang patch law & name decision all in the wings. Not to mention all the coverage he gets via his radio show & Sunday column. I don't underestimate his media savvy and political nous at all - I think he's very clever, a smooth operator. Years ago, (70s?), he was a city councillor in Napier, my home town. He was a smart cookie then. He's got enormous reach for the Mayor of a small city.
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both the Maori & the English names
More of an issue in the South was my impression during Maori Language Week when TVNZ showed weather maps with reo placenames (southerly ones here). Further North, less difference. I guess sheer iwi population distribution and influence at the time of Pakeha settlement had an impact.
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Hello Kerry - except that Laws did not release either the Otaki letter or the e-mails we're talking about. That's where the conspiracy theory falls down because it was those who received the replies who made them public and not Laws.
It is the experience of those of us here that Laws does not necessarily look for a fight but if one starts then he is a willing combatant. I would have thought the best policy was to let sleepings dogs lie? No?
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it applies to places like Matakaea/Shag Point or Mawhera/Greymouth,
not to a spelling mistake in Maori (spelling mistakes in English are another matter altogether - there is a long tradition of mispelling in English, and an equal tradition in keeping spellings that bear little resemblance to how the placename/family name/whatever is now pronounced.)So by that rational, In keeping with Law's duel name assertion, couldn't Whanganui be the Maori name and Wanganui the English name as a loan word, I assume it was an Englishman who originally fucked it up.
there is a long tradition of mispelling in English, and an equal tradition in keeping spellings that bear little resemblance to how the placename/family name/whatever is now pronounced.)
I'm reminded of when Bond went undercover as someone or other St. John Smith/SinJin Smythe in 'A view to a Kill'
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A clearly Maori word - albeit misspelt - is not an English word. If it was 'Wangers' or some such, then you could have Wangers/Whanganui...
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i believe my basic questions remain outstanding. i cannot quite believe that a person whose warblings have actually been published in the past resorts in a flash to pottymouthing me the second the going gets unorthodox...
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then you could have Wangers/Whanganui...
That's a very sensible suggestion, let's put it to a referendum. Wangers doesn't sound half bad. It would also flow seamlessly with the capital's new name (if I get my way), Wellington/Schmellington.
And when do we get to rename the two islands? Currently they sound as if they had been named by the cat in the hat.
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A clearly Maori word - albeit misspelt - is not an English word...
I'd argue it clearly became an English word over a century ago. The same was as Italy is an English word. I'm in favor of Wanganouille
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A clearly Maori word - albeit misspelt - is not an English word.
Almost the entire English language consists of missspelt foreign words.
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it's true.
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And when do we get to rename the two islands? Currently they sound as if they had been named by the cat in the hat.
p. 1873
"All ready to put up the names for my islands.
I'll name one island North and the other South island,
said Maui the Maori with spear clasped in hand,
there's none better than I at naming lands"
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