Hard News: It is your right and duty to vote
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Has anyone mentioned the strange Government decision to stop the 'It's not OK' campaign? Apparently, we are domestically peaceful now.
Apparently it's much worse than that. While they feel things have improved, the problem, they say, is disproportionately a Maori one, and therefore a 'new' campaign focused 'exclusively' on Maori, called Aroha in Action will get the funding.
While this may be a worthy campaign in it's own right (I don't know enough to comment), it is deeply concerning to think of the signal this may send to others. And, as others have commented, disproportionately does not mean 100%.
Russell and Robyn both tweeted about it last night, so hopefully comments will follow. It could serve to be even more 'contentious' than the flag debate.
The obvious cliché is; if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
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Maybe we need a proper approach to deciding on what a Maori flag needs to be, and perhaps at the end it will be Tino Rangatiratanga, or maybe another design will emerge.
So, Te Puni Kokiri hasn't been running a "proper" approach? Sorry for sounding like a broken record here, but Jones has been making some pretty serious allegations that, as far as I'm aware, nobody's been investigating. Guess it doesn't fit the entirely predictable "the natives are revolting" plotline...
And if Shane Jones is speaking for his party, then I've got to wonder what the hell's the point of any public consultation on the subject if the results aren't to his liking.
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As for the disagreement among Maori, KiwiPolitico has a good post on what that's about.
It seems to be a bit wider than he suggests, frankly. Tau Henare has officially fallen into line (but clearly isn't happy, to judge by his comments earlier in the year), but he's not the only Maori National MP to be uncomfortable:
However, National MP Georgina te Heuheu is against the idea. When asked by ONE News if she supported the idea of flying the flag, she replied: "On our marae, we'll fly our own flags."
I remain of the view that the whole thing's been half-arsed.
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It's not like there's a lot of things that rhyme with "Zealand"
Well, I could offer my surname but that would be impertinent. But in introductions, "I'm Geoff Lealand from New Zealand" always has a satidsfying ring to it.
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the tino rangitiratanga
Can we at least come to an angreement as to the spelling? It's rang*a*tiratanga, right? I've seen both versions used throughout the thread and in newspaper articles all week.
I see this (and the noise around it being whipped up by Audrey Young) as being a symptom of intergenerational cultural change. The interesting bit politically is that National, which has traditionally backed the old, is now backing the young
Is it really a break from the past? My impression over the last decade has been that the conservative establishment is very comfortable with biculturalism and with the Waitangi Tribunal process, so long as they stay within certain bounds. Hence yes to redress based on property rights and money, no to the idea that Maori can stake broader cultural claims on how society works. Imposing a time limit on the Treaty negotiation process is another manifestation of the will to control this thing so it doesn't get out of hand. And what is one to make of the idea of flying a flag that for more than a few people is in fact a subversive symbol, but only on a certain day? Isn't that 'concession' also a way of putting Maori in their proper place? Otherwise, so long as we're a bicultural society, both flags ought to fly all the time. (And the problem there is that neither symbolises biculturalism, but rather contrasting ideas of sovereignity.)
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Actually, while I'm at it (and still not a real New Zealander), I read the 2025 Taskforce report - which may be a minority document, but hey, the government commissioned it and it was written by the previous leader of National - and the word Maori appears in it exactly twice over the 142 pages of the report. The first time is a passing mention of the performance of Maori and Pacific children in education. The second time, under the heading of Maori Land, where the authors write:
We are aware of significant issues outstanding around the ability of Maori land in multiple ownership to readily be used by its owners to its maximum potential economic value. There are complex cultural, economic and legal issues here, and they affect private land. We are not in a position to take a view on either the materiality of the issue or whether it raises real issues that are amenable to policy solutions. It might be exactly the sort of issue that a Productivity Commission can help to illuminate.
So the fundamental reforms that we supposedly ought to enact in order to make ourselves competitive with Australia and the rest of world spare exactly one thought (if you can call it that) for Maori. So much for biculturalism, or in fact the most basic of understandings of what culture means.
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giovanni, I reserve the right to miss-spell Maori words as much as I do those in English. I can only speak Maori at a very basic level and cannot readily recognise dialect differences, therefore cultural heritage, as opposed to spelling miss-takes :)
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I misspelt "agreement" there, so... But I was really asking about the spelling since rang*i*tiratanga has been used consistently by a few commenters.
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If we're going to have a National Van, how about we borrow this one?
After all, those A-Team boys were pretty ingenious with whatever was lying around, and that fits in well with the No.8 wire mentality.
And with global warming kicking in, maybe 'I ain't getting on no plane!' should be a national catchphrase?
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However, National MP Georgina te Heuheu is against the idea. When asked by ONE News if she supported the idea of flying the flag, she replied: "On our marae, we'll fly our own flags."
So, remind me again -- who the hell is suggesting that Tuwharetoa marae (or anyone else) be subjected to a compulsory extreme make-over? I wouldn't have the stones to try...
Russell, you're perfectly entitled to hold to your view "the whole thing's been half-arsed". I'd just like a reason to believe that we're not seeing another "bloodly Maari" mash-up from lazy media and (in some but not all cases) cynical political opportunism.
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It is just me that finds it very depressing that billions of dollars is to be spent on big roads - without local access on and off ramps - across the Wellington region, through the last of the coastal wetlands, into earthquake fault country too steep for trucks, and through a city which will largely be under water at high tide with just a one metre sea level rise, which is likely in only a few decades unless we stop using cars.
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And while the long awaited new trains on the same route will not have toilets as that is too expensive.
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Meanwhile, here's one for the "wonders will never cease" file. The Herald comes up with a measured and coherent editorial on Flag-gate.
And while the long awaited new trains on the same route will not have toilets as that is too expensive.
Hilary: I'm going to ask my partner to reply to that when he gets home from work, because he's really not very impressed by the media reporting of that issue.
into earthquake fault country too steep for trucks, and through a city which will largely be under water at high tide with just a one metre sea level rise, which is likely in only a few decades unless we stop using cars.
Or we just move the capitol to Palmerston North, and write Wellington off as an epic planning fail.
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Re Aroha in Action.
The obvious cliché is; if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
It seems to be accounting. Shifting one lot of monies to another scheme looks all shiny and new, and for National (albeit Turia) The polytechs have had a right rogering thanks to Trolley, the bat who only had time to do her xmas cards whilst the 2nd reading of her dictatorship takeover was in the House yesterday. No staff representation, no student,no business,no union, definitely no maori, seen when The Maori party put forward an SOP, no representation other than Trolley appointees with 8 weeks to appoint the other 4 and if not agreed on, hey Trolley will do that too. WTF!
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Hilary: I'm with you. I was particularly infuriated to read in the Dompost:
Transport Ministry documents show it could take longer to reopen after an earthquake than the coastal route, and ministry officials told Mr Joyce this year that the economic benefits were low. But public support remains high, with 89 per cent of submitters in a Transport Agency survey last year supporting the route.
So basically, we're going to spend 1 BILLION dollars on something of little benefit, on carbon-emitting cars and trucks, whose fuel continually increases in price... argh argh argh.
WHERE IS MY LIGHT RAIL TO THE AIRPORT?
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Oh yeah, let's eviscerate Wellington.
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WHERE IS MY LIGHT RAIL TO THE AIRPORT?
Why, one would need more than the LTSA survey (lobby group) to get a look in.
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Efficient and fast light rail from Palmerston North to the Wellington airport and port could be built with that money. Means the new capital of Palmerston North (Craig) could still have easy access to the rest of the world.
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.Oh yeah, let's eviscerate Wellington.
On the other hand, who's never driven into Levin thinking man, I wish I could have got here 23 minutes earlier?
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Maybe we need a proper approach to deciding on what a Maori flag needs to be, and perhaps at the end it will be Tino Rangatiratanga, or maybe another design will emerge.
The whole flag issue really feels like cart before the horse to me. Of a million issues that could be sorted out under the heading of 'biculturalism', we get the symbol. Sure, symbols have meaning, but not much flows from this.
I couldn't get up in arms about this particular flag either way. I'd like to think that at some stage that Maori will need to stop waving a flag that is associated with protest and resistance. Flags should be forever, and should be about more than that. I'm not seeing that day on the horizon yet.
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trains on the same route will not have toilets
That would be socialism. Consistent with his belief in private enterprise, perhaps Joyce is instead planning to subsidise porta-potties for individual car drivers to reward their personal.. efforts.
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On the other hand, who's never driven into Levin thinking man, I wish I could have got here 23 minutes earlier?
You've gone wrong there. Otaki: wholesale shops of quality clothing, and the Otaki races which I will be missing this year due to leaving the region two days earlier (but saving $20).
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could be built with that money
That's the important thing when looking at any of these loony highway-building projects. It's real sustainable transport for our children and theirs that you're seeing pissed into the pockets of a few wealthy contsruction companies and party donors.
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Means the new capital of Palmerston North (Craig) could still have easy access to the rest of the world.
If we're going to move the capital, it's only fair that the South Island gets a go. I'd suggest Timaru: already has a motorway in and out, a good port and could use the influx of bright and interesting people ...
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I'd suggest Timaru
Dude, stop drinking the water, right now. (Srsly, it tastes appalling.)
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