With a latest obsequious embarrassing trekking to a Marae this week to pay homage to a gathering of Maori Elite who seem never to make any moves to say a brief thank you to tax payers who have been forced without any consultation to hand over vast sums of money for a multitude of reasons still being created at a race based “tribunal” where rules of debate seem somewhat at odds with what passes in many minds as having evolved over many years for such political discourse
The New Zealand political year kicks off after an extended break of approximately a Month when apparently there is no need for day to day governance or management from those elected by voters to be responsible, with a trek to a Pa just south of The Wanganui River town of the same name where a number of followers of a historical religious leader of the early 1900s celebrate his birthday in late January.
Then a week or so later another trek occurs to a now almost as obscure settlement in the Bay of Islands where the signing of a pacification and ceding of power document occurred in 1840 between some unelected native chiefs and a functionary of the UK Government some 12 000 miles distant in London acting out a final step to “claiming ” this land as a part of the then world dominating colonial accumulations of the greatest sea power of the time , The United Kingdom.
This week in another move with interesting accoutrements of creating another step to an opportunity to prevaricate and disturb any moves to enjoying a peaceful multicultural nation, this one ostensibly to mark the “Coronation” of a even more obscure ex truck driver descendent of a family claiming affiliation to a Waikato tribe as some sort of Reigning Monarch with no crown so far.
Of course never mentioned, that bunch of descendents and fellow travellers “Monarch”, is not recognised by any other of the suggested canoe sailers who came to New Zealand seeking Lebensraum, only Waikato have a Reigning monarch.
No matter there is another obsequious outpouring of fealty while “Rome Burns”
Now I don’t know for sure just how much Money has been handed to Maori Elite, some research offers a figure getting close to five billion and that is not the end of it is it, yet this nation is regaled almost daily of poverty afflicting citizens claiming often tenuous lineage to the travellers of the seven canoes.
Never a poor family descended from a Scottish family who escaped the “Clearances” and spent weeks in a little boat to make a new life, or any of the thousands from Ireland escaping the Famine when the Potato crops failed, The Hugenoughts escaping religious persecution in France, The Jews escaping the Holocaust, or any of the many others who landed here seeking a freedom to be just self reliant.
No evidently a “Special Group” who may well have been blown off course on a days sailing and fortunately made land fall on the islands of New Zealand, remain needing special treatment.
Anyone with a little understanding of commerce and monetary systems understands the classic now well proven path from poverty will only come from freedom in commercial activity, not from any socialist methodology of redistribution of wealth.
Very minimal research will reveal cases where “settlement” Money has just evaporated, with mismanagement at the forefront of possible causes. I myself have endured well intentioned leaders in the Agricultural Industry extrapolating success in their farming business into a wider field with very different conditions prevailing in the wider commercial arena.
So what next, at risk of handing out notions, I guess a “Kumera” festival based on a renamed Dargaville on the Kaipara, or perhaps something based on the Ahaura River near Hokitika to mark the use of Jade.
Hell there could be a trek to somewhere every week for another chance for some Elites to berate those who brought real progress ashore to supplement slave owning (by conquest) stone age warriors who beat neighbours to death to purloin something they desired.
As an aside why does the “Tribunal only appear to seek to redress alleged colonial misappropriations resulting from later arrivals bad deeds and AFAIK never seeking to attempt to address the depredations of Te Kooti, Te Rauparaha and Company on their murderous rampages not so long before 1840.
Ah well Luxon seemed comfortable at Ngāruawāhia able to be kissing the robes of the Truck Driver, so we did not have to.
No Minister 
Luxon is another middle path dont rock the boat, brownmail appeasement merchant.
Why go and talk with Tainui? The group whose then ‘Queen’ didnt want Tainui men to serve in WWII unlike a lot of other Maori, lead by luminaries like Sir Apirana Ngata, demanding the right to not only serve but fight on the front lines.
Doubtless Maniapoto, Waikato and other related Iwi men went and served and disregard royal command. But lets face it the Kingiitanga movement has always been a disruptive influence and alqays wil be. The lost land by interfering in Taranaki and kicking off the Land Wars. Frankly the tribal authority and the Kingiitanga can go and …. Themselves
And Luxon needs to do the right thing and sort the ToW matter permanently. Its dividing families and causing no end of division. But he wont.. It will be a can kicked down the road till ultimate ruination
Every time I see the truck driver slur on the Maori King it pisses me off. There’s nothing wrong with being a truck driver. Better than being whatever Nanaia Mahuta is (a cousinfucker, to be blunt). Truck drivers are awesome, and bring you the food you eat. The Kingitanga movement is a bizarre anachronism in this day and age, but leave the man’s prior occupation out of it.
Yeah Exiled , could have used his “crap parent” sobriquet over his boy escaping conviction on drink driving, theft, and burglary charges in the Gisborne Court because Judge Phillipa Cunningham accepted a conviction “could prevent the POS from becoming King” and discharged the “Heir to the Tainui Throne” without conviction?
Could that have been acceptable to you or is that a bit too raw as well.
I guess I am a little in awe that no need for a lifetime of “Public service” might be better preparation for Maori Royalty than just being a good old boy from the Huntly Working Mens Club,
That sounds like a Philippa Cunningham problem. New Zealand really needs some means of impeachment for these folk ensconced in their Arney Road mansions.