Maori Council, John Key and Maori Business

Mita Ririnui has something interesting to say about the Maori Council:

Labour list MP Mita Ririnui says it's likely the New Zealand Maori Council will merge with the Iwi Leaders Forum.

The Maori Affairs Select Committee looked at how the Maori Council operates, during its last year into the Maori Development Act.

It found that the council has played a crucial role in representing the interests of Maori, but there are concerns it's become redundant with other Maori groups taking over that work.

Mr Ririnui, who's on the committee, says it may be productive for the council to join the Iwi Leaders Forum.

The Maori Council is becoming increasingly irrelevant. The Iwi Leaders Forum (ILF) is now the vehicle of choice for the National Government. If Mita’s comments are indicative of feeling within Labour, or at least the Maori Caucus, then I think the ILF will be cemented as the Maori organisation of choice for consultation, research opportunities, ppp’s and so on. If this happens then there will be no room for the Maori Council. It is convenient for the government to have a one-stop shop for external advice on Maori issues. It also suits the government when that organisation is ideologically sympathetic and, in the case of the Nat’s and asset sales, supportive of a key policy plank. For an in depth discussion re the nature of the ILF see this post on the “Iwi Elite” from earlier in the year.

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I don’t care really care that the Prime Minister did not use te reo in his opening speech at the RWC opening ceremony. His staff obviously overlooked it and Key himself probably doesn’t give the content of such a pedestrian speech much thought. I’ve always imagined that Key just parrots the lines he receives. Having said that, it is personally embarrassing for Key to ignore the use of te reo, which is such an integral part of New Zealand identity, when the head of the IRB, a Frechman no less, uses te reo with some skill and grace. On the whole, Maori can stand proud given the important role we played in the opening ceremony. The highlight for me was the waka fleet – it was a majestic scene.

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From RNZ:

The newly appointed Head of Maori Business for the Bank of New Zealand, Pierre Tohe, says there is plenty of economic activity to chase beyond the corporate arms of iwi.

Maori business continues to grow steadily. In most cases Iwi are involved in some way or another, but independent Maori businesses are beginning to grow. Off of the top of my head I can think of several small and successful independent Maori businesses, but I don’t think Maori have anything on the medium scale yet. The corporate arms of Iwi could, by my definition, be termed medium sized corporates. I think Maori business will come of age when we move away from profiting off of government contracts and instead move towards playing a greater role in the private sector.

On the plastic waka controversy

I feel obligated to defend the decision to award $1.8m to Ngati Whatua to build a plastic waka for the Rugby World Cup. However, I’ll look at it both ways.

Firstly, there should be a Maori presence during the RWC. Secondly, I do not buy the criticism that the waka is “plastic” – in both a literal and figurative sense. The waka will serve as a testament to the tangata whenua (Ngati Whatua) and a symbolic tribute to the Maori culture. The fact that the waka will be plastic will probably make no difference, aesthetically speaking. Thirdly, BB points out:

After all there are by our reckoning a fair few Maori in the All Black Team. They have adopted a traditional Haka as their own. The World Cup imagery is laced with a modern take on traditional Maori designs.

Fourthly, in the scheme of things, $2m is utterly inconsequential. Fifthly, as far as we know the waka will generate revenue.

However, having said all of that I think Gordon Campbell makes an excellent point:

Reportedly, the related costs from the management, transport and storage of the waka mean that the entire enterprise is being budgeted – right from the outset – to lose money. Which raises the interesting prospect of whether the giant plastic waka has also been created from the outset as a tax write-off.

Admittedly, this is less than ideal. Consider this as well:

The whole episode with the plastic waka is not a good look for Maori entrepreneurship. Surely, someone in the Maori bureaucracy must have asked whether the most visible icon of Maori culture related to the Rugby World Cup should be a 60 metre long plastic canoe

I tend to agree with this.

Shane Jones take on this is pretty cringe worthy, yet he makes a number of valid points. He is right in pointing out that it is merely a stunt, an election year sop. However, he is wrong in writing it off completely. The waka will serve well as an attraction and will most certainly be utilised. The question though is will it be sustainable. 

I'll end by pointing out that this issue is such an easy target. An incredibly easy target. The media knows Maori issues lead well and can be sustained across several new cycles. And the public love it.

RWC Protest: A few thoughts

From today’s Sunday Star Times;

DISGRUNTLED Maori have warned that Rugby World Cup celebrations could be disrupted if their grievances – including those over the foreshore and seabed – aren't addressed.

I believe this is a tangible threat. Maori are beginning to grow impatient, certainly the younger generations are frustrated with the pace of change. The older generations are willing to accept, and are indeed accustomed to, sluggish progress, whereas young Maori are accustomed to a world that moves fast, a world where change is rapid.

The government would be wise to treat this threat as genuine. It would be incredibly reckless to disregard this as mumbo jumbo coming from the mouths of a few disaffected brown people. The possibility of mass protest is very real. The protest organisers will, I imagine, have little trouble mobilising thousands of protestors given the high unemployment environment, likely welfare changes and passage of the MCA bill. As Maori households continue to struggle political awareness will increase. The challenge is to channel that awareness into mass political action which admittedly is easier said than done. It is worth keeping in mind though that for Maori households, and of course many non-Maori households, it is painful knowing that you struggle but not as a consequence of your own actions. It is painful knowing you struggle due to incompetent economic management and a failure, on the government’s part, to neutralise the worst effects of their economic policy, for example the rise in GST. In my opinion poverty and deprivation, i.e. the current economic conditions, should be enough to amplify political awareness and facilitate political change.

Maori have identified an opportunity to push the government hard and they have a powerful weapon – leverage. Protest action, or the threat of, will deter more than a few overseas spectators. The government literally cannot afford to let this happen. The government looks to the RWC in the hope that it will stimulate the economy and help kick start growth. A significant decrease in spectator numbers will have a profound negative effect on the economy, after all the tournament is already forecast to make a loss. Therefore, it would be reckless for the government to disregard the threat of protest action.

The government also cannot afford to contain any protest. Given the authoritarian nature of the current government I can imagine the creation of “free speech zones”. Free speech zones are an undemocratic American creation used to contain protests. They are used to keep protestors out of the public eye, make them invisible. Of course such undemocratic behaviour would never be acceptable in New Zealand, or at least I hope it would never be acceptable, therefore the government would need to search for different means. How about kettling? This would be the worst response. There is no better way to turn a peaceful protest in to a riot. Maori respond in kind to physical confrontation. Without doubt things will turn very, very ugly. This would have the flow on effect of mobilising many more Maori. Violent clashes during such an international showpiece will do nothing for New Zealand’s reputation as a safe and stable tourist destination nor will it do anything for New Zealand’s standing in the international community.

Ultimately, for the sake of the economy and our international standing, the government cannot allow any protest during the RWC. Therefore, the protestors will have a significant amount of leverage.

However, the protestors should consider this. The international media are not going to pay any attention to an insignificant minority making some noise during an insignificant sporting tournament. The likes of the colonial Stephen Jones are not going to cover any story that is not related directly to what is happening on the rugby field. The international media present will be, by and large, sports journalist from Europe and covering political demonstrations in New Zealand will not be part of their brief or expertise.

There is also the threat of clashes between Maori and die hard rugby fans. Do Maori really want a repeat of the Springbok Tour? Is it really fair to divide the nation during what is meant to be a triumphant moment in New Zealand history? Is it not better to hold ones protest at the ballot box? Vote this scum government out?

Protest during the RWC will create anti-Maori feeling that will last a decade or more. Having said that equality and justice is more important than what others think of you. Sadly, New Zealanders fail to realise their own privilege, even if they did I am unsure they would have the courtesy to extend that privilege to the underprivileged. New Zealand is not an egalitarian country. We are a country divided, divided along class lines, divided according to ethnicity and divided along ideological lines. We are not equal, we are unequal. We are a country where the privileged are determined to preserve what they have over the rest of the country. Whether that be weakening work rights or failing to acknowledge the interests of the indigenous people. The privileged operate under the assumption that their rights are paramount and exclusive. Perhaps it will take mass political action during the RWC to effect change for the underprivileged, perhaps it will take mass political action during the RWC to win the rights that the privileged enjoy.

The government should not ignore the warnings. Maori will wreck the government’s precious tournament. All Maori ask for is equality.