Len Brown: a scab and a racist?

These sorts of stories really annoy me:

A $30-million plus block of prime Auckland waterfront land will lose its marine park designation when it is sold cheaply to Maori as part of a big Treaty deal.

The 3.2ha Takapuna Head site, used by the New Zealand Navy as an officer training school, is being sold back to Ngati Whatua for $13.8m - but the iwi has been given freedom to do what it likes with the land.

At the same time, the Government is close to finalising a settlement with Ngati Ranginui in the Bay of Plenty on the land under two primary schools and Tauranga's new police station.

But local elected officials say they were never properly consulted: Auckland mayor Len Brown has written to Treaty Negotiations Minister Chris Finlayson asking for a meeting. He said the settlement would "potentially alienate future public access to the property".

"What is more concerning is that this change is being introduced without any formal consultation with the local board and/or community and the Auckland Council," he added.

Firstly, there is no obligation on the government and Maori to consult the Council. Secondly, the status quo will barely change. Ownership will change, but the Navy school will remain and in Tauranga the two primary schools and police station will remain.

What underlies objections to land transfers, or in this case land purchases, is racism. Many New Zealanders have an unfounded fear that Maori will restrict access, develop the land in ways that will negatively affect the community and so on. I’d challenge anyone who operates under this mind set to point to more than one example where Maori have blocked access to previously public land, urupa (cemeteries) and other wahi tapu (sacred) sites excluded. Restricting access runs contrary to Maori values. After all, there is no such thing as private property in Te Ao Maori.

In this particular case, the government and iwi have obtained approval from the Hauraki Gulf Forum. It was the Gulf Forum that secured the areas marine park designation so surely they are the most appropriate group to consult and seek approval from – the Council is secondary.

It's disappointing, but understandable I suppose, to see Len Brown objecting. If the Mayor continues to oppose the proposed deal then he risks perpetuating the current grievance. If iwi do purchase the land, new grievances will not be created. This is rubbish. Will the people of Takapuna be that sore about the navy school site being sold. 90% of the good residents won't even notice and 95% won't even care. 

Basically, this is a non-story. The story should focus on Len Brown's opposition to treaty settlements and his continued drift to the right.  

Sandra Lee for Auckland Mayor....

In the wake of Len Brown's betrayal of his base, Maori are floating Sandra Lee as a possible contender for the Auckland Mayoralty. My understanding of Auckland politics is limited, but the idea is plausible - I think. Is anyone else hearing this?

My unvarnished opinions

I really only blog on Friday now so here are a few issues that caught my attention over the past week:

Hone Harawira has announced his intention to push for the creation of a Maori Parliament. Although his motives are commendable and the underlying principle is strong, in practise such an idea is regressive and impractical. This is the sort of thinking that characterised the 19^th century – not 2011. I agree with the statement that Maori politicians are beholden to party interests, but I do not think a separate Maori Parliament is the answer. Kaupapa Maori parties are the answer, meaning parties like the Mana and Maori Parties. If Maori politicians in mainstream parties are not representing Maori interests then we can vote them out. We do not need to chuck them in a separate chamber and have them fight among themselves. Maori in Labour and National play an important role – they effect change from within. That change may be incremental and they may have swallow poison at times, but it is an important role nonetheless. If Maori are not represented in mainstream discourse then non-Maori will walk all over us. This is the sort of policy that will excite the flaxroot, but it is not the sort of policy that will ever be enacted.

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Continuing my Hone Harawira theme, he has published an open letter explaining to his supporters why he attended the Destiny Church Conference. I am glad he has and thank him for offering supporters like me an explanation. I still do not support his decision to attend, but I admire his honesty and commitment to people, even when those people may be unsavoury.

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Now jumping to Destiny Church. Hannah Tamaki, wife of Brian Tamaki, is running for the presidency of the Maori Women’s Welfare League (MWWL). Many senior members have expressed concerns that the Church is attempting something of a hostile takeover. I do not know what is behind this move. The MWWL is one of the most respected Maori organisations in the country. Former Presidents include Maori heroes like Princess Te Puea and Dame Whina Cooper. I worry because the MWWL is strictly non-sectarian, whereas Hannah Tamaki is a fundamentalist who injects religion wherever she walks. Brian Tamaki is a man with ulterior motives as well. What is he trying to achieve? A take over of New Zealand?

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The Maori Youth Council presented a report to the Minister of Maori Affairs, Pita Sharples, outlining their proposals to improve the lot of young Maori. The report is brilliant and recommended reading for policy makers and any other interested parties. One of the more controversial recommendations, which has been picked up by Sharples, is compulsory te reo courses for teachers. A good idea in principle. I support the idea, but only if it receives broad support and endorsement from the teacher’s union’s. I think Patrick Walsh’s suggestion that compulsory courses will cause resentment is overblown. Sure, a few will resent the idea, but many will realise that te reo courses are in the interests of professional development and the key to better relationships with Maori students. But maybe compulsory courses could be restricted to teachers intending to teach at schools with a high Maori roll to avoid creating resentment among teachers who will never come close to teaching Maori students. Finally, Winston Peters points out that there are not enough te reo teachers to teach Maori let alone every teacher in New Zealand. I thinks he makes a good point.  

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Len Brown has shown once again that he is the most progressive political leader in the country. The Auckland Mayor has indicated that he can and will work with Hone Harawira. Admittedly, local government is different, but good on him nonetheless.

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David Rankin has, once again, done himself a disservice. Rankin, following on from his “King of Huntly” smear which was both ignorant and disrespectful, has now claimed that Brian Tamaki is the most effective Maori leader. First of all, Tamaki is a church leader – not a Maori leader. Secondly, “effective leader” is a matter of definition. If you think an effective leader is someone with the power to manipulate and brainwash then yes, he is a damn effective leader. If you think an effective leader is someone with the ability to effect groundbreaking change, then no he is not an effective leader. Tamaki has influenced the lives of many individuals, most for the better, but he has also played an integral part in perpetuating hate. Rankin is a media whore. He just likes to see his name out there. I’m not listening to him anymore. Tariana Turia is right – Rankin is not even the King of Kaikohe.

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Speaking of Tariana Turia, she has openly displayed her hostility to class politics. Turia says:

 “It's a class party. It’s not a Maori party, They will have to take into account all the interests of everybody else, whereas our focus has always , and we are unashamedly putting our people first and we do,”

So been a class party is all of a sudden a slur? I would take it as a compliment. The interest of the poor are the interests of Maori. But anyway, Mana is a class based party as well as a kaupapa Maori party – an interesting fusion.

It was your fault

It’s a bit rich for John Key to go round saying that it is up to Len Brown to sort out the Maori Statutory Board mess. After all, the board was imposed upon Len and the Auckland Council by central government i.e. John Key and his crony Rodney Hide. In my opinion responsibility to act is not incumbent upon Len Brown. It is negligent on John Key's part, but more so Rodney Hide's, to impose a fractured framework upon the people of Auckland and then absolve any obligation to remedy the situation. But I guess that’s what we’ve come to expect from this lazy government.

Maori Statutory Board refuses to back down

Relations between The Maori Statutory Board and Len Brown, and I guess by extension council, are strained. The board has rejected Len’s offer to negotiate and will instead proceed with Court action. This is unfortunate but understandable.

The council has acted in bad faith. The board engaged an independent consultant and worked alongside council officers in an attempt to formulate a reasonable budget. The budget was then approved by the finance committee. The council, after taking into consideration the political ramifications rather than what is fair and reasonable, then slashed the board’s funding. It is interesting to contrast the behaviour of the council with the good faith in which the Maori Statutory Board acted, up until their budget was savaged of course.

The board will obviously have misgivings about dealing with council again, given the council’s regrettable behaviour. The board will also realise that the council must work within certain political confines. However, the court is not beholden to the uninformed opinions of a few Auckland voters. The council is, for the most part, fixed to the opinions and desires of the majority, whether those opinions and desires are just is less important, comparatively speaking. This is the reality of politics. Given that public opposition to the board’s funding was almost significant, the council will not risk igniting a backlash. With this in mind it is obvious why the board is pushing ahead through the Courts. The Courts will determine the issue according to the facts and the law. No politics. On the other hand the council will take the option likely to cause the least electoral damage.

This should have never been an issue in the first place. The board took adequate steps to ensure their budget was reasonable. The sad reality is that the majority of New Zealanders perceive any Maori empowerment as some sort of unjustified hand out. Privilege if you will. And what is even sadder is that instead of challenging this notion politicians are willing to perpetuate it for political gain.   

John Tamihere: is he right for once?

Taken at face value the $3.4m budget for the Maori Statutory Board appears excessive, especially considering it has to come out of the existing council budget which has already been approved. However, John Tamihere makes the pertinent point;

“We are a cheaper alternative to the eight authorities who multiplied their costs by eight. We are an immediate example of the super city working a lot better and a lot smarter”

I am unsure of the figures but surely it is reasonable to assume that $3.4m is considerably less than the combined amount the eight previous councils spent on Maori. I am not familiar with the Supercity legislation but by all accounts the Maori Statutory Board has a very wide brief. The reality is government costs a lot. $3.4m appears like a huge amount to the individual but it is small change for body exercising public functions. Peanuts really. Unfortunately, the council will probably gut the boards funding. Any move to do so will seriously affect the board’s ability to operate effectively and fulfil its statutory obligations.

This whole issue was an easy political target. Any perception that Maori are receiving hand-outs is jumped on by dipshit rednecks and subsequently exploited by the likes of the repugnant Cameron Brewer. However, credit to Cameron for scoring a few easy political points. He comes out of this affair having enhanced his image and at the same time damaging Len Browns.

I hope the council sees sense and reason, rather then votes, when considering this issue. But this is probably too much to expect.