by Catherine Delahunty
The Auckland Super city debate has raised the important issue of Maori seats to provide manawhenua representation in Tamaki Makaurau/Auckland. National are considering this option of creating two seats to represent Ngati Whatua and Tainui iwi.
What about the rest of the country? At present the Bay of Plenty have two Maori seats on their regional council, Environment Bay of Plenty. Despite the fear and loathing over the establishment of these seats (by the National MP Tony Ryall and others) the sky has not fallen upon the Bay. In fact the contribution of a tangata whenua perspective is adding value to the regional decision making. But other Councils even with high Maori populations in their districts flatly refuse to consider Maori wards.
The elephant in the room is the way tangata whenua are marginalised in decision making structures. In my area, Te Tairäwhiti, the very suggestion of Maori wards or even MMP is rejected with horror by the “leaders” of the local decision making. However pumping 30,000 people’s raw human waste into the kaimoana beds is pretty much okay.
I hope manawhenua in Auckland get more than two seats on all local government bodies. It won’t cause social division and meltdown because we already have our share of that. It will challenge Päkehä to think about what is fairness in politics which can only be a good thing. A couple of seats at the Päkehä table ain’t the enactment of Te Tiriti o Waitangi but it might increase the number of voices dedicated to that vision.
Published in Justice & Democracy by Catherine Delahunty on Mon, April 6th, 2009
Tags: Auckland, Catherine Delahunty, maori seats, politics
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on the trolls and those who are unable to keep on topic
“It won’t cause social division and meltdown because we already have our share of that”
Yup; and we can always have more instead of less.
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Just like Maori need to think about fairness to the other 80% of the people.
Fairness is such an abstract notion that neither side can possibly meet it.
With respect, you are building expectatons that cannot possibly be met.
Sure, give Maori token seats, but it wont make a blind bit of difference to actual outcomes. In fact it will hinder the advancement of Maori expectations.
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What use democracy when you can just appoint leaders.
There’s a name for such a political system….
Just come out with it, Greens. Be honest. Why all this dancing in shadows?
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Would this also work?
“I hope National Front in Auckland get more than two seats on all local government bodies. It won’t cause social division and meltdown because we already have our share of that. It will challenge Maori to think about what is fairness in politics which can only be a good thing. A couple of seats at the table ain’t the enactment of white supremacy but it might increase the number of voices dedicated to that vision.”
No one would seriously suggest it…
It would be quite mad.
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BP – I wasn’t aware that the National Front had signed a treaty with the Crown recognising them as tangata whenua. When that happens, maybe your ludicrous faux argument would have some merit. As it stands, it is not even laughable. Quite mad might indeed be the appropriate description.
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About as mad as blatant racism, in the form of race based seats. Maori are free to stand, as are all constituents and be voted in on merit. Or do they not have sufficient merit to stand on their own? Kinda like little children really, they need ‘special’ treatment too.
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Perhaps frog, you could explain were, within the treaty, that Maori would be gifted automatic representation on any governmental agency.
I can only read the English version and cant find the reference. Is it in the Maori version?
Yes BP’s example is bordering on sillyness, but surely you could see parallels?
To me it is another sop to Maoridom from the Greens. Says Maori are so special, and need so special a treatment (section 22 of the UN declaration) because why?
I would be insulted if I was Maori to be handed this special treatment.
You saying Maori cant stand on our their own two feet and organise a party to contest any election?
And be truely democratic?
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No Catherine, “The elephant in the room is the way tangata whenua” continue to let their kids be killed in record numbers yet do nothing about it.
The “elephant in the room” is the way people like you continue to ignore this genocide and to make excuses for Maori, the “elephant in the room” is the way that Maori and their apologists keep diverting the media glare away from the genocide and on to stupid things like seats on a council of putting an “h” in Wanganui.
If you REALLY want to make use of your white liberal guilt then how about you spend as much of your energy dealing with he shocking number of child deaths rather than wasting your time and my money on apartheid politics.
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Frog,
The argument is indeed very silly. It is racist, preposterous nonsense. So why is anyone trying to make it?
The Treaty of Waitangi doesn’t guarantee direct appointments to boards. Doing so would undermine democracy.
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“The elephant in the room is the way tangata whenua are marginalised in decision making structures.”
Such nonsense. A majority of adults do not vote in local body elections, a vast majority never respond to local body consultations because they are too busy earning a living, partly to pay for government at all levels. Maori have the same rights to vote, stand and participate in all local government processes.
Local authorities are not Päkehä tables Catherine, but then you appear to judge people as parts of collectives, not as individuals. The apartheid is in your head, not in the heads of most people who treat people as they find them, not as members of cultures with automatically assumed world views.
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The only good I can see coming out of an Auckland super city is that if the animal sympathetic Banksie becomes mayor we may get a total ban not just of rodeos but factory farming across the whole city state of Auckland.
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Well said Kiore!
Banksie will always get my vote for that reason alone.
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“It will challenge Päkehä to think about what is fairness in politics which can only be a good thing.”
Fairness in politics is one man, one vote. Thirty years ago, New Zealanders fought against discrimination in politics in overseas lands; now we are bringing it here in ever increasing forms.
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“Banksie” – jeez you haven’t been told lately have ya Bro? Though I agree with Kiore and LibertyScotch can think straight when he has to – nice letter.
john-ston: Yep; After 20 years away – NZ has Comparitively become an Aparthied Nation – did the water taste funny or something?
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It’s a great opportunity to get rid of all Maori seats – there is no room in New Zealand for apartheid!
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All decisions here: http://www.angelfire.com/tv/jarbury/auck/akgreater.pdf
In summary:
1) One council
2) 20-30 community boards
3) No local councils
4) No councillors elected from Maori roll
5) No appointed Maori councillor
6) 20 councillors on Auckland Council – 8 ‘at large’ and one each from 12 wards
7) One transport agency.
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No Maori seats or appointments. Possible Maori ward if voters vote for it.
Democracy wins.
Nice to know we live in a mostly sane country…..
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Maori, and other singled out groups, will remain disadvantaged or marginalised for as long as we continue to single them out. The notion of separate seats for separate groups (but who defines those groups?) is absurd if we seek a fair society.
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Now this thread is cookin’
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“The elephant in the room is the way tangata whenua are marginalised in decision making structures. ”
that’s because of the principal of one man one vote and because the idea that one group have descendants who were here first is not all that relevant to the here and now.
“I hope manawhenua in Auckland get more than two seats on all local government bodies.”
“In Polynesian culture (for example, Hawaiian and Māori), mana is a spiritual quality considered to have supernatural origin – a sacred impersonal force existing in the universe. Therefore to have mana is to have influence and authority, and efficacy – the power to perform in a given situation. This essential quality of mana is not limited to persons – folks, governments, places and inanimate objects can possess mana.” [Wikipaedia] Maori have to earn mana not inherit it as of right.
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