Off to Ratana

No; we aren't, although we have done the noho marae in the past, and they are wonderfully hospitable folk. No, it's late January, and as the good folk at Ratana celebrate the birthday of the prophet TW Ratana, the politicians are about to descend on them - the Herald reports:

The extent and pace of gains for Maori under the National Party's coalition with the Maori Party will take centre stage when political leaders address Ratana followers at the religious movement's annual celebrations near Wanganui today.

The coalition has looked increasingly strained in the last week as Maori Party leadership moved to discipline outspoken Te Tai Tokerau MP Hone Harawira who yesterday confirmed he would attend the gathering.

Maori Party co-leaders Pita Sharples and Tariana Turia - herself a Ratana morehu (church member) - will attend as part of the Government delegation with Prime Minister John Key.

A spokesman for Mr Key said the Prime Minister would speak "off the cuff" but would probably cover "the Government's aspirations for New Zealanders including Maori" and also the $2.7 million Ratana housing upgrade announced before Christmas.

It will be interesting to see how the various parties and individuals are received today. Marae protocol dictates that manuhiri (guests) are given a warm and formal welcome, or powhiri, but once the korero starts, it's a different matter altogether. Marae-speak is frank, and punches are not pulled.

We will be especially interested to see how Hone Harawira is received, especially as he will be quite literally in Tariana Turia's back yard. Will the maverick Maori Party MP be lauded for his outspoken views, or will those who kai korero take him to task? All will be revealed later today.

In the meantime, John Key made a good point on his first Breakfast appearance of the year. He said that the Maori Party has achieved far more in terms of policy by virtue of supporting the Government on confidence and supply than it would have from the Opposition benches. It's impossible to argue against that logic, and we wonder if Harawira has considered the practicalities of his bloody-mindedness.

Lastly though, there is one thing that we would like to see come out of Ratanaappalling rate of child abuse in New Zealand, in which Maori are overrepresented.
this week; a universal condemnation by Maori of the

An old Maori saying goes as follows:

He aha te mea nui?
He tangata.
He tangata.
He tangata.

(What is the most important thing? It is people, it is people, it is people.)

It is time for Maori politicians from whichever party they come to put that proverb into action. The lives of tamariki are infinitely more important than individual or collective political aspirations.

Kia ora.