The first is that of King Tuheitia; Stuff reports:
King Tuheitia said Maori had always owned the water.
When he was a child, children could swim and bathe in the “crystal clear waters” of the Waikato River.
“Today [it] is a degraded body of water. From Ngaruawahia out to the sea you cannot swim or take kai from it.”
Media commentators have painted yesterday's hui as presenting one voice from Maori. But it may not be as simple as that; check this out:
Heading into the hui, there was building momentum for the Crown to give more urgency to recognise Maori rights and interests in water. But there was a far from unified view on whether those interests should be addressed as part of the asset sales debate.
Ngai Tahu chairman Mark Solomon said Maori all agreed on a collaborative approach toward settling water issues.
"From a Ngai Tahu perspective we don't believe the asset sales will affect the rights and interests of Maori from reaching an agreement."
So who is right; King Tuheitia or Mark Solomon from Ngai Tahu? Or are they both right, or even both wrong?
Personally, we believe that Mr Solomon is setting the right example for Maoridom. As a result of its settlements with the Crown, Ngai Tahu is asset-wealthy, and its assets provide employment for many of its people. Ngai Tahu has a strong commercial focus, and has also been innovative in its investments.
And with due respect to King Tuheitia, who was speaking to the gallery yesterday, we do NOT agree that Maori have "always owned the water. There was water here before Maori arrived. Water is transitory; it comes, and it goes. No-one owns it, but it is clearly acknowledged that Maori have rights to use water.
Ngai Tahu's pragmatism and its strategic outlook has allowed the tribe to prosper. Other iwi are still stuck in grievance mode. As we blogged the other day, there will come a claim to the Waitangi Tribunal which is the straw that breaks the camel's back.Will that day come sooner, or later?
8 comments:
Flaxroot Ngai Tahu do not support Solomon's statement.
It is no wonder you like his view. It is as far as you could get from real Maori thinking.
"we believe that Mr Solomon is setting the right example for Maoridom"
How do you figure that? Because he's realised that partially privatising the power assets makes no difference to the bribery and brownmail? This fight is not about water. It's, like always, about money.
Is Solomon the king, or is the King the king?
There's your answer.
Is King Tuheitia the King of all Maori Juliette? I know that Wikipedia is not the fount of all knowledge, but this is interesting:
The Māori King Movement or Kīngitanga is a movement that arose among some of the Māori tribes of New Zealand in the central North Island in the 1850s, to establish a role similar in status to that of the monarch of the colonising people, the British, as a way of halting the alienation of Māori land.[1] Today, the Māori monarch is a non-constitutional role with no legal power from the perspective of the New Zealand government. Reigning monarchs retain the position of paramount chief of several important tribes and wield some power over these, especially within the Tainui iwi.[2]
The position of Māori monarch was constituted in 1858 by chiefs (rangatira) from many tribes, predominantly in the central North Island.[1] Since the 1850s the role has been vested in the Tainui tribe (iwi) who pledged through the first Māori king, Pōtatau Te Wherowhero, to guard the position.[3] The current Māori monarch, Tuheitia Paki was elected in 2006.[4] His official residence is Tūrongo House at Tūrangawaewae marae in the town of Ngaruawahia.
An early Maori King Movement flag used during the reign of Potatau te Wherowhero.
Contents
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C4%81ori_King_Movement
Does it really matter which perspective is acceptable? The fact that one can define one's philosophy, attributes, and dispositions purely by skin colour is truly wrong! Why define oneself by skin color? Ridiculous really!
Cadwallader
Waikato river has never been crystal clear. It is full of decomposing flora and fauna. I have been in that river many times, swimming from The Narrows to Hamilton - it was never crystal clear
Interesting comment Anon. It's certainly never been "crystal clear" in my lifetime, and I am of a similar vintage to King Tuheihia. Perhaps he has a somewhat nostalgic memory of his childhood.
All crystals are not clear, fools!
Ever seen raw quartz?
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