Treaty Settlements and Foreshore Deals

You know you’re a politician when a Pakeha lady with a million dollar house on Waiheke asks if you can help her stop a developer from building a mansion between her and ‘her beach.’

And you know it’s election year, when Government starts cutting deals with iwi all round the country in a desperate effort to shore up their flagging political fortunes. I say desperate because nothing else they’ve done so far seems to be arresting their slide in the polls.

So the latest Marae-Digipoll was always going to be an interesting test of Labour’s fortunes in the Maori seats. I was also quite concerned at what the Digipoll results might be, given that the survey was taken in the two weeks after Labour had just announced their foreshore and seabed deal with Ngati Porou.

So it was very illuminating to read NZPA’s report that: ‘An indicative poll has shown the Maori Party sweeping all seven Maori electorates from Labour’ and that ‘The Marae-Digipoll will be the latest poll to send a chill through the Government's heart, as it is the first time this particular poll has predicted a clean sweep for the Maori Party.’

Seems you can fool some of the people some of the time, but it also seems that Labour’s time is coming to an end.

Communications – Ngaitakoto Styles

Still, life ain’t all politix and grim readings.

Here’s another another little story I got off the net, and re-worded for local consumption. Hope you enjoy it.

Recently, Radio Ngati Porou reported that ‘After digging down 100 metres last year in a paddock in Ruatoria, scientists found traces of copper wire dating back to 1900, and concluded that Ngati Porou had a telephone network more than 100 years ago.’

Not to be outdone, two weeks later, MAI FM reported ‘After digging to a depth of 200 metres in Queen St, Auckland, archaeologists found traces of 150-year-old copper wire, proving that Ngati Whatua had a high-tech communications network 50 years earlier than Ngati Porou."

One week later however, Radio TEHIKU proudly reported the following ‘While digging a long-drop in his backyard, Mangu Awarau, a widely respected Ngaitakoto elder, reported that he found absolutely nothing. Mangu therefore concluded that 300 years ago, Ngaitakoto had already gone wireless.’

Ends

Hone Harawira

Tai Tokerau MP

0800 TOKERAU

HYPERLINK "http://www.tokerau.co.nz/"www.tokerau.co.nz

ENDS

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