01pm Friday 17 June 2011

“I am flattered that people even mention my name when they speak of the prophecies of TW Ratana”, said MANA leader Hone Harawira, when told of Ratana’s quote that ‘if all the lights go out or all the people lose hope, turn your eyes to the north, a young man will rise up carrying the Treaty’.

“TW Ratana was not just a great Maori leader, he was also one of our nation’s greatest ever treaty activists,” said Harawira. “But while it is true that I have been an ardent campaigner for treaty rights all my life, and that I am a son of the north, I don’t see myself as the fulfillment of his prophecy.”

“Those are matters for others to consider. I’ll just focus on the job at hand – ensuring that as tangata whenua we can one day take our proper place in Aotearoa, that those who work need not be treated as slaves, that those in need get the support they deserve, and that our rangatahi can see a place for themselves in a brighter future.”

ENDS

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