It’s pretty ironic that Ngapuhi won’t fly the tino rangatiratanga flag at Waitangi this year.
They don’t want to be told by anyone what flag they are to fly on their own patch.
That in itself is a great demonstration of tino rangatiratanga.
Red Alert
Posts Tagged ‘flag debate’
Flags
Posted by Trevor Mallard on December 15th, 2009I don’t get as wound up as some people about flags but I reckon Key has made a mess of this one. Fancy making the Maori Party flag – the symbol of a divided nation – an official flag of New Zealand.
Ex soldiers and athletes tell me how important the flag is to many of them. They fought and competed under it. Their mates died. It goes up the flagpole when we win.
They think the PM has demeaned their efforts.
Maybe something good will come of this. Will Lloyd Morrison’s campaign for a new flag get a new head of steam.
Then we could have a flag that unites us as a nation rather than flags that divide us.
Standing room only for Maori
Posted by Shane Jones on August 26th, 2009The Maori Party have been handed a lesson in real-politick. I refer here to Prime Minister John Key’s announcement that there will be no specific Maori seats on the Auckland Super City Council. The slogan “kiwis not iwis” is back in vogue.
A gross miscalculation was made by the Maori Party when they rubbished the Royal Commission on Auckland Governance’s recommendations for Maori representation. Dr Sharples dismissed their report as too weak. He evidently felt that his leverage over the government was such that he could deliver a better result than the Royal Commission.
The recommendations were not weak. They were based on many submissions, meetings and lengthy deliberations. They proposed three Maori representatives, one of them to be appointed by the local tribes. The ballast of this report would have given weight to Dr Sharples’ arguments, but he overestimated the value of the Maori Party in the eyes of the ruling class that controls National. Without the clout of the Royal Commission he was marooned.
Recently I described the exercise of choosing a Maori flag to fly over the Harbour Bridge as an episode of diversionary politics. Dr Sharples will probably get permission from the Prime Minister to fly the flag from the Harbour Bridge on Waitangi Day. However iwi will have to content themselves with a flag blowing in the wind whilst having no presence at the top table of the Auckland Super City.
The tribes around Auckland have historical and ongoing interests in the region. The Labour Party was prepared to include Maori representation as a part of the new structure for the Auckland Super City. We would not have tolerated the irritation of Rodney Hide and his “one percent party”.
Hikoi means “walk” or “march”. This episode shows that Rodney Hide has stolen a march and John Key has just walked over the Maori Party.
A Flag for Our Time
Posted by Nanaia Mahuta on August 5th, 2009As unemployment continues to grow and the coalition Government struggles to come up with a plan to protect and create kiwi jobs and stimulate growth, a whole heap of money is thrown at which flag should be flown on the harbour bridge.
Each week the numbers of people signing up for the unemployment benefit continues to grow. By the end of June the total number was approximately 310,000 more Kiwis on the benefit. Now, more than ever, a plan to stimulate growth during these difficult times is necessary.
I’m not a rocket scientist but if given a choice between putting kai on the table and flying a flag I know which one I’d make! Jobs, jobs, jobs keeps the world ticking over and has to be a priority.
Both Te Kuiti and Otorohonga face similar challenges to other provincial/rural towns. Stimulating the regional economy, supporting existing sector industries, attracting new investment and development opportunity, growing tourism, retaining and attracting a skilled workforce, improving public services and quality of life factors for people to live, work and thrive are just some of those challenges.
Young people are apart of that solution and they need to be supported early enough to climb the ladder of opportunity. Improving educational achievement and extending career pathway choices must be a real solution if small communities are going to help young people succeed. The leadership of Mayor Williams has been exceptional on this front and it’s easy to understand why he is so passionate about young people when you hear his own life experience and personal journey of taking up a trades based career.
Sadly the Governments removal of Enterprising Communities funding creates just another hurdle for communities who are committed to local solutions. Communities will need to pull together and that is nothing new. The Government however, should demonstrate where its commitment to stimulating growth in our provincial towns rests. Often the solutions don’t need to be big and flashy, but well placed funding to support local responses can go a very, very, long way!
Oh on the matter of a flag, let’s have a look at one that better represents the face of a modern nation proud of its cultural identity, the place of Maori and hope for a new dawn. We need a flag for a time, one that we are all proud to hold onto for 365 days of the year!
