Another foreshore hikoi

Written By: - Date published: 4:07 pm, March 22nd, 2011 - 13 comments
Categories: foreshore and seabed, Maori Issues, maori party - Tags: , , ,

Around 300 hikoi marchers arrived at Parliament this afternoon to protest against the Nat / Maori Party rebranded version of the foreshore and seabed bill. This is the issue which has split the Maori Party, resulting in the ejection of Hone Hariwira. It as an issue where polling (albeit with dodgy methodology) suggests that very few Maori support the new bill. Yet this hikoi has not generated the numbers of previous events. Maori may oppose the bill, but obviously when it comes to active protest some fatigue with the issue is setting in.

Despite modest numbers, the hikoi has some powerful symbolic messages (ht Marty Mars):

A contingent of Kaumatua, Kuia, Pakeke,& Rangatahi from the Kaipara & Tamaki Makaurau will be arriving at Parliament tomorrow between 1-2 with the express purpose of uplifting, retrieving, and returning a 6ft hook (Matau) and anchor (punga) which was gifted to celebrate the Maori Party’s 1st year in parliament, and express support for their mangai MP Hone Harawira. The group has asked that the taonga be placed below the steps of Parliament so that they may ensure the easy return of these taonga. In a statement released today, the roopu said,

“It was perhaps a HUGE error on our behalf to assume, that the party would uphold such values as manaakitanga, in order to respond to Taikokerau’s concerns re this bill. And that the party would also continue also to fight to restore our TINO RANGATIRA status (as guaranteed in article two of Te Tiriti 1840) but now recognise that , that will not be the case, being that the party, expelled our MP for merely voicing the Tai Tokerau’s concerns, and that they (The Maori Party) have blatantly ignored over 90% of the submissions re: this bill, and endorsed a piece of legislation that may well be the catalyst for TOTALLY nullifying and or extinguishing our ancestral rights of GUARDIANSHIP, CHEIFTENSHIP, AND TOTAL AUTHORITY over our taonga (Wenua, Ngahere, Moana Katoa!) …

Maori Party supporter and Ngapuhi leader David Rankin was critical of the hikoi:

“This protest is taking place when our nation is in a period of great difficulty,” Rankin said. “Instead of wandering around the country to satisfy their own egos, these protesters should be in Christchurch, investing that energy in helping their fellow New Zealanders.”

I find this attempt to use the Christchurch earthquake as a tool for suppressing dissenting opinion to be truly despicable. Christchurch is an important political and practical issue for NZ, and it will be for many years to come. But it doesn’t mean that the rest of politics has to stop, and it doesn’t mean that people can’t speak their views on the steps of Parliament.

All of my posts for March will finish with this note. While life goes on as usual outside Christchurch, let our thoughts be with those who are coping with the aftermath, with the sorrow of so many who were lost, and with the challenges ahead.

13 comments on “Another foreshore hikoi ”

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  1. ianmac 1
    22 March 2011 at 4:25 pm

    When times were better in 2004 and when National then were opposing Labours Bill with vitriolic comments, (quoted in the House last Thursday,) the Hikoi then amassed thousands of angry folk. Ironically now, when unemployment is high and money is in short supply, the numbers cannot be mounted especially with only 2 weeks notice. But I expect that they have made their point just the same.

  2. tsmithfield 2
    22 March 2011 at 4:28 pm

    “Maori may oppose the bill, but obviously when it comes to active protest some fatigue with the issue is setting in.”

    Thats a big assumption. A lot may either support the bill, or be totally apathetic about it as well.

    • r0b 2.1
      22 March 2011 at 4:31 pm

      Check out the polling link in the post TS. I don’t like Horizon methodology, but their results are the only ones that I can recall off the top of my head (anyone else got a link to polling on this issue?).

      • tsmithfield 2.1.1
        22 March 2011 at 7:53 pm

        Yeh. If you look at those results from what you admit is a dodgy poll, the results show that nearly half of Maori feel neutral or are positive about the new law. Out of those who find the new law “unacceptable” it may well be that a significant proportion of those are only mildly concerned about the new law. Thus, as is evidenced by the turn out to the latest hikoi, I think what I said stands. Maori seem mainly to be positive or apathetic towards the new law.

        • Colonial Viper 2.1.1.1
          22 March 2011 at 8:01 pm

          And of course the final poll on the new law, the poll which counts, is in November.

  3. marty mars 3
    22 March 2011 at 4:51 pm

    Awesome report from Morgan on the hikoi.

    http://mauistreet.blogspot.com/2011/03/hikoi-arrives.html

    This was a silent hikoi yet the decibels are deafening.

  4. Rob 4
    23 March 2011 at 12:03 am

    Hard to believe David Rankin’s comment. They are protesting it now because it is being passed now a decision National made post-earthquake presumably with Maori Party support. Does he expect them to wait for the bill to be passed for say a month and then protest it so it is further away for Christchurch?

  5. gobsmacked 5
    24 March 2011 at 2:15 pm

    It’s time we heard from the true voice of the National Party … and here he is!

    http://www.sunlive.co.nz/news/12004-clarkson-pushes-inquiry.html

    If Bob Clarkson was still in Parliament, he would of course be voting for the bill he now opposes. Funny how so many politicians go from patsy to protestor, just by leaving the building.

  6. takutaimoana4sure 6
    25 March 2011 at 2:00 am

    We object to the Political Party with in New Zealand Government named “The Maori Party” voting in support of the legislation named “The Marine and Coastal Area (Takutaimoana) Bill.

    We also object to the Maori Party,s continuation of support to this legislation.

    This legislation violates and breaches Maori Rights embedded in the treaty named “Te Tiriti O Waitangi” and the Declaration named “He Whakaputanga o nga Rangatira o Niu Tireni”.

    Therefore, we would like to state Maori Party’s vote of support for the Marine and Coastal Area Bill on the 22nd March 2011 DOES NOT represent my support or tautoko.

    We request that the Political Party named the Maori Party cease immediately their continuation of support of the “Marine and Coastal Area(Takutaimoana) Bill, as it continues to violate and breach “Te Tiriti O Waitangi”.

    For the asaid reasons given above

    We request that Assent is NOT GIVEN to the Marine and Coastal Area (Takutaimoana) Bill by the Governor General of New Zealand

    click on link to sign this on line petition

    http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/we-object-to-your-political-party-named-the-maori-party-within-the-new-zealand-voting-i/

  7. Roger Strong 7
    26 March 2011 at 1:44 pm

    Quite amusing really-there were (according to the Maori Party) 72 written submissions from Maori against the Bill but something like 5,000 from the general public against the Bill-seems strange how the media (and you) seem to give much more weight to the Maori submissions and protests.
    This disgusting piece of race-based legislation will be fought over and be a vehicle for division for years to come.
    To say it somehow breaches the Treaty is true but not in the way described.

  8. Aaron 8
    3 April 2011 at 6:54 pm

    david rankin 10% of men get all the girls!, (and sadly,like you!) the rest get their asses kicked in. They do not have a fricken clue what the hell is going on (they are the GIRLIE MEN) bangin the crap out of their heads (oh, yeh, and getting it banged out by their leaderless bitch) repeatedly because they do not know the truth. They are failures!
    Davi rankin is the worst sort of GIRLIE MAN. Abuse of position david rankin! You Insult  our Tupuna HONE HEKE, HONGI HIKA and many more GREAT Tupuna!  You have no WAIRUA! No MANA! You have given this public notice that you are in fact david rankin the GI GIRLIE MAN ;Someone had to drive this message home in the language david rankin excels in GIRLIEMANrerorero…and a very sad case

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