Waitangi 2010: Flags, disasters and foreshores
2010 - 170 years since the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, 150 years since the war started in Taranaki, the Tino Rangatiratanga flag even flew in far away Paris, where Te Ata Tino Toa organiser Teanau Tuiono said "Maori have a long tradition of struggle and resistance against colonisation the flag represents that struggle and Waitangi Day is the day that we remember."
"There are many different meanings for Tino Rangatiratanga and the concept itself is part of a rich and ongoing debate in Maori society. The word 'tino' is an intensifier and the word 'rangatiratanga' broadly speaking relates to the exercise of 'chieftainship'. Its closest english translation is self-determination -although many also refer to it as 'absolute sovereignty' or Maori independence. Such a concept embraces the spiritual link Maori have with 'Papatuanuku' (Earthmother) and is a part of the international drive by indigenous peoples for self determination."
Articles on Aotearoa Indymedia: No Tino Rangatiratanga No Peace | Asians Supporting Tino Rangatiratanga at Waitangi | 2014: A deadline for disaster
Links: Te Karere Ipurangi | October 15th Solidarity - Drop the Charges
Comments
Waitangi Day Reflections
Emotional empowerment vs rights under law
It’s totally awesome that maoridom has been acknowledged to such an extent that the government dedicated a national consultation process to choose a flag to represent it, and that they are willing to fly this flag on the Auckland harbor bridge and on government buildings, for at least one day a year. However it seems that the flag chosen to represent Maori, as emotionally empowering as it is, unfortunately lacks the lawful weight that could have been harnessed had the United tribes / Declaration of Independence flag been chosen instead.
There are many that argue, including Maori and Tau iwi scholars and legal professionals alike, that Te Tiriti o Waitangi was instated, unbeknownst to almost all Maori at the time, to undermine the declaration and what it gave Maori, and to help validate the existence of the government of NZ (set up as a corporate entity with corporate intent). Yes, the Treaty did seem at the time to give empowerment to Maori yet its brevity and the ambiguous nature of some of its text left Maori then, as it does now, without a solid base to control their destiny. Whereas the declaration in its wording is much less open to interpretation and is a document written in agreement with the monarchy of England and its 'Common Law' foundations (compared with the 'Statute Law' system that underpins the government of NZ and of which has been used to undermine the rights of NZers since 1840).
Fortunately, if our country were to take stock of what powers the Declaration could hold, there are processes we could use which could revert jurisdiction back to what we had under the declaration, largely due to a number of illegitimate means that were initially used to create the NZ government and have the treaty enforced. However to bring this about we need to start taking as many opportunities as we can to bring attention to the flag, the declaration it supports, and what the Declaration could give us as a nation.
Admittedly, to most people, the suggestion to dismiss the Treaty and much of what it has seemed to have given us to date, including even the very productive Treaty settlement process, seems farcical and an enormous waste of years of effort by so many people. More-so the suggestion that we start questioning the very fabric that holds together our government, (ie statute law) and, in doing so, questioning the way in which we have lead our daily lives for 170 years, probably seems to most people like suggesting complete chaos itself. However there are simple ways that an ordered transition could be achieved to end a system which on a daily basis perverts justice and distorts democracy for those holding the purse strings, giving us back a system based on Common Law where both Maori and Tau iwi citizens would have real democracy and all the rights we are entitled.
Common Law arguments and Te Tiriti o Waitangi
With all respect these arguments about "common law" contradicting or being broken by statute law are nothing but adventurous. The declaration of independence could have been a basis for NZ to be an independent country going down a different track. Yet the Treaty of Waitangi, no matter how much we hate it, has superceded that declaration. Unfortunately there were many Maori leaders that signed up to the treaty, because they were conned into believing it would benefit them and Maoridom. So the Crown and Pakeha have always had that argument to their favour that an "agreement" was signed (eventhough not all Maori tribes and leaders did sign up to it). The history of Aotearoa is so vague and patchy, it leaves too much open to interpretation. It should never have come to this, but knowing that the Maori native population had a totally different culture, did not understand the meaning of Anglo-Saxon law and not really understand their mentality and language, they were truly conned. Re-writing history is a major challenge that few think worth engaging in. It would open so many wounds and could lead to civil war and else. Imagine the North American continent re-writing history, most people now living there should never have been allowed to live there. Where do you start and stop? You may as well raise the issues Hitler raised about race and right of people to their "homeland"! Is that going to solve anything? I doubt it. With all respect, we must respect Maori and their native rights, but otherwise nothing better but a compromise of sorts can be a reasonable solution to all!
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170 years since the signing
170 years since the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi
It`s already 170 years but the war is not finished and i do not think will end soon, the interest is beyond our eyes. remi online
Flag of the state
The flag has been co-opted by the state- its all over for it.
Peoples Sports such as saving the planet needs daylight.
With the air, land, water and viability of life under assault by the various empires and their imperialist codes, you'd think they might put one sport needed such as saving the local river from being polluted on the agenda. Not to mention the necessary harmony of our specie, such as how fast we could dismantle the war machine and its manufactury. Or how about how fast they could restore the matriarchy and elect the better half to access half the wealth and half the law making.
Such measures would swiftly allow the life of the planet to come back to ecological organic balance again. Jumping off a cliff and swirling down the mountains on skis seem almost irrelevant compared to whats necessary to be done nowadays.