Tim, ever heard of a place called Tangimoana? Seen the Tuhoe submission to the Waitangi Tribunal, drawn up after extensive cnsultation within the iwi, which calls for a change in NZ's constitution to make Tuhoe country autonomous?

Your comparison of autonomous/independent Polynesian states with 'Bantustans' is offensive. The Bantustans were controleld by South Africa, bot black Africans. They were imposed, not chosen.
Do you oppose the liberation struggles that freed Samoa, the Cooks and Niue from Pakeha rule, at the cost of the lives of some of the indigenous people of those places? The independent states that resulted are small - smaller in some cases than an independent Maori state would be.

Anyway, TR could mean autonomy, not full independence - letting the iwi (eg Tuhoe) decide how to spend tax dollars and how to run security etc within its rohe.

Does your party have a position on this question or not? If you really believe in the extension of democracy why do some of your members not believe that Maori should have the right to democratically decide to become autonomous or independent from NZ?