KINGITANGA

He uri ahau no Hoturoa, no Marutuahu, no Hikairo hoki.

No Manaia au, no te Pare Hauraki.
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On my Dad's side, we whakapapa to Tainui Waka.
Our marae is in Manaia.

I didn't grow up there, but my tupuna TeRata Hikairo is buried there.
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Our links to Tainui, mean that our hapu and Iwi are with the Kingitanga.
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On Mum's side, I am Ngapuhi. That's where I grew up amongst Ngapuhi and in Te Tai Tokerau.
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I am a Ngapuhi.

I am also Ngati Hikairo and Ngati Maru.

I have a deep, abiding love and respect for the Kingitanga, even though I admittedly have so very much to learn.

That's my whakaaro. Kia Ora ra

My opinion

This is all my own opinion.

It is just what I think.

It's all just my own opinion. It's my own thoughts.
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I cast my mind back to the 2008 Election.

For Maori, alot had lead to them electing 5 Maori Party MPs in the Maori seats.

Primary among them were the Tuhoe raids, and the rejection bu the NZ Government of the U.N.D.R.I.P

The Maori Party had been in Parliament for a full term, since the 2005 Election. They had debated every issue and opposed many many things, voting many many things down.

By giving the Maori Party 5 MPs, Maori voters at that time, were giving there confidence and their trust to the Maori Party.

Let's remember, Parekura Horomia was still alive. Hone Harawira was a Maori Party MP. (I voted for him in 2008)

We had no way of increasing Labour's bloc, and thus helping them get in to Government. And of course, we have no assurance they would've even asked, had they still been in Government.
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Now, let's explore the possibility, 6 years ago of STAYING in Opposition.

We'd still be in Parliament. We'd still have 5 MPs.

But the Maori Party were the unheard of, Maori lot.

And what could we have done. We had a bigger team. We had a strong membership. We had a firm Party structure, up and down the country.

BUT; No power. No real say. And we could effect NOTHING!!!!

All the aspirations and hopes given to us, would come to nothing, as we had no way to achieve them.

The other factor to consider, was that National had run a campaign on getting rid of the very Maori seats that the Maori Party (and Parekura and Nanaia) had won.

National were about to team up with ACT and United Future.

The Global recession was destroying Maori hopes, Maori dreams, Maori jobs and Maori livelihoods.

We had a fairly New Maori King.

We had a Maori Council, but I am not sure that grassroots really knew who they were.
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So the Maori World, Maori people and the Maori Party were set up for lack of leadership, lack of resourcing, lack of help and alot more to lose.
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The Free market could've destroyed us, and both major parties wouldn't care who we were or What we said or did. Five little fish in a big Pakeha sea.

The Maori Party had made NO Law changes, they had NO Funding for projects of initiatives.
They talked alot, but didn't do much.
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And so....

IN MY OPINION, I believe, that considering all of that;

If the Maori Party had NOT Gone in to Government in 2008;

They would've been out of Parliament in 2011.

Hone gone, Pita gone, Tariana gone, Rahui gone, Te Ururoa gone...

They'd be gone too early.. without having made any great gains

No Maori Party, no Mana Movement...

No one to fight for Mana Motuhake, No Champions of Tino Rangatiratanga,

Treaty Partner

Tonight, our tupuna have given me a message. A message of hope. A message of clarity.
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I have, these last few days, been re-invigorating myself in terms of the Maori Party. The way I have done this is by sharing our beautiful history as a Party, with some amazing rangatahi.

It is on the back of this, having spent this afternoon at the local marae with them, that I believe, the tupuna decided to share this message with me.
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The message, if I can attempt to put it in written words is this:

Yes. The Maori Party is us. We are the Maori Party.

The Maori Party is the realization of the dreams and goals we left on Earth.

The Maori Party has taken it's rightful place in the New Zealand Government as Treaty Partners.
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Only the Maori Party can be the true treaty partner. Only the Maori Party can be the Treaty Partner.

The two major parties can only seek to represent Crown interests, and the ways of the Crown.

But the New Zealand Government must always have a Treaty Partner. Only our Maori Party, can be that.

Celebrate Matariki

This is ALL my own opinion.

I won't use references.

This is me blurting out on my blog, my thoughts.
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Matariki, Makahiki, Matali'i, Pleiades, Subaru.

All different names, for the group of stars (constellation) pictured above.

Across the Pacific, the annual emergence Matariki, signals the beginning of Our New Year.

This Year, This Calendar has been use in the Pacific for thousands of years.
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With the Maori renaissance we saw the wide revitalization of Matariki Celebrations.
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For me, this is about remembering what has always been part of us. It is part of who we are. It is part of our Pasifika way of life.
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I personally believe in making Matariki a public holiday.

I say this, because there is currently NO legal recognition of Matariki.
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After a law passing it would probably involve kaumatua and kuia across the motu, who would consult with the Department of Labour and MBIE.

They would help in setting and adjusting the date each year.

However it happens, it should always be guided by Tikanga.
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My only concern with making Matariki a public holiday, is making sure that it doesn't become overly commercialized like Christmas or Easter.
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I don't buy in to the 'lost productivity' korero, because that is never considered in terms of the all the other holidays that we already have.

These are my basic thoughts.

Prompted by this post and it's comments

https://www.facebook.com/terata.hikairo/posts/10152549809856369?notif_t=like

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Please comment, discuss and debate.

Na,
TeRata