I’m bored of the Maori King’s Son news story. I’m bored because there really is nothing to see here. A 19 year old male has been a dickhead, since when the living Christ was that news worthy?
Many 19 year old males are dickheads. Science tells us the frontal lobes of human beings don’t fully develop until they are in their mid 20s, until then many young people’s brains can’t resist the chemical flush of adrenaline connected with risk taking and they simply don’t have the brain power to fully comprehend the consequences of their actions, that’s why we accept and allow for young people to screw up and be dickheads from time to time. That’s why we have a legal system that accepts this and allows for justice to be welded to mercy when we find young dickheads guilty of crimes.
This crying out against Korotangi Paki’s leniency in terms of sentencing has nothing to do with injustice, it’s just blatant racism.
You can see this best via the bore of Babylon, the king of smug pricks, the mouthpiece for arseholes, the one, the only, David Farrar in his blog post where he allows a reader to do all the dirty work so dear wee David looks like he’s just posing the question. Farrar and his letter writer attempt to compare John Banks and the Maori King’s son case and ask if Banks will also get a discharge without conviction. What this inane and racist line of questioning utterly misses out is that Korotangi Paki is a 19 year old who did a stupid 19 year old dickhead thing and thus deserves the mercy of the court for his inability to see the consequences of his actions, John Banks on the other hand is an old dog who knows all the tricks and caught himself up in his own donations scandal. The two crimes are committed by two very different people and that’s why the Court should be left to pass judgement.
Attempting to compare John Banks to Korotangi Paki is disingenuous, ill thought out garden variety racism.
The only thing worse than a 19 year old dickhead is a judgmental society of dickheads.
Its not a race thing.
2.dont excuse his behaviour
The main issue here is the perception of privelge whether European or Maori
Still can’t get over the fact that someone shoots at Hone’s office and it’s almost totally ignored.
Interesting fact I heard on National Radio last night. Thirty percent of Aucklanders are Asian. New Zealand is fast becoming a complex multi-cultural society.While the die hard anti Maori rascists will be with us for many years to come, will dog whistling them tip the balance in National’s favour in years to come?
“The only thing worse than a 19 year old dickhead is a judgmental society of dickheads”
Too true, Martyn, too true!
Appalling dickhead racist comments on that blog…for shame.
After the organisers of Kate & Wills’ royal tour delivering a horrible snub by not having them visit Turangawaewae Marae, this awful disrespectful shit in the news. Very sad, very shameful. I was also appalled at the photograph taken at a stressful time, being published. Even Roastbusters got to choose their own picture. MSM need to apologise.
I totally agree Martyn. Leave the poor young guy alone, he’s probably mortified as it is. It would seem to him that the whole country is against him according to the Media. It makes me sick that people want to give out convictions so easily to young people like him. If they get convictions they sits on ones record forever and employers in the future will not give them a job. Just for being young and silly, (and getting caught), it’s ridiculous and stigmatising, and I agree this is racist (and ageist). The media are trying to feed the National voting old farts club who want to look like they are controlling everyone with their narrow-minded, good and bad, black and white rigidity and just plain out dated farty-ness. I feel sorry for this young guy getting treated like he has no feelings and being humiliated by the media in public. I also feel for the really genuine people helping him who are also being subjected to the dick head (pack of wolves) press in this country, it’s mindless. It is actually serious bullying by the media people who would have kids and shouldn’t throw stones they have no empathy and are just mean spirited, spiteful wankers. This bullying needs to stop in this country.
Just as I was shocked dick head Jonky took the piss out of Cunliffe’s speech on abuse against woman when John has a daughter… (I do hope he never has to eat his ignorant words.)
I totally disagree he should have been convicted, he got off because of who he is related to nothing more, nothing nothing nothing to do with racism Martyn!
Speaking of garden-variety racism, what’s your view on Pakeha kids getting special treatment by the courts because their Dad’s a VIP, Martyn? A practice you’d defend as vociferously as in this case, no doubt?
It’s got nothing to do with being racist it’s got to do with fairness ! What about all the other 19yr old dickheads that make mistakes are they gunner let them off too ? The answer to that is “No”. Good for one good for all. It’s racist to let him off in my opinion I don’t care who he is !
Actually, Jeff (and everyone else who wants this kid to have been convicted), quite a few (most?) 19 year old first offenders are given diversion (“offered diversion” by the Police) or discharged without conviction because their crimes are more to do with youthful stupidity than real malice.
Jeez, I should know, considering my own wild youth and stupid things I did. Things I’d never in a zillion years consider doing now.
If we convicted every young man and woman who broke the law with acts of stupidity, over half the country would have a record by now.
Just how far do we take our national past-time of punitive retribution?
There is criminal behaviour based on malice or greed, and then there’s criminal behaviour based on youthful dumbness. God give us the good grace and common sense to understand the difference.
The other two defendants in the case were discharged-without-conviction a few days before…
Where was the outrage then?
I’m sorry this has nothing to do with racism at all, I love that everyone has got on the racism bandwagon. The fact is he stole peoples property as well being caught over the limit. It doesn’t matter who you are what colour you are if you break the law you have to suffer the consequences and no one is mentioning his mates that also got caught red handed and got let off. It’s just a joke.
We already have a multi-tier justice system.
This reinforces it.
Both of them should take the conviction for what they have both done.
Both of them are trying to use privilege to get further privileges.
They both think they are more equal than us ordinary people and should not be punished like us.
It seems to be working for them ………………
Yep, he’s a dickhead. Just like many 19 year olds. And all should be treated equally. Otherwise, that’s racism.
Hereditary royalty is a ridiculous anachronism. Maori or Windsor, it should all be done away with.
The main thing here is that all the other Maori youth in the same situation will NOT be receiving the lame slap on the wrist with a wet bus ticket that this boy received. It is far more likely that other Maoris appearing before a judge will have the book thrown at them.
Well said Martyn.
If he wasn’t the Maori Kings son, this common mistake that lots of kiwis his age make, wouldn’t even have made it to the media.
He is definitely being bullied by the MSM – and I thought bullying was already against the law, and doesn’t Collins want bullying to stop – so she says while ‘Ministeering’ ACC and Justice.
His Father – who happens to be the Maori King is being brought into the MSM slagging too – just because he is the Maori King.
What other 19 year olds who make a mistake like this have their fathers named and shamed too. This is the part that makes it appear like a media grab at a deliberate act of racism.
Enough damage already done now, and it needs to be left alone. Leave the family alone to fix their son.
The Maori King and his family deserve far more respect than the Queen of England, and they should get it!
Opinion and belief.
I’m not sure it really matters anyway. Conviction or no conviction, if time comes that he does get to represent Maori as their King, he will still be, and always be (by his own admission) a thief!!
Of course the outcry is racism. There is a legitimate argument to be had about the value of punishment in a system that responds to deviant behaviour. If one subscribes to punishment being useful the concern in this case is whether the level of punishment is enough. Clearly he has been punished, a little time inside waiting for the trial, a lot of shame in a little country. His mates got discharged too which supports the argument that this is not to do with being the king’s son as much as it is to do with him being a young man with promise. I wonder if my tendency towards clemency is just because I know that I am lucky I was never caught.
In closing, we need to get away from imagining a system for dealing with deviance as a punishment system. It gives some relief to those individuals ‘sinned’ against while imposing a social cost and economic cost that is indefensible.
Of course it is racism – totally. I was tempted to copy the comments made by many and repost them back on their FB page. I am totally sickened by what I read and think NZ has a very fragile future in race relations. In fact one could report it to the Race Relations Commissioner, but she doesn’t want to do anything except get her inflated salary. To prove my point, this comment will get more hands down than up. Thank you Martyn for partly restoring my faith. People need reminding Paki is completing Community work and is subjected to Marae Justice. That is a harsher sentence than most realise.
I couldn’t agree with your comment more Jenny.
Wow, seems like a bit of a troll overload on this one… I reckon there’s more than enough Maori in prison anyway and I doubt that his Dad’s position had a hell of a lot to do with the result but so what ? Like most rich white crims with expensive lawyers I am willing to bet Mr Eeyawax Entree walks away unscathed too.
After looking at a lot of comments about this case on various blogs, the main theme seems to be that people think it is a case of racism for either of two reasons: 1. He avoided a more severe sentence BECAUSE he was Maori, or 2. Those who are not Maori think he SHOULD have received a harsher sentence because he is Maori. In that way it does have racist overtones because people are judging the outcome based purely on race rather than the facts, which are only scantily supplied by the MSM. But going past the racial aspect, what annoys me is that it gives the perception that the outcome of trials depends on who you know, how powerful your friends are. Would another 19 year old without the same connections have been treated differently? We often hear anecdotal stories of this sort of thing happening in China but perhaps New Zealand justice is not much different.
Geez, one thing’s apparent after trawling through the comments, not too many lawyers read this blog.
A point well made, Martyn. But one that, if you’d spoken to any criminal lawyer who done a plea in mitigation, could have been bolstered easily. Only Frank seems to get it.
The reality it the media seized on one aspect of the whole submission for a bit of click bait. There is no injustice or privilege here, DWC is doled out throughout the country every day for similar offences and for similar reasons.
The irony of Davids comments, is that they clearly reveal that he is neither a criminal lawyer, or even a lawyer at all.
The reality is a 106 discharge is a rarity for a single charge of drink driving alone, and when granted is typically a result of the defendant also being able to prove that they are of good character and have led an unblemished life often characterized by hard work and societal contributions. One need only look at the recent case of a young Maori Sportswoman having her 106 discharge over-ruled to see an example of this in action. The Defendant in this case exhibited none of the former qualities, only a penchant for xenophobia and gang association.
Now take that drink driving charge, add to it a far far more serious charges of burglary and theft, combine these with a defendant whose only plea in mitigation is an accident of birth and being born into privilege, and you do not have only a legal rarity but something that amounts to legal sacrilege.
And yes, a fair bit of the outcry is probably motivated in part by racism, but let’s not even try to pretend that had the shoe been on the other foot, and this been John Key’s son or any other rich privileged white kid, that this site wouldn’t be up in outrage calling for the Judges head.
Perhaps if it had been John Key’s son the media possibly would have published it and left it so it didn’t continue to run, if it was taken up at all. We all know there is influence on what the MSM publishes and chooses to aggrandise. Hone Harawira’s office shoot up – is it reasonable that both the police and most of the media have done nothing about it? No. Someone’s pushing buttons somewhere.
Its the elitism being displayed and sanctioned that gets my goat.
What next ?, different doors into the courtroom depending on what class of citizen you are ?.
Different docks ? shabby ones for the poor ?.
Can I have my DIC charge when I was young and stupid overturned too?.
Sorry no royal blood or special connections for me so I guess I just have to go whistle …………
still banging on…. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11291156 and yet where are all the longwinded, self satisfied articles about bent cops dealing drugs from Jock Anderson and his like?
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