FiveAA Australia: Across The Ditch with Selwyn Manning & Peter Godfrey – ANZAC Force + Waitangi Day

MIL OSI – MIL Analysis

Headline: FiveAA Australia: Across The Ditch with Selwyn Manning & Peter Godfrey – ANZAC Force + Waitangi Day

Recorded live on 5/02/15 – Selwyn Manning and Peter Godfrey deliver their weekly bulletin Across The Ditch. This week they discuss how Britain’s foreign secretary Phillip Hammond has applied pressure on the New Zealand Government to increase its intended commitment to the fight against ISIS. Also discussed, New Zealand commemorates the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi.

ITEM ONE:
New Zealand is inching toward a significant commitment to a U.S./UK led offensive against the Islamic State ISIS.

This week Britain’s foreign secretary Philip Hammond met with NZ Prime Minister a John Key in Wellington. The meeting was on the back of a similar meeting he had had in Australia where Britain began formalising Australia and New Zealand governments’ commitment to the looming fight against ISIS.

New Zealand has been asked to contribute a minimum of 100 military personnel to an Iraq based mission but in reality will increase up to 400 military personnel in a joint training contingent with Australia.

At this stage New Zealand Government understands Australia’s commitment will be no more than 1000 personnel.

While John Key told reporters no firm request and commitment had been agreed to, Britain’s foreign secretary indicated his Government’s expectation that New Zealand would make a significant contribution based on the cited numbers.

Phillip Hammond told the New Zealand Herald yesterday: “Don’t under-estimate the importance of a New Zealand contribution.”

He said Australia already has around 600 people in Iraq. He reiterated that another 400 defence personnel is required and stated Australia Government is “desperately keen that a contribution to that 400 is coming from New Zealand so that it’s a joint effort keeping the overall Australian contingent below the magic thousand number and showing a joint effort approach.”

The New Zealand public is likely to learn of the National-led Government’s commitment early next week.

ITEM TWO:
Friday is Waitangi Day, a National Holiday over here that commemorates the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840 between the British Crown and more than 500 Maori Chiefs.

The Treaty remains the foundation document upon which the Dominion of New Zealand was finally formed.

Te Ara the Encyclopaedia of New Zealand records how many of the Maori Chiefs were concerned about Britain’s motives, much debate occurred from February 5-6 and eventually only 40 Chiefs signed the document:

Reasons why chiefs signed the treaty included wanting controls on the sales of Māori land to Europeans, and controls on European settlers. They also wanted to trade with Europeans, and believed the new relationship with Britain would stop fighting between tribes.

Those who didn’t sign the treaty were concerned they would lose their independence and power, and wanted to settle their own disputes. Some chiefs never had the opportunity to sign it, as it was not taken to all regions.

Despite the Treaty’s efforts to create a bicultural Pacific Island state along a ‘One Nation Two Peoples’ ethos, the decades following the signing of the Treaty saw violence and civil war breaking out between British militia and Maori, and clashes between some warring tribes.

From 1840 to the mid 20th Century, Maori land was often confiscated illegally by the Crown, and Maori found themselves largely estranged from the political and economic power elites, and as a people’s became more impoverished.

This is the backdrop to much grievance today. Successive New Zealand Governments have since the 1990s made significant attempts to settle past wrongs, particularly after Maori became more politicised and had successfully sought legal recourse, the findings demanding that the Treaty be honoured and settlement money be paid by the Crown to some Iwi or tribes.

And every year on February 6, Maori and Government leaders gather at Waitangi’s Marae in northland’s Bay of Islands to commemorate the Treaty and debate the state of the Nation’s biculturalism.

This bulletin was broadcast live on FiveAA.com.au and webcasts on LiveNews.co.nz.

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