It’s weird isn’t it? The stale nothing of NZ mainstream culture offers little to showcase the world when a visiting dignitary turns up on our shores. There’s only so much fawning over Peter Jackson any tourist can manage, so it comes as no surprise that the majority of engagement Prince Harry has so far undertaken are Maori cultural events.
When you consider who poverty hits hardest, who state housing privatisation hits hardest, who inequality hits hardest who privatising water hits hardest – Prince Harry has shown Maori more appreciation than actual NZers ever have.
It’s not often you see positive portrayal of Maori culture in the media. In fact the only queasy moment I had was when I saw Key and Joyce trying to schmooze with him. I imagine he would have preferred his soldier mates.
^^^^^
THIS.
Your not wrong there Martyn so sad that
“When you consider who poverty hits hardest, who state housing privatisation hits hardest, who inequality hits hardest who privatising water hits hardest – Prince Harry has shown Maori more appreciation than actual NZers ever have.”
Yes to that exactly Martyn.
While in Canada as a kiwi I joined our NZ/Australian Club in Toronto and became one of the Maori Concert party members in 1991.
Duing the two years I learned all the songs and dance routines as we had to perform to Canadian dignitaries a lot over there.
As a kiwi growing up here in the 1960’s we gave little respect to our Maori partners here and I learned so much from them while abroad I am now involved with Maori now back here and love them dearly for the honest frankness and caring for the land and people I sometimes wonder if paheka are worthy of Maori respect given me.
We should all cherish these proud people who are more giving and open and honest than our European breed that sometimes it makes me ashamed of my own breed.
As for the privatisation of water you are right Māori are rightly aggrieved at this Government as many paheha are also.
This evil Government and their lies – as they said “no one owns the water” (Key) but here they are privatising the water by any means now.
Even in Hastings a company is removing thousands of litres of or water and sending it to china for sale, and I know Māori who are very upset over this, and it may cause a major issue for key here if a protest march or hikoi is called for I will be there for them and us.
Oh how the worm turns . If the worn turned faster and more often the poor wee thing would warp into a parallel Universe .
A little unabashed self-promotion here. Because I’m very clever, and I’m pretty . I have nice blue eyes. I like beach walks and getting caught in the rain. Unless it’s Southland rain. Then I’d drown standing up.
How often have I pleaded for the spherical thinking, Light Sider, human beings ( Archaic for Left Wing. ) here to engage the Crown to help us purge NZ of the Linear Thinking , Dark Sider, In-human beings ( Archaic for Right wing , neo liberals ) ?
I wrote a letter to HRH QE 2 and begged her to investigate our tanking economy, our dreadful downward spiral societally, and our fresh crop of multi millionaires . Yet while we live in an unbelievably resource rich country the size of the UK but with only 4.5 million really, really creative and innovative humans …. we’re fucked . ( I didn’t use those words exactly )
HRH QE2 replied that it wasn’t really her job to act as our head of state , she had a representative in NZ to do that for her EVEN THOUGH SHE TOOK THE POINTS I HAD RAISED VERY SERIOUSLY ; Jerry Mateparae, Governor General and yankee doodle psycho jonky-stien quisling in waiting, lips puckered while keeping a close eye on the aforementioned yankee doodle psycho jonky-stien’s fat , lazy, greedy arse.
Interestingly, after I wrote that letter there’s been a flurry of Royal visits . Coincidence ? You decide .
You can say what you like about HRH QE2 and her family, you can’t get away from the fact that they are human beings. Not corporate nouveau riche with nothing but ego and narcissism to puff out their scales .
If we asked ? Would they deliver an inquiry ? After all, the Crown is our head of state . NZ is a British Commonwealth Country.
Any American will tell you, you can’t buy that shit. For all the USA’s pomp and fluff , they have no class and they know it. For all their Harvard’s and Princeton’s and New England mansions, they have no class. Yankee doodle psycho jonky-stien is a compelling argument for that. The little man, jostling for the lime light but always in the shadow of a Prince.
For those who organise petitions, organise a petition to lobby our Head of State to conduct an official, Royal Commission of Inquiry.
I think I might send Her a copy of Nicky Hagers book come to think of it.
( If you’re reading this Chris Trotter, I remember your earlier Post. Don’t you worry, I have that enlightening work in the back of my brilliant mind . )
Oh, did I tell you ? I have a pleasant singing voice, so my mother told me.
Prince Harry comes here and gets on best with his Maori mates ? Surprise, surprise.
The flag change debacle is a logical fallacy . A $26 million dollar logical fallacy. Used to pick away at the apron strings of HRH QE2 . Once we are a Republic ? We’re done for.
Yeah, I feel the country hasn’t grown up enough to become a republic. The Commonwealth civilises us. The good thing is, we don’t have to pay for them the way your average Brit does, so we get the benefit without the cost!
I like that CB , I like that.
Excellent.
John Key is all geared up to sign the TPPA which will over ride the Tiriiti o Waitangi. Thanks Harry for the gesture…
Harry’s English, we’re mostly English, what could we show him that’s distinctive? Look, Harry, a scone. Look, a violin. Look, Asterix comics.
Maori are from a different part of the world and they had several hundred years in isolation to develop their own expressions of Polynesian culture. The honkies brought stuff from the UK and the odd bit of Europe. Harry is from there.
A Martian might find poor old white fella and his gumboots and hydrangeas and pots of tea marginally interesting. It’s not worthless just because it’s common. It’s the workaday currency of most of our lives.
A lot of cultures that have great shit to show off to the world, the great shit was built by slave labour or working poor so poor they were practically slaves anyway.
I know my history in this country, and I am proud of it, I just see it being shat on, spat on, pissed on, taken for granted and demonised. New Zealand’s in a bad way. It’s being fragmented ideologically, concentrated into some kind of Auckland-only prism, everyone seems money-hungry and panicked and obsessed with owning a jeep. Or maybe it’s just that I’m an adult now and it was always this full of squabbling and backbiting and morbidness. Whatever the reason, those last three things get tiring. There’s so much casual nastiness here now, I don’t remember it being that way when I was growing up.
Maybe I just had it good.
Bloody well said Janice I agree 1000%
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