What has MSM awards for Politician of the Year and Waitangi Day got in common?
Absolutely nothing.
You won’t find any mention of how politicians treated Waitangi Day in any of the reviews that political editors make in December when they sum up performances during the year.
How do I know?
I read them all.
The memories of political editors are short and dim ( especially you Tracy ) and their reviews mostly wafer thin bollocks but Waitangi Day is one of the big political events of any given year.
Given it is the national day of New Zealand, and commemorates the signing, on 6 February 1840, of the Treaty of Waitangi you would think the absence or presence of a Prime Minister should count for how well they are facing up to these integral issues at the heart of our national identity?
But no.
It is swept under the Pakeha Media carpet ( lol ).
Surely NZME would cover this?
Audrey Young gave John Key the politician of the year award in 2016 because of the way he fucked off and left boldly.
But no mention of hiding from Waitangi Day like a rat jumping a ship.
Audrey Young gave Jacinda Ardern the politician of the year award in 2017 because of the way she arrived and stayed.
But no mention of Bill English hiding from Waitangi Day like a shivering worm at the opposite end of the country.
Audrey Young gave Winston Peters the politician of the year award in 2018 because of the way he was still there.
But no mention of a fantastic inclusive Waitangi Day led by PM Jacinda Ardern – on fucking site and in the midst of celebrations with the iwi.
Such a big difference, such an improvement.
But no mention?
Surely this was just Audrey skipping over Waitangi Day as if it did not matter at all in some isolated dishonourable snub at the significance of celebrating the Treaty?
What about Fairfax the other big newspaper conglomerate?
Tracy Watkins did not mention PM Ardern’s Waitanagi Day in her summary of Polician of the Year published on December 15 2018.
Shit. ( pronounced sheee-it )
What about the Listener?
Jane Clifton did not mention Waitangi Day in her Politician of the Year article published 3 January 2019.
So if Waitangi Day is so unimportant politically – why is Henry Cooke making out that it matters today in Stuff?
“Ardern opted to visit Waitangi for almost a week instead of just Waitangi Day. She hosted an informal barbecue instead of a stuffy hotel breakfast. She became the first woman prime minister to speak at the Upper Marae.”
A fact that was ignored by all these Pakeha writers ( lol ) when it came to reviewing the political year.
Notably Simon Bridges will poke his nose in this year for a short while and then scuttle back to Tauranga on the actual day.
That’s no surprise after he did not mention Maori once in his State of the Nation speech a few days ago.
With all the talk about how Maori are about to be explicitly included in all future Wellbeing budgets, Bridges made out we’ve had lots of working groups.
Hilarious.
Bridges also made excuses for the cowardice, lack of race relations diplomatic skills, or lack of Barbecuing skills ( take your pick ) of Sir John Key and Sir Bill English by saying things were more feverish back then – so they stayed away.
Not everyone can flip a sausage and stand the heat.
But Politicians who can – don’t win any awards for it from our MSM.
Gerard Otto is an activist and writer