Jacinda Ardern’s spineless position on Ihumātao and the disgusting Police Overkill

1. Were I in Auckland I would be there, we have destroyed so much Maori heritage but we apparently haven’t learnt from that. I expect Ardern has her advisers saying this, shame on her, show some real leadership.

2. I recall Jacinda Ardern’s comment to Maori on the Waitangi Treaty Grounds on Waitangi Day earlier this year – “you must hold us to account”. So when Maori do, when they cry out in pain as they are at Ihumatao does she listen? Clearly not.

3. Yknow what I like about you Martyn. At least you’re not shamelessly promoting the Green Party. I just had to say that. Number one in my books.

4. Sorry, mate, this is the first time I tend to agree with Jacinda, although not fully. She is right to argue that the Kaumatua of the iwi at Ihumatao had made agreements for the land to be used as intended. We have a dispute between whanau within the Iwi, and we have protest travelers jumping on the band wagon of a media circus style attention event. The Greens are going to embarrass themselves heavily, sending MPs around there.

   We had the fricking Unitary Plan hearings by Council in 2014 to 2016, so opposition should have been raised by Mana Whenua then, was it, or was it not, and what came from it?

   I am sick and tired of too many indifferent and lazy, sometimes dumb Kiwis not paying attention to what goes on within their Council and so, and then scream protest chants, years later, when things happen, that are legal, but which they did not bother to oppose when it was necessary (i.e. rezoning land in Auckland, and the small print coming with it).

   We have idiots and opportunists join to get attention, while they did never do their home work and failed to attack the Auckland Unitary Plan process from the start.

   It is a bit late to scream, shout and occupy, when part of your whanau actually support the agreement with Council and Fletchers and want some development.

   But at the same time, any housing development there is a brain fart idea anyway, given we will have global warming lead to sea level rise, flooding much of the land there eventually.

   A typical fail performance as what so many Kiwis of whatever colour are well known for.

   https://www.weatherwatch.co.nz/content/interactive-map-alarming-flood-scenario-nz

   http://www.floodmap.net/Elevation/CountryElevationMap/?ct=NZ

   https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/00288306.1959.10422754

   NO foresight, NO planning, NO common sense, NO ideas, NO proper and down to earth education, that is the major problem with many people in this country, indeed increasingly in many parts on Earth.

   • Many people dont have the time or access to the procedures and language of government. They tend to rely on other people to have this knowledge and ability. It is not until it becomes obvious that they have been failed and the time becomes now or never that some may put up a fight. We should be thankful that once again it is Maori that start another fight to retain control of land in peoples name. This is the issue here. The title was never given to any one person or even subgroup of people. This is the meaning of commons and commons is ALWAYS worth fighting for. Commons is the opposite to neoliberal. It is the oxygen of the people. So more power to them and Kia Kaha and all the best in your fight

     • I do not totally disagree with you, but when people have a chance to submit disagreements, they should as citizens see it as a duty to do so, within their authority, not simply shrug it off and later complain, when their voice was not heard, while it was allowed to be heard.

       • I was someone fully engaged un the consultation process for the Unitary plan, and if you believe that process was effective, then you are misinformed.

         Also, there was ongoing discussions with the council ob this matter. Like previous interactions with Manukau District Council, the authorities have not acted with goodwill or integrity. Let alone an ability to listen.

         If you believe that the standard processes work, I suspect it is because they work for you.

         Informing yourself of all the avenues that have been undertaken, and the responses received might be worthwhile for you to looj into.

         It is not reasonable to say… if only they… When it is apparent you don’t know what has been done.

         • I did certainly not say the Unitary Plan hearing process was ‘effective’. All I meant was that some people tend to complain about situations they find, while not even having informed themselves about what was planned, and while they did not bother make submissions.

           If persons made submissions and were not being heard fairly, then they have a good reason to complain and protest.

           Personally, I think the hearing process was flawed or even biased towards certain developers and businesses, and many planners on the panel have in the past represented business interests, raising concerns about their independence. So were some ‘experts’, who were known to work for businesses again and again.

           So you are right in a way, and my argument was, that those protesting at Ihumatao may not even have bothered with the Council and its hearing processes, thus may not even be that well informed themselves.

     • God bless Spikeyboy

     • thank you Spikeyboy

   • 100% agree Marc

   • Agreements under the regime of the last government – which Labour in 2016 opposed?

     It would seem Labour persistently switches sides when it comes into government to perpetuate the injustice already determined on. The iwi negotiated a deal under the former regime, and has been offered nothing by the Labour government since to reconsider it, as if the limited concessions it got then are something to hold onto.

   • Sorry Marc. Can’t agree on this one. You’re sounding like a politician yourself. What you say is of course correct. The councils just want to develop more land, the people involved get split on the Issue and make no mistake the Government wants more land developed for housing as well. If Jacinda Ardern took a political risk and tried to sort out this situation she would show all the doubters that don’t believe in her they are wrong. It’s not politically expedient so she won’t do it. She didn’t watch the video of the child being uplifted from its mother for the same reason. She backed away from the capital gains tax for the same reason. I could go on, but won’t. There is no leadership in this country. Just overseas grandstanding and doing what will get you re elected. To do that you stay away from controversy. Spineless covers it quite well I thought.

     • Ultimately a democracy and political freedom depends on a seperation of powers and a legal process there is legal title and licenses etc, Events of a a hundred years ago and the Treaty of Waitangi do not suspend the land transfer system after half a dozen land sales and transfers over a hundred years. In land law, possession is 90 percent of the law and the claim of the current legal owners and purchasers is strong. That is the case in the Ukraine and Falklands today. The same with liquor licensing. A lot of dubious and exaggerated claims by do gooding and interventionist psychiatrists and socials workers, justify means of the arbitrary police actions removing and restricting license renewals hours. NZ is an independent democratic legal order. Protest, occupation and physical inntimidation is not justified by the Treaty, UN declarations or assertions of the overiding authority of medical judgement, when it is dubious if psychiatry and sccial medicine are legitimate or even scientific

   • 100%

5. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5uwihWGu-I

6. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWpSP1kFaK8

7. For whatever reason the prevalent attitude in NZ is that we don’t have a culture or a history worth preserving. Which is a shame. NZ is a vibrant place with a culture absolutely unique to these islands, and a history that is fascinating. That unique culture and heritage won’t be preserved until we grow some pride in our nation.

8. Chechen Freedom Fighters, do we support them and not Maori, or what is the agenda, it is a mess what goes on in this crap country.

   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMAs_AcKghE

9. In the one country where they gave back all the private land to indiginous people who had it stolen from them generations earlier by colonialist, it didn’t work out so well… For anyone. Let’s not follow Zimbabwe and have our economy collapse. There is a long standing agreement in NZ that private land wasn’t to be claimed for redress. There’s a good reason for that as alluded to above.

   There is more to this specific situation than this opinion piece implies. I normally agree with Bomber, but on this one, it seems he does not know the full facts. I think he should perhaps do some more research on the publically available information and if he can talk to someone in the police who knows the finer details. Let’s just say in this case the Police likely have a good reason to think they need that many officers there.

10. The PM should be at Ihumātao with the people and resolving this–the Government IS already involved unless someone else is paying for all those Cops!

    • Yeah and the price of the occupation may end up approaching the price of buyout!

11. The initial dealmaking with fletchers was a concession and mitigation of the loss of land not by consensus but behind closed doors. Then pania and co took it to all relevant authority when it became public knowledge which was after the land was paid for by fletchers only of course to be denied any meaningful action. All of this off of the back of crown confiscated and onsold land and the SHA-ification of this 700+ yr old heritige site when one of the main media narratives is housing crisis, building a few $700k+ spacious homes as a solution to the housing crisis. Don’t see how this is a conscious and caring process

12. I’d come and protest except thanks to the left I could lose my gun license because the police might not like those political views. I require a license for my work.
    There are now 250 000 kiwis who can’t express political views without fear of repercussions.
    But you guys should be sweet.
    Good luck with the protest.

    • is that the guns that we are subsidizing with our taxes to pay for the admin body for these guns and what about the golf courses might be time for some of them to go to as we are subsiding them to and who is using them who are the main users

13. building next to an urupa only this country pakeha government pakeha law with maori appointed ministers would let this happen im ashamed of my maori relations in government … i wonder if any of those people in power would live in one of those houses next an ancient n tapu sacred grounds ka hore kia kaha te whanau hapu o ihumatao he tikanga tenei me tu tahi te iwi o aotearoa

14. Very simple logic Martyn. However you insult and let down Maori, they will always vote Labour. Then why bother lifting your finger to help them. Waste of energy right?

    • “They will always vote labour?”- Well that’s not always been true now has it. This is an acid test for Labours Morsi caucus. If Ihumātao are left to there own devices then Māori may well leave them up to there own devices.

    • stop telling porkies we dumped labour for sure and seabed we voted mana and maori and we will dump labour again too if they don’t pull finger we didn’t vote for them to sit on their bums and say nothing

15. Stop blaming the PM of 20 months for a situation which has been going on for years. Look at both sides of the issue. It’s good that a new generation can hold the elders to account. Ask the elders why they never sorted it in the first place. Why should the PM take the flak because the various Maori factions can”t sort themselves out. At least now Fletchers are out of the equation.

    • Nah you look at both sides of the issue. Pania Newton is correct. You can shove that development deal right up your arse.

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