Speaking in parliament on the bill to sanction Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi gave the best speech by a long way.
He said Te Pāti Māori supported the bill but that Aotearoa should be consistent in applying sanctions in future and take action against “any imperial power illegally invading a sovereign nation”.
“Why did our successive New Zealand governments not condemn the illegal US invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq, or Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine? Rather than condemn the United States for their illegal, imperial invasion, we’ve supported them with troops, with training, with intelligence. This must end.”
Clear, consistent and principled. Thank you Rawiri!
Agree +100% no one has said anything here in NZ about the Palestinian Situation and it has been going on since 1948.
Then all of a sudden Russia starts doing the same thing to blonde haired, blue eyed Eastern Europeans and this sort of behaviour becomes an issue ?
The USA has behaved very poorly in it’s foreign affairs for a very long time in Cenral & Southern America and the Middle East, yet everyone just turns a blind eye to those issues ?
Agree +100% no one has said anything here in NZ about the Palestinian Situation and it has been going on since 1948.
Then all of a sudden Russia starts doing the same thing to blonde haired, blue eyed Eastern Europeans and this sort of behaviour becomes an issue ?
The USA has behaved very poorly in it’s foreign affairs for a very long time in Cenral & Southern America and the Middle East, yet everyone just turns a blind eye to those issues ?
Its racisms look at what is happening to the brown refugees fleeing Ukraine.
“Russia starts doing the same thing to blonde haired, blue eyed Eastern Europeans and this sort of behaviour becomes an issue”.
Perhaps but I think you are confusing simplistic ethnic/cultural interpretations over what is actually the elite realpolitik interests of the moment.
In Afghanistan we were not overly concerned with the plight of ordinary Afghans for 20 years. Then we were very concerned, especially for women and girls around the time of the US withdrawal. Finally once again we care little as 20 million Afghans face starvation at a time when the US has frozen billions of Afghan state wealth. Did millions of Afghans women briefly self-identify as caucasian around the time of the withdrawal?
There are other similar examples but as for Ukraine, you are forgetting the millions, some of whom are surely “blonde haired, blue eyed Eastern Europeans” who we also will not care about and may actively vilify. The millions of ordinary Russians who are going to get crushed by sanctions.
It is looking increasingly possible that Te Pāti Māori will hold the balance of power at the next elections. From Rawiri Waititi’s statement, above, maybe that is exactly where they deserve to be.
Good because if need be he has confirmed he won’t work with ACT and it’s horrendous policies.
I want him to reassure me that he will not go with National and their bargaining with Labour et al will not truly compromise their kaupapa. I am seriously thinking of voting for them, have been a Green Party and Alliance voter since the formation of New Labour.
Rawiri and Te Maaori Party has put it’s stake in the ground early.
Yeah, agree. It’s just his wife and the Maori CRT believers that need to take a step back from all of that bs.
Agreed Denny, unfortunately it seems like his wife is a CRT ideologue.
I’d be more supportive on any party on the left that dropped the Critical Theory nonsense. That’s a key reason I won’t vote Green (aside from them being completely ineffectual) or Maori Party (although Rawiri is 100% right on this one).
We can only hope the CRT mob collide with the Queer Theory crowd at some point and implode over trans-racial activism. What happened to 2nd Wave principles?
This war makes me think about how our Maori people coped with the cannon balls landing in there trenches and having to fight a battle against a mighty power heavily armed. All western countries are guilty of perpetuating violence, entrenched racism and assimilation on indigenous peoples. Now people might say, yeah! well that was 180 years ago, yes it was but how has that effected us today as a people. Many indigenous peoples share the same negative status being landless, homeless and suffering from diseases we never had.
This war makes me think about how our Maori people coped with the cannon balls landing in there trenches and having to fight a battle against a mighty power heavily armed. All western countries are guilty of perpetuating violence, entrenched racism and assimilation on indigenous peoples. Now people might say, yeah! well that was 180 years ago, yes it was but how has that effected us today as a people. Many indigenous peoples share the same negative status being landless, homeless and suffering from diseases we never had.
This war makes me think about how our Maori people coped with the cannon balls landing in there trenches and having to fight a battle against a mighty power heavily armed. All western countries are guilty of perpetuating violence, entrenched racism and assimilation on indigenous peoples. Now people might say, yeah! well that was 180 years ago, yes it was but how has that effected us today as a people. Many indigenous peoples share the same negative status being landless, homeless and suffering from diseases we never had.
This war makes me think about how our Maori people coped with the cannon balls landing in there trenches and having to fight a battle against a mighty power heavily armed. All western countries are guilty of perpetuating violence, entrenched racism and assimilation on indigenous peoples. Now people might say, yeah! well that was 180 years ago, yes it was but how has that effected us today as a people. Many indigenous peoples share the same negative status being landless, homeless and suffering from diseases we never had.
I’m not expert but i’m reasonably certain that the western nations like Ireland, Iceland, Finland, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Greece (as a modern state) etc don’t have much history of violence and assimilation of indigenous peoples. If you discount the Vikings and expansionism inside Europe, then you can probably add Norway, Denmark and more besides. If your focus is on Europeans, most Eastern European states have spent more time being colonised or occupied.
I’d go as far to say as it’s a handful of the more powerful and expansionist states that have wrought the violence you describe so for example add China and Japan. It’s sadly what powerful nations (and tribes) have always done when seeking resources and to expand or consolidate power. Indeed one reason Russian culture is the way it is (apart from Leninist and Stalinist self destruction) is 200 years of brutal Mongol occupation.
Thanks for a nice historically accurate comment.
The Irish don’t have much history of violence and assimilation (being enacted on them)?
Huh?
“The TREATY”, as it is commonly known, – of 1921.
An Conradh Angla-Éireannach – Look it up!!
@Kheala you are right but you’ve also got the wrong end of the stick.
My point was the Irish (and many others) don’t have much history of violence and assimilation *as perpetrators* which is what CiP was implying.
So, the Irish have no history of violence, “as perpetrators”?
The IRA were infamous for their violent acts of terrorism:
https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-britain-security-bombings-idUKTRE74F31Q20110516
First – you’re narrowing the context, the thread was about a history of (perpetrating colonial) violence and assimilation.
Second – the IRA are not representative of the Irish state or Irish people and certainly not a ‘colonial power’ (Although politically there is arguably a grey area where Sinn Fein is concerned).
Third you’re doing it again, actually I’m fully aware of the IRA.
FYI – I grew up in the UK my family has Irish republic and UK military connections. I have close relatives whose common activities in the 80s included covering uniform in public and checking under their personal cars for bombs (standard practice to avoid targeted assassinations of military personal even in mainland UK). Another family member’s workplace was closed following the one of the last IRA bombs in the 90s in Docklands.
This is not a ‘poor me’ story just pointing that your attempts so far to ‘inform me’ are misplaced and you are taking the thread off on a tangent with points that superficially sound relevant but actually add nothing too nor counter the original point I was making.
@Kheala – While I could have been explicit in my reply (‘as perpetrators’) perhaps before you get theatrically superior and admonish someone to ‘look it up’ you could also ‘look up’ to the immediately preceding comment I was replying to, which if it was not obvious already, may have made my meaning clear.
Tui, I get your intention (I think) but selecting Ireland as an example, seemed an odd choice.
However I agree with you that this is not a “Western” thing – the invasions, occupation, oppression, exploitation and colonisation of nations and people, – have been near universal throughout history.
Seems like I needed to be extra-explicit
CiP wrote “All western countries are guilty of perpetuating violence, entrenched racism and assimilation on indigenous peoples”
That was the key line I was refuting because
– It is not all (or even a majority) of western nations that have *perpetrated* this
– As you say this is near universal in all times and places among the more powerful nations, tribes etc.
Re including Ireland my list, they have indeed *experienced* violence, entrenched racism and assimilation” but not *perpetrated* it. The IRA are not representative of the Irish state or the people. So I disagree, Ireland is not an odd choice and belongs in my original list.
Having said that if pubs, beers and a love of St Patrick’s day is assimilation then the Irish have strategic footholds in most of the major cities in the developed world and more places besides pehapes we should be worried!
You’re as repetitive as Minto and equally as deluded.
Good old reliable Gaby waiting in the wings to put your jab in. The trouble is that you have set a precedent and no shenanigans whether Irish or other is now complete without you. Keep it up you are like a touch of top ranking pepper.
and intertribal violence isn’t violence then?
Yes agree with ya Bert. Act are divisive Maori bashers he should not work with National either for the same reason and if we followed Acts and Nationals calls for opening the borders thousand of our Maori people and other Kiwis would have died. Beware of a wolf in sheeps clothing (Luxon) we as a country have been there and done that and he offers nothing new.
As I’m trying to be a better person and have nothing nice to say about this man, I won’t.
But I will point out the polls are still falling for this government and a hypothetical balance of power today, is less likely tomorrow with unmandated co governance being forced on 85 percent of us who aren’t Māori.
Most of us believe in democracy unlike this person, so don’t get your hopes up.
Tyranny of the majority is it keep calm and how much of the 85% just got here
Yes but didn’t you coloniser lot do that to us when we signed a treaty that continues to be poo pooed on. Do you not like a bit of your own medicine.
Neither you nor I signed the treaty.
But the treaty guarantees us equal rights, not special race rights for Maori.
You appear to admit you are supporting this for revenge on people not present when NZ was colonised.
Thanks for showing the public what those wanting co governance are really thinking.
Two wrongs don’t make a right as the old religion told us.
Yes the treaty guarantees us equal rights but it also leaves chiefly authority with the Chiefs (in the version most signed). Sure CiP is having a rant, but I think you mischaracterise those wanting co-governance.
We’d better hope good faith actors can keep things on an even keel because there will be plenty of bad faith actors from all factions willing to take advantage of a shift in the status quo and turbulence arising from it.
Sounds very racist KCC.
I agree, legislating one ethnic group disproportionate voting power more than all the others is extremely racist.
That’s co governance for ya.
Thank you, you prove my point, white collar Epsom voters.
Seymour said he wouldn’t work with the Maori party, very very racist.
Seymour Guns is very very racist.
KCCO I think you are a little bit paranoid and you do not understand the He Puapua Document, it is for the improvement and betterment of water supplies here in NZ. Ownership is irrelevant as the water and the Infrastructure will never be sold. Te Maaori will never sell it as it against Te Maaori Principles and World View. KCCO and don’ fret about te tangata whenua bro.
KCCO is anti because it is being sold by the left. If it was sold by the right, he’d be all over it like flies to a turd.
I do not believe that is true, Bert.
good on Rawiri, but he’ll never get anywhere in NZ politics too straightforward and honest.
Oh I forgot I don’t want that John Tamihere in ever ever again. Rude obnoxious man and a misogynist to boot.
What about the virtual invasion of rich oligarchs and not just Russian ones either. I remember a notorious Indonesian chap. And we have got wealthy USA paypal developer, also palantir here (ex Tolkien https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palant%C3%ADr). Peter Thiel wealthy developer can come here and we can continue in our useful role of being a well-educated but incurious laboratory for novel ideas.
Grey, the oligarchs abound. One country that oligarchs run sort of subverted another countries oligarchs in order to threaten another country run by a set of oligarchs. That set of oligarchs said stuff you and got physical. The common people didnt get much say. Around the world they were instructed to wave flags for goodies and to cancel baddies. To rub salt in one set of oligarchs sent their “representative” to another countries parliament, that country too really an oligarchy. There he channelled a peoples hero, plagiarising his words to support his cause. The local oligarchs clapped, the media they controlled lionised him. Our long dead hero would find them all beyond contempt.
SHIT BORIS KNIGHTED ONE so now he can sit in the fuckin lords…is the UK a joke or what? a grim joke to be sure but still a fuckin joke.
Seymour Guns is very very racist.
Blocking opposing comments again, Minto? So sadly insecure in your prejudices.Notice you don’t post on TDB FB anymore.Victory!
Gaby so many of your comments about Minto appear to have no basis. You have accused him of being anti-semitic but never ever come up with the comments he has made that make him anti semitic. So anything he writes ever now about anything you have a wee go at. Very floored comments on your part.
The land that was Palestine will be one state with a democratic government for all in my life time, get used to that, the tide turned on Israel a while ago.