Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka disagrees government is “anti-Maori”
Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka says he strongly disagrees with criticism that the government is “anti-Maori”.
He has also denied his government is not interested in a partnership with Māori, saying it would in fact be even more committed to working alongside Māori but would be looking to do it in a way that was not in the form of a centralised bureaucracy.
Changing Māori names back to an English one that National’s own MPs can’t name properly, banishing the Māori Health Authority, taking money from Public Servants for Māori speakers, dismantling 7aa to steal another generation and starting legislation that redefines the Treaty???
That’s not anti-Māori?
No, no, no Tama.
You signed up to this and now you are part of it.
You might not be racist, but your Government sure as fuck is, and here’s the proof!
The Māori Language Act 2016 passed by ACT and National that legislated public services to use Te Reo!
What’s changed?
Māori were used as a punching bag before the election in a deplorable manner and the angry redneck response that race baiting has attracted has demanded an anti-Māori policy response and the new hard Right Government is obliging that kneejerk in the hope of pacifying those angry rednecks and calm everything down so they can get back to inflating property prices.
If ACT and National could pass legislation in 2016 to promote Te Reo and then throw all of that out the window because they’ve created Māori conspiracies to spook voters, they are Anti-Māori and the new minister pretending otherwise is a stain on him.
Here’s a pack of cheap ciggies and an MR15 isn’t much of an inspiration is it Tama?
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Mr Potato. How Tama Potaka can rationalise these contradictions is pretty obvious if you run a class lense over him. He was another “chosen one” like Shane Jones and Dr Cigareti, quality tertiary education is not necessarily a bad thing at all, it is just about who are you going to serve in the end–the people or the elites.
Mr Potaka qualified, and worked for some heavy duty legal firms–Rudd Watts & Stone etc.
So he identifies substantially with the capitalist ruling class and needs strong scrutiny and calling to account.
For someone who has made a point of using words like ‘aspirational’ and wanting ‘unity’ this govt.’s got a funny way of going about it.
Luxon can say his govt. promotes all sorts of warm fuzzy things, the proof will reveal itself next year in unemployment/pay and welfare figures, school attendance, emigration, dying small towns and all the other things WE can see, will become worse.
Being just a ceo of a very small airline was not the right preparation for his job. He has two very unreliable coalition partners who are there for their own benefit, not his. He thinks he controls them, just like he thought he controlled an airline. Being used to getting his own way, not knowing how to admit his mistakes, or what the people who actually do the work are thinking, is already making him look weak and incompetent.
Power for power’s sake. Next stop knighthood.
He’s so obvious he’s a joke. There’s nothing subtle there.
Mr. Potaka imagining he’s in parliament to benefit his own people, is hard to grasp. What is it about the National Party that makes you think they are in it for you, sir? They are using you to make themselves look inclusive, diverse blah, blah, blah. They are the party of blue suit boys and you are just a bit of useful decoration.
Nothing wrong with promoting te reo but don’t get paid for being able to use it.
The primary culture that underpins our country is Maori. Be careful what the right want to achieve with race baiting to get into and keeping a hold of power. This can become very ugly quickly. It baffling that people who possess Maori heritage join political parties that are anti-Maori. They’re opportunist sellouts and one word in maori describes these types called “Kupapa” and every race has these traitor.
Bigot.
another pakeha bigot
“being paid for it” raises some interesting questions. Given the years of colonial attempts to de-Maori-ise the country surely some encouragement is needed to re-establish Maori culture to its rightful place in Aotearoa. Given National and ACT are both driven by the doctrine that skills earn money, payment for Te Reo skill should be a no-brainer for them, or are they only interested in money making skills?
The look on Mr. Potaka’s face says it all.
He knows he’s between a rock and hard place.
He’ll have been given the warm fluffy aspirational speech by his boss but didn’t know he’d have to explain his position forever.
You know, I actually wonder if this new government is really serious about acting on their election retoric. Yes, they’ve done a couple of petty nitpicking things, but, that’s not their agenda. This is something to appease the redneck inbreds and score points. Their real interest is in screwing over the poor and middle class while enriching their mates. That’s where the real battle is, comrades.
Is that a suit and tie you’re wearing Tama ?
So you wannabe a white guy in your corporate suckhole costume…mmmkay.
We are all ethnically and racially diverse, made up of many blends of race including Maori. Do a dna test if you want proof. This is our commonality not separatism.
Where is it written in the Treaty of Waitangi that Maori ceded their Sovereignty? This Document is the Founding Document of a Nation, do you see the Americans fucking around with their US Constitution, changing the Rules & meaning behind that Agreement? Do Americans seek a Referendum every time a Ring Wing Republican Party gets into power, this would be unthinkable as all Americans & their Political Parties hold their Founding Document as sacred, something to be used as a guiding light for Future generations to aspire to, not to be trashed & subject to negotiation or referendums just because a minor Neoliberal Party such as the Act Party & David Seymour wants this? How dare he attempt to do this, who the hell does he think he is, this mealy mouthed scumbag who’s never had a real job in his entire Life, thinks he has the temerity & arrogance to believe he has the God given right to rewrite NZ’s Treaty of Waitangi, our Founding Document, if David Seymour was a US Politician & attempted to do this in America, he’d be arrested & charged with Treason & labelled as a Traitor, a Enemy of the State & Treason carries the Death Penalty in the US! So Weasel Boy Seymour, purely for ideological reasons, thinks he can impose his racist Tyranny of the majority onto Maori just because he believes the bloody Maoreee’s & are getting to big for their boots & it’s time for them to be put back in their Place & under the heel of NZ’s Settler Colonists who really believe that the Treaty doesn’t guarantee Maori rights, Land Sovereignty or equal partnership so this signed Agreement has no relevance or legal justification? Sorry, History can’t be so easily washed away, blood was spilled over this & signed Agreements must be honoured & if Seymour or any other British descendant doesn’t like it, they can fuck off back to England, Honour the Treaty!
Antforce62, I agree, except that Seymour does not have a majority – National have sold out to get ACT as a coalition partner. Before the election Luxon said a referendum would be “divisive and unhelpful”, I think he is about to find out just how devisive it will be.
We have come a long way since 1975, a journey that has been inspiring for most; to let a minority party destroy this so as he could have political power is pure cowardice on Luxon’s part.
You and Antforce62 make good points.
It is frighteningly obvious now that desire for power is Luxon’s main ambition.
He’s sold his soul to the devil for power.
He has no actual policy or aspirations for real NZders. Only for himself and his wealthy friends. Money, influence and power.
His over-confidence with the negotiations was based on knowing he’d given his co-conspirators plenty of goodies and felt sure power would be his.
He failed to drive a hard bargain and secure his own party’s dominance. His fellow misfits are running rings round him, laughing at his gullibility.
He’s allowing ACT’s van Valdan to make his govt. look very cruel, punitive and somewhat stupid.
He now needs, desperately, to shake the big stick at the errant ones and rule out any tinkering re ToW.
This is the time to make himself very clear, focus, not prevaricate or talk Slogan-ese. He must listen for a change, resolve to go to Waitangi and take his punishment like a man.
You aren’t negotiating with us, Mr. Luxon. You cannot afford to dither on this.
You are not personally popular. You are still regarded as aloof and smug. Not turning up to Waitangi will confirm your fear and your failure.
ACT is mean-spirited and Winnie is a shadow of his former self. He starts little fires and pretends to put them out. With friends like him…..
Mr. Luxon might get a rude shock if he put these referendum ideas to the test.
He’s not listening to the general population, which he’s supposed to represent, but others are. Others are quietly asking around and assessing the feeling of we ordinary people, esp. Pakeha people.
It’s been very interesting since the protest last week.
Go here folks and read up.
http://www.nwo.org.nz
Maori NEVER EVER seceded sovereignty.
So what property job did your hero Jacinda have .
I would point out USA have a constitution not a treaty.They just took what they earned from the natives
How is civil servants learning Te Reo going to uplift Maori? Especially when a higher percentage of non Māori speak it than do Māori.
What Maori REALLY need to be uplifted is for their children to attend school regularly and do their homework.
Ah but that would require some effort and self discipline, so clearly that’s out of the question!
It’s a lot easier for children from families that have secure housing and incomes to get to school, that should be self evident but if you have missed out on finding out about how poor people live it is about time you found out. I agree that education is vital but unless there are secure jobs or other business opportunities that education is wasted. It is also easier for children from good families to do well at school as they can ask their parents for help with homework etc while those with single parent, parents on shift work etc often do not get that help.
Here’s a suggestion Andrew, how about we do both those things, learn Te Reo AND get all kids re-engaged with school.
Did you realise that you’re a complete piece of shit Andrew?
Plus one to that.
Typical right wingers simplicity answer to everything while they live in lala land.
Spot on Andrew. The racism comes more from Labour with their condescending attitude to Maori. The Maori is just as intelligent as any one else they just need to be give tye opportunity to succeed not treated as lesser people that need the white man’s hand
Good England Trevor
Not only that, he is from England, probably why he’ll never understand Māori.
Trevor, exactly what is “the opportunity” you intend to offer Maori?
Since when was the New Zealand education system run well. It takes two times the amount of modern teachers than there nineteen fifties equivalent to get students to half way to the nineteen fifties student. How about we stop recruiting from New Zealand schools and universities and just cycle them all through McDonald’s jobs just so we can say you have discipline. Well done. Awesome. Fantastic. Woo hoo. Wow. Nice.
Winston said in the house NZ First once won all the Maori seats and know better than the Maori Party.
He forgot to mention NZF list all those seats – obvioudly he didn’t know what Maori wanted.
what polititians will do for their 30 pieces of silver
I love the perfect innocence in Luxon’s face in response to the Te Pati Maori demonstrations. O-blivious, just like Key. 15 policies against Maori, you don’t get a fair chance. Doesn’t know his elbow from his knee. That alone disproves his capacity to govern. Innocence in 50-year-olds is much over-rated.
Good. Now throw out the Ngati Paoa settlement redress bill and unbundle the Marutuahu collective redress bill and the Pare Hauraki bill too and return those assets to the individual iwi they belong too. Don’t believe a word Ponzi Paul Majurey tells you.
Paul has specialised in environmental and Treaty of Waitangi law for over 26 years. He has extensive experience in securing environmental consents for major …
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