WAATEA NEWS COLUMN: 2024 – A year of Māori led resistance

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Last year’s election was forged during post-Covid bitterness and cost of living economic pain.

In their anger at Labour, people voted for political parties without understanding the policy dynamics.

It has led to a National, NZF and ACT Government whose policy combination and personalities have created an anti-Māori, anti-Treaty, anti-Worker, anti-Renter, anti-beneficiary and anti-environment agenda where the common good has been traded in for their donors interests.

It was Māoridom who recognised the true nature of this Government and it was Māoridom who led the resistance.
From the moment this Government was sworn in, Māori were protesting the direction of their policy.

Throughout the year Māori have gathered for hui to debate and plan and that year of activism resulted in 84 000 marching at the Hikoi, which makes it the largest protest in New Zealand history.

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A protest that large can’t simply be Māoridom. That protest size tells us that there is a huge cross section of civil society who stand with Māori and who see the Treaty as a source of hope and celebration, not as a point of division.

That has been the secret to this protest’s success. It has most definitely been Māori led, but it was open to every one who supports the Treaty, and that has allowed a genuine mass movement.

In a year of economic hardship and counterproductive policies that benefit the wealthy at the expense of the poor, solidarity together meant more than ever before.

ACTs divisive political stunt has shown us what they stand for, but it’s also reminded us who we are as well.

 

19 COMMENTS

    • @Bg
      Money and control dear boy, always has been and will always be. There has never been a maori line in the sand where money couldn’t move it or rub it out entirely.

      • Sounds like you too, are not keen on losing money and control.
        Your thinking is so poor that you think sharing money and control will somehow disadvantage you.

        So tax-payer money for tobacco companies etc. etc. Looks like that line in the sand was rubbed out by money as well.
        Fast track legislation. If that’s not all about money and control, I don’t know what is.
        Health privatization, same thing. Education……

        So that comment doesn’t hold much water either. Looks like you’re more wrong than right.

      • I’m not sure it’s always about money, I’m right. Sometimes PRIDE is the issue, as in the case of Scottish “self-determination”. And what did Marcellus Wallace say about pride?

    • The question you need to ask your self is am I prepared to swap my life with one of the Maori who are living in poverty because my ancestors stole their land and along with it their income and Mana .

      • “am I prepared to swap my life with one of the Maori who are living in poverty”
        Ummmm you already have GW….
        Your posts are of a maori activist and have already mentioned your retired and skint.
        Transformation is complete?!

        • Wrong again fuck wit Im white and sorted but also can see the shit that has been handed out to Maori for the last 200 years by a bunch of white mother fuckers who wanted to take over the world .

    • Have you ever heard of the Native Lands Act of 1865 Bg? You should look it up. It established the Native Land Court. It was an instrument of government to systematically remove Māori from the land which provided them with an economic base. Māori called it the “Land-Taking Court”. Also the Tohunga Suppression Act 1907, which was a direct attack on established cultural practices. When you create massive inequalities, you can’t fix them by suddenly just saying “We are all equal now” because you are ignoring the damage that has already been done, and all that has flowed from it. Just a couple of examples, and I am confident that if you genuinely look for more, you will find them. I hope this helps.

  1. They want,in essence to retrospectively change the terms of the Treaty,now they realise they’ve squandered opportunity.I can understand that.

    • more bull shit from you .It is your land grabbing mates from NACT that want to change the treaty so they can grab the sea bed and fore shore as well and rape them for more money for the 1%.Might be time you read the book The NZ wars and see how much land was stolen .The so called wars were about grabbing land and nothing else .

  2. Looking at the comments above there are lots of uneducated people on the history of NZ hence the reason ACT want to pakeha wash the history taught in schools .Fortunatly the younger generation are not fooled so easily as the older generations and have already educated themselves on the reality of the theft that took place after the treaty was signed .

  3. seemore wants to change the Treaty intentions he want his billionaire and millionaire backers to have access to more land and environmental resources so they can destroy, rape and pillage the little turd.

  4. When one looks upon that aerial photo of the protest numbers filling the streets around parliament it doesn’t take a Rocket Scientist to realise how much this government has DECIDLEDLY and DIVISIVELY behaved in a manner that is Abhorrent and Destructive. Those people in that mass of people are VOTERS and Potential Voters. Something National, ACT and NZ First may well realise and Deservedly Too Late as the next election is coming along quicker than the Threesome in the Marriage of Convenience may have expected.
    I am a Pakeha and all I see from the Actions of especially Luxon to date is his “Incredible”(his pet word)Inability to actually be considered prime minister material. He fails abysmally to understand that this is a multi-cultural country and NOT a primarily White country.
    We all need to keep an open mind and work in harmony with others. Not resort to the Divide and Conquer mentality that does not work.
    But then Luxon is ONLY in the job for One Purpose and that One Purpose is ONLY to be addressed as a prime minister along with the perks and financial gains from the job that he is ONLY Part Time in. Luxon lacks the structure and heart to be a long term prime minister. The job is all Ego for him and a Wannabe Knighthood.

  5. And now the government of cunts is stopping the bowel cancer screening for brown people in retaliation .So now they are killing people by increasing smoking and rates of bowel cancer .
    What the fuck have you voted for you squashed middle self centered idiots .

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