GUEST BLOG: Hone Harawira – Here’s the best argument for staying clear of Billy TK Jnr and friends
Here’s one of the best arguments for staying clear of Billy TK Jnr and friends. It was written by MOANA MANIAPOTO and states the case perfectly.
“Lisa Lane So here’s the thing. I quite like Billy. I’ve known him for years. But he is WRONG.
I know the facts and people I know with a history of focused and respected action against Crown undermining of te tiriti – reiterate those facts. They’re also outlined in this article by an excellent, award winning investigative journalist.
Billy has no history of activism. He’s never been visible in any actions that I’ve been involved in nor any that people with way stronger activist credentials have. That’s been noted.
He hadn’t bothered talking with any Māori who have been involved in negotiating Agenda 21, choosing to undermine their mana and credentials in a way that indicated a complete lack of respect for our rangatira.
He no doubt completely believes in the propaganda he’s been exposed to. Just because he believes it to be true, doesn’t make it true. Just because you post the narrative he’s pushing, doesn’t make it a fact.
The colonising began here in 1835. The conspiracies are on the ground here in our country are the ones you ought to be focused on – giant tech companies like Facebook and Google, fossil fuel and climate change, tobacco companies, lobby groups trying to prevent regulations to protect tenants, lobby groups trying to stop protections on our waterways, Hobsons Pledge…the constant undermining of mana Whenua and Iwi, lack of regard for the Crown-Tiriti relationship.
That’s what intelligent free-thinking people ought to be focusing their energies on. Mind you, that DOES take an awful lot of real work.
PS You have to ask yourself if the likes of Jane Kelsey, Hone Harawira, Mike Smith, Annette, Tina, our very clever academics like Moana Jackson, Leonie Pihama, Linda Smith, Huia Huia Tomlins Jahnke, Aroha Mead – iwi leaders like Ngahiwi, Ta Tumu, Pita Tipene; if a younger generation of activists like Pania Newton and Laura O’Connell and our legal eagles like Judge Joe Williams, Kingi Snelgar etc – Māori Party candidates (who aren’t big fans of the current government) – if the Climate Change movements, Iwi Chairs, Māori Council, various trade unions and university student groups; if the Māori Public Health Collective (Te Ropu Whakakaupapa Urutā) if NONE of them are backing Billy and his ideas….isn’t that a red flag?!
Hone Harawira is the leader of the MANA Movement.
The conspiracies are on the ground here in our country are the ones you ought to be focused on – giant tech companies like Facebook and Google, fossil fuel and climate change, tobacco companies, lobby groups trying to prevent regulations to protect tenants, lobby groups trying to stop protections on our waterways, Hobsons Pledge…the constant undermining of mana Whenua and Iwi, lack of ‘regard for the Crown-Tiriti relationship.’
Absolutely!
Money talks… very loudly. And the easiest way to make money (other than establishing and operating a bank) is to loot and pollute the environment.
Well put Hone. I remember Billy TK at the Paihia Jazz and Blues Festival a few years back sucking up to Shane Jones for some reason, and Shane spoke highly of him to all and sundry over the weekend… Billy seems an opportunist misleader really, which does not negate the real life needs some of his followers are expressing.
White supremacism, crazed conspiracies, and Māori sovereignty just do not mix!–which is why those in the struggle with a track record and credibility do not rate TK at all as Moana says.
With the considerable power of FB and other online “rabbit holes”, there is no immediate fix to the madness apart from keeping up all the fights we are involved in–Climate Action, anti racism and so on. To turn people from authoritarian ‘solutions’ there needs to be delivery from poverty and that will not happen until neo liberalism is rolled back for good.
Yep, nicely put.
In a world awash with corporate conspiracies why would anyone think a communist takeover via the UN was on the cards?
What do you know about Agenda 21, Hone?
Couldn’t agree more with what has been said. I think Billy the kid is just an opportunist and JLR is desperate.
Birds of a feather. And lets be honest there are lots of people currently taking advantage of the disenfranchised these day, one only has to look at all the looney evangelist and different Christian groups spreading their verbal diarrhoea about Covid and various conspiracies. We just lost two of our Maori whanau to Covid and we don’t want to lose not one more. So on that note our people, in fact all NZers need to listen to our experts we have some of the best in the world and they know what they are talking about.
Good one !
My question is, is this a Cambridge Analytica style operation?