Why should not Maori now claim a free share
of all tax revenue – toll roads – rates, down to free parking as the y are in partnership with the
Crown? Well, why not; if it is true that Maori have a genuine partnership with the crown. I am however unaware of the actual percentage of the
so called partnership which was obviously written into the
Treaty of Waitangi somewhere. Clause….. ? Is it to be a 50-50 partnership;
70-30 - 90-10%; what is it?
The apathe tic
condition of most NZers means that a redistribution of 50% of Crown owned assets
and the ir income streams could
actually be up for grabs if the re is
in fact a 50-50 split as some think.
More recently a grouping of academia has
emerged in order to increase the
supply of unreality. They support the
claim of Maori to the right to all
natural resources as once upon a time the ir
ancestors also but wrongly claimed ownership of the se
resources which were and seemingly still are freely available. The basis of the se claims of ownership was and is based on the opinion of artificial intelligence within the bureaucracy or perhaps academia is more correct
as law lecturer David Round points out.
Such people within academia are given to
distil raw and often unpalatable material to such a refined state that the final product is unrecognizable from the original inputs.
The right of first possession to un
alienated assets as some Maori claim, depends entirely on what was actually
possessed and how it was possessed and retained. That particular right differs from a use
right in water that we all enjoy. What appears to be not understood by Maori is
that a right Maori enjoy to water - differs
from a right in water. A right to water implies a right to use for the ir or our traditional purpose whereas a right in water implies a right to absolute
ownership. Just as a right to hunt
on your own land is absolute; the
actual right in the hunted animal is not, as the
animal, as with water - is migratory. The claim of ownership the refore is an extremely short one as the adage – here today gone tomorrow implies.
It is entirely regrettable that we non
Maori cannot go to our own “Waitangi Tribunal” equivalent to lodge a counter
claim to fresh water. Relying on the
Government to win the battle for the ownership of water is a bit like asking Baldrick
of Blackadder fame to devise a cunning plan to defeat the
enemy.
It is not clear to me just how it can be
spiritually offensive for Maori to own and trade water but such spirituality can
pass if it has an income attached ie an income from water. The question of
where and to whom the income would
be distributed is legitimate. One can be forgiven for believing that so far the re are those within Maoridom who luxuriate as a
result of treaty settlements and where the
trickle down to those in desperate need seems yet to manifest itself.
I for one do not deny Maori attachment to
water or indeed all natural capital but I do take great exception to the ir belief that I as a non Maori cannot have the same or even enhanced awareness – use rights and
cultural attachment to and of the
natural world.
To put it as politely as possible: That is
just natural bull shit.
3 comments:
You are so right. Why shouldn't Maori claim anything and everything including the assets developed by Pakeha in the last 150 years. They already get a cut from the fishing licences for trout a species introduced to NZ by pakeha. Why shouldn't they own all of the fresh water and perhaps the fresh air we breathe. Mind you the water issue would probably not have eventuated if this government had not embarked on a plan of selling public infrastructural assets.
Gerry, Gerry, you are far, far too polite with your last paragraph. Because this is a public forum, I will not write what you perhaps you should have said there.
I fear the present government will continue with pandering to maori elite and yes, at the expense of the rest of New Zealand (including the lower echelons of maoridom).
John Scott said "the water issue would probably not have eventuated if this government had not embarked on a plan of selling public infrastructural assets"
I think maori would have eventually got around to a claim for water and all other "natural" things. Why wouldn't they, keeps lawyers employed, (paid for by taxpayers) and there is an excellent chance of success.!
I think it is only a matter of time before Maori start claiming a right to our wives and daughters, much in the same way that Scottish lords used to assert their Droit du Seigneur. My guess is that Chris Finlayson will rush to accommodate them.
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