She works for The Spinoff, and she sat through virtually all of the 80 hours of submissions and cast a series of observations by way of a “50 things I learned” list.
The 37th thing she learned was the lack of media interest.
You may recall at the start of the process it was a mad wall to wall, blow-by-blow account of what was one of the country's most contentious/outrageous/heinous acts of the modern age.
Fast forward a few days and she was the only one left, along with Māori TV.
There is a lesson in that.
On one hand you can mount an argument that the media is so trimmed down that resource for lengthy procedures is limited.
You can also argue, and this is my argument, that the media are too magpie-ish and fascinate themselves with shiny things, lose interest too quickly and, as such, enhance their reputations as fly-by-nighters interested in clicks, not knowledge. Cover it properly or don’t cover it all.
Some of the 50 things are lightish in nature. This is not a criticism of the piece, in fact we should be grateful someone bothered to give us this overarching insight, hence it behoves us to absorb it.
But some basically tell you what you thought they would - namely, that a lot of people turned up, as you would expect, to hate on it thus drawing into question the whole submission process.
Most importantly for me, was my suspicion was confirmed that there remains great debate over the Treaty and its principals and, as such, David Seymour was more than right to do what he has done.
The high and mighty turned up and basically argued with each other. The Treaty is not settled, or anywhere close to it, and it is not defined. You can find scholars and lawyers and experts who will tell you one thing with full vim and vigour and eloquence, then you can find another equally qualified lot who will say that is wrong, hence we are where we are.
Where we are, sadly, is the end of the road because the bill, as we all know, will be voted down.
Which is a shame, given as Ms Smith's list surely shows, a definitive understanding is well and truly overdue.
Mike Hosking is a New Zealand television and radio broadcaster. He currently hosts The Mike Hosking Breakfast show on NewstalkZB on weekday mornings - where this article was sourced.
Fast forward a few days and she was the only one left, along with Māori TV.
There is a lesson in that.
On one hand you can mount an argument that the media is so trimmed down that resource for lengthy procedures is limited.
You can also argue, and this is my argument, that the media are too magpie-ish and fascinate themselves with shiny things, lose interest too quickly and, as such, enhance their reputations as fly-by-nighters interested in clicks, not knowledge. Cover it properly or don’t cover it all.
Some of the 50 things are lightish in nature. This is not a criticism of the piece, in fact we should be grateful someone bothered to give us this overarching insight, hence it behoves us to absorb it.
But some basically tell you what you thought they would - namely, that a lot of people turned up, as you would expect, to hate on it thus drawing into question the whole submission process.
Most importantly for me, was my suspicion was confirmed that there remains great debate over the Treaty and its principals and, as such, David Seymour was more than right to do what he has done.
The high and mighty turned up and basically argued with each other. The Treaty is not settled, or anywhere close to it, and it is not defined. You can find scholars and lawyers and experts who will tell you one thing with full vim and vigour and eloquence, then you can find another equally qualified lot who will say that is wrong, hence we are where we are.
Where we are, sadly, is the end of the road because the bill, as we all know, will be voted down.
Which is a shame, given as Ms Smith's list surely shows, a definitive understanding is well and truly overdue.
Mike Hosking is a New Zealand television and radio broadcaster. He currently hosts The Mike Hosking Breakfast show on NewstalkZB on weekday mornings - where this article was sourced.
8 comments:
Takuta Ferris picking his nose and chewing loudly while Petee Williams was saying that his relatives are tangara whenua too, says it all really. Mmp is a failure because it has allowed evil, radical and low IQ people to be able to make decisions on behalf of all of us. Social media gives these people a platform where they don't have to tell the truth and they can manipulate and brainwash more people. Nz has become a laughing stock around the world.
And so race relations keep getting worse. Treaty Settlements keep the country poor as more and more Māori business is classed as charitable, hence less tax and no one can turn without Māori say so. Very sad for what was once our great country.
Having read Lyric Wairiri-Smith's account of the Treaty Principles Bill submissions I can boldly state that most of that was written by Lyrics feelings rather than any facts....in other words it was 90% junk journalism.
What the Bill has done has raised the collective consciousness of the nation to start to debate where the country wishes to go, that is to remain a democracy or to become a feudal ethno-state.
Whether you oppose or support is no longer the question. The question for all New Zealanders is do you want to live democratically with equal suffrage for all or do you prefer a feudal tribalised ethnocracy where you are a rentier slave to an unelected elite?
IMO the majority of New Zelanders of all ethnic backgrounds would pump for democracy before the other anathema to the modern civil society.
If media interest in the verbal submissions was limited and diminishing, the written submissions were not covered at all. The verbal were chosen mostly from known sources and often totally predictable. Many thoughtful others spent considerable time on written submissions but it is doubtlfu if these get past some low skilled sorter (probably recruited with preferential recognition of pro maori inclination). Not so much in this case, but I have spent hours on carefully considered written submissions but doubt if any mp ever read, and ceratinly never brought by msm to attention of the general public.
Read the SC submission of Claire Charters ( He Puapua lead author and law academic)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GMCiom5Au4
She advocates constitutional reform based on a partnership version of the Treaty - claiming NZ is behind Canada and the US on indigenous rights. She has worked on this already with SC Justice, Jo Williams.
If the Left wins in 2026, this process will start very fast. Then tribal rule before /by2040 is sure. Game over.
The fact that the intent of the treaty is even in dispute is amazing really.
The idea that the queen of England at the height of the British empires power entered into a convoluted co-governance relationship with pre-Neolithic stoneage natives on the other side of the world. Well does that sound even vaguely likely to anyone?
Or does it seem more likely that this is a recent self serving re-interpretation 200yrs after the fact??
Quite telling that co-governance has only been mentioned recently. The rest of the time Maori have been enjoying the benifits of being British subjects like the treaty states..
What have we learnt?
That democracy is nothing more than Kabuki theatre controlled by corporations.
No Anon 9:43, you are wrong, that's when things get violent, and the revolution begins, and Luxon and co will see the mess they have made with their eyes wide open.
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