This time, it’s Ngāi Tahu marching into the High Court demanding rangatiratanga over freshwater. That’s not just some symbolic title—they want the power to make, regulate, alter, and enforce water decisions. In other words, they want to hold the hose, write the rules, and charge you rent to drink from your own tap.
And who’s standing up for the rest of us? Thankfully, Federated Farmers had the backbone to step in as an “intervener,” which is legalese for “someone who sees the freight train coming and dares to yell ‘stop’ before it flattens everyone.”
Let’s be blunt: this isn’t about shared responsibility. It’s about exclusive control. If recent iwi interference—like the opposition to vital infrastructure projects (hello, the pipeline anyone?)—is the shape of things to come, then New Zealand is circling the drain, and we’re being told it’s a “sacred spring.”
We’re not talking about stewardship here. We’re talking about handing over national assets to unelected, unaccountable tribal elites while the rest of us pay the bill and stay quiet, lest we be accused of cultural insensitivity.
Water, in case anyone forgot, is essential to life. It’s a public resource. The moment control over it leaves the collective hands of all New Zealanders and ends up in the tight grip of a few iwi boardrooms, we’re not looking at co-governance. We’re looking at a monopoly with a moko.
So yes, Federated Farmers is right to be alarmed. We all should be. Because once the water rights go, what’s next? Air? Sunshine? Rainfall?
Steven is an entrepreneur and an ex RNZN diver who likes travelling, renovating Houses, Swiss Watches, history, chocolate art and art deco.
Let’s be blunt: this isn’t about shared responsibility. It’s about exclusive control. If recent iwi interference—like the opposition to vital infrastructure projects (hello, the pipeline anyone?)—is the shape of things to come, then New Zealand is circling the drain, and we’re being told it’s a “sacred spring.”
We’re not talking about stewardship here. We’re talking about handing over national assets to unelected, unaccountable tribal elites while the rest of us pay the bill and stay quiet, lest we be accused of cultural insensitivity.
Water, in case anyone forgot, is essential to life. It’s a public resource. The moment control over it leaves the collective hands of all New Zealanders and ends up in the tight grip of a few iwi boardrooms, we’re not looking at co-governance. We’re looking at a monopoly with a moko.
So yes, Federated Farmers is right to be alarmed. We all should be. Because once the water rights go, what’s next? Air? Sunshine? Rainfall?
Steven is an entrepreneur and an ex RNZN diver who likes travelling, renovating Houses, Swiss Watches, history, chocolate art and art deco.
10 comments:
A Finlayson-driven project? The NZ public should sue this person.
The problem with the ideas of ivory tower academics like Geoffrey Palmer, Lord Cooke, Sian Elias and our current wacky Supreme Court is that Maori have no concept of partnership, co-governance or settlements. They are all about dominance. When one tribe conquered another there was no Treaty. Just a big feast.
In the same way, no Iwi has the slightest intention of settling anything. They just want to take whatever they can get, in order to take more in the future until they own and control everything.
So blimmin’ obvious but not to the naive, who shall remain nameless! When will our elected representatives wake up? Already Tainui control water to Auckland in times of drought.
This ís an issue New Zealanders should be prepared to march in the streets about. It is imperative New Zealanders do not give up control of their water to part-Maori interests. I would say this if any other group in our country was trying to take control of our water. Water is vital to life. Water falls from the sky it cannot be "owned" by anyone. Up until now, we have always been assured that we have an abundance for our needs. When you listen to the rhetoric coming from the Maori Party you realise they see us as secondary citizens. My advice would be fight any form of co-governance tooth and nail.
Impossible to deny what is happening in multiple situations across the country to advance co-governance and He Puapua.
Ngai Tahu used to be the model of discreet reason. But with the gaining of vast wealth and power the maori racial self interest trait and a violent arrogance charactrised by of the haka is emerging. imagine a NZ with maori in even more control than now.
This is a massive problem that is escalating rapidly. Rome burns while Nero fiddles.
I have used this quote on another Breaking Views site and it is worth sharing again to cast light on Ngai Tahu’s modus operandi, and Finlayson’s. The quote is directly from Chris Finlayson’s Wiki information:
"I used to love going to the office in the morning when we were suing the Crown," Finlayson said in a speech in 2009. "Ngai Tahu mastered the art of aggressive litigation, whether it was suing the Waitangi Tribunal and [National Treaty negotiations minister] Doug Graham or the Director-General of Conservation. It was take no prisoners and it resulted in a good settlement.” The signing of the Treaty deal with Ngai Tahu in 1997 was the highlight of his legal career”.
Note the word “aggressive” in that quote. Aggression, writ large, is the name of the game with Ngai Tahu and with everything else being pursued in its name.
Are people aware that a significant percentage of the value of ALL Waitangi settlements go to Ngai Tahu as they were the first and most successful claimants? Part of their claim was they get a handout from all subsequent settlements. Follow the money.......
It is all becoming reminiscent of the grooming gangs in the UK. No one in power is brave enough to stand up in case they are targeted as racist Nazis.
So they stand back and sell us down the drain.
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