Over the weekend, the Otago Daily Times ran a story with the headline “Rāhui in place after body found on Wairau Bar.” Curious, I Googled the Wairau Bar and found it is in Marlborough. Sure enough, Stuff also carried the same story.
Stuff quoted a post made by local iwi on Facebook:
“In recognition of this mate, and to support the whānau pani, a rāhui was placed on Sunday morning by representatives from Rangitāne o Wairau, Ngāti Toa Rangatira and Ngāti Rārua.”
The Otago Daily Times went further, reporting that the rāhui “covers an area from the Ōpaoa and Wairau River confluence to the Wairau River mouth and prohibits the collecting of food and anyone entering the water.”
That word “prohibits” is doing a lot of heavy lifting. It makes it sound like a legal ban, as though iwi now hold legislative power to dictate who can fish, dive or swim in our waters. A rāhui has no legal standing. It is a cultural practice, not law. No one can actually stop you from going about your day, whether that’s fishing, collecting seafood, or going for a swim.
When did Māori iwi become the arbiters of who may and may not enter the water? Two hundred years ago, when food was scarce and survival depended on gathering kai from the sea, would the same blanket bans have been placed? If someone drowned, was the whole coastline suddenly closed off to the hapū and iwi who relied on it to eat?
Of course, everyone should respect grieving families. However, there is a difference between mourning and dictating. Wrapping prohibition in cultural language does not change the fact that rāhui is not legally enforceable.
I’ve got a few questions for the iwi:
- When is the iwi going to start putting a rāhui on carparks where teenagers are beaten to death?
- When is the iwi going to start putting a rāhui on train tracks when someone throws themselves in front of a locomotive?
- When is the iwi going to start putting a rāhui on hotels where overdoses happen?
- When is the iwi going to start putting a rāhui on prisons every time an inmate hangs themselves?
- When is the iwi going to start putting a rāhui on schools where children take their own lives?
- When is the iwi going to start putting a rāhui on homes where Māori children are murdered?
Matua Kahurangi is just a bloke sharing thoughts on New Zealand and the world beyond. No fluff, just honest takes. He blogs on https://matuakahurangi.com/ where this article was sourced.
11 comments:
Good points Matua, but you just given Maori a list of possible rahui.
But not applicable to Maori of course.
You ain’t seen nothing yet! Wait until our misguided Supreme Court finishes giving ‘ownership’ of all our coasts, harbours and estuaries to iwi.
RE the 2011 MACA Amendment law: Minister Goldsmith is now
" thinking about perhaps re-writing the entire law". So unlikely to settle this matter before the 2026 election.
'thinking' - 'perhaps' ~~ yep that sounds like Goldsmith and the pro-Maori Nats, we should just give it to Helen Clark or Nanaia Mahuta, these two knew how to change laws within 5 minutes (agreed the latter not for the best though).
"Goldsmith thinking" - an oxymoron surely.
And this “mate” was living at the bar for some months in a van, by himself, unsupported. Where was Iwi then with their rules. Why was he not at the local marae with support, food, showers, power?
Don't forget the riverbeds too.
What about closing roads after fatal car crashes, or a footpath after some poor devil has ben sucker-punched, or the hospital when some poor maori kid has been taken in, beaten to death?
It's all about being the bully.
Swim or fish under a rahui and you are open to intimadation and possible violence.
That's what matters to them, the opportunity to play the bully.
Nothing more.
I'm what has been termed as a 'pale, stale, white male'. I've been taking great interest in the development of New Zealand since I had children. The upbringing I had in Northland was outstanding compared to today! The interesting thing for me is a lot of my family and friends have a considerable amount of Maori 'blood ' and are adamently against what is happening in New Zealand at the moment! I find interesting that a small sector of our country can feel they have a right to dictate what happens, considering they are merely immigrants also. Hard to believe they haven't prospered under 'colonialism' considering they hadn't even thought of the wheel or better boat building than hollowed out tree trunks as transport? Just my thoughts, but I'm getting sick of this colonization bullshit...I doubt very much they would love to live the tribal life of the past now?!!
When is the Government going to stop giving out grants to Māori only? Everyday there seems to be another dubious scheme paid for by the long suffering taxpayer. Enough is enough! This isn’t what we voted for in 2023.
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