Bob Edlin: Dean Wickliffe might be an “old lag” in Britain but his lawyer prefers to regard him as a kaumatua

A cultural difference: Dean Wickliffe might be an “old lag” in Britain but his lawyer prefers to regard him as a kaumatua

In one headline, Dean Wickliffe is described as a 77-year-old kaumatua. In an other, he is a notorious criminal.

• 77 Year-Old Kaumātua Goes On Hunger Strike In Springhill Prison

Mike Butler: Maori TV ambushes blogger Ansell

Native Affairs tried to host a debate on Monday night on the Littlewood Treaty, on New Zealand’s “alternative history” and on groups critical of the treaty industry. What this state-funded television service delivered was a two-on-one ambush featuring Mana Party candidate Annette Sykes and Maori TV presenter Mihingarangi Forbes against Treatygate blogger John Ansell.

If the debate was an attempt to show that Maori TV was making a genuine effort to present other viewpoints, as is required in broadcasting, staff there need some guidance. The two-on-one harangue was framed by an anti-Titford tirade by Reading the Maps blogger Scott Hamilton plus a repeat of comments by grievance specialist Ranginui Walker, who spoke on the previous week’s feature on the same subject titled “What lies beneath”.