Clive Bibby: Nothing surprises me anymore

I used to think and was led to believe by those who should know that we have nothing to fear from Maori moves towards greater involvement in how this country is run - especially in the control over the use of our natural resources.

Like most kiwis wanting a peaceful path towards reconciliation and meaningful compensation for past mistreatment of Maori by agencies representing the Crown, l have been proud of the settlements that in most cases appeared to be fair, recognising as we must, that nothing will ever truly compensate for some of the significant losses that have occurred.

It is clear that none of the settlements that have been negotiated would have happened without the large amount of goodwill contributed by Maoridom itself.

As a nation, the progress we have made towards reconciliation (which is light years ahead of any other county on the planet) is almost entirely due to the genuine desire by both parties for a shared future. Hopefully those aspirational attitudes will continue until we reach a stage where we can all claim that justice has finally been served.

Only then will we be free to move on towards a society that allows equal opportunity for all who would benefit from the egalitarian model that is within our grasp.

Unfortunately, recent events suggest we are fools if we think any of that is possible.

Clive Bibby: Change is coming - We don't need others to tell us what it looks like!

In a recent anniversary copy of the Listener, the Editor referred to some dramatic events in this country's history that literally changed things for ever. 

My favourite included a reference to a hostile and condescending reception that the then Finance Minister, Walter Nash received in 1939 when visiting Britain to renegotiate the nation's loans. The interesting part of this story wasn't just the arrogance displayed by our political mentors but how quickly their attitude changed when, within days of Nash's return home and the subsequent joint declaration of war against Nazi Germany, the Poms agreed to buy our entire exports of meat and dairy products. The editorial goes on to say that WW2 probably saved New Zealand.