HEY TAMA NO TOA

Kia Ora John,

We have watched with interest what has happened over you deciding to skive off on your little tax payer jaunt in Europe so you could show your missus Paris, the city of love and just in case you forgot, the city where its residents rose up and said fuck off to the ruling class. So did you tell your missus that you were now a member of the ruling class or did you just give her one in the posh hotel you stayed at the expense of the NZ underclass or to coin another moniker - the taxpayer.

Only you can tell us us the truth of that one bro.

Now over the years Nga Tama Toa has become the stuff of legend . It was the genesis of the modern Maori activist movement. You should be proud to be a spawn of that great movement.

You have been the angry face of Maori activism that has made a nation confront the ugliness of its past and work to right the wrongs. Your actions have seen a couple of decades of young Maori stand up and say what they think, have the courage to make a difference and be the new generation that has helped shape our nation.

We owe you that. Our nation is the better for it.

Now we have a new vehicle for change, in the Maori Party, that has joined with the National Party. National believes the advancement of the individual and indeed the community, is based on personal responsibility - the ability to make decisions for oneself- the very tenets that you have based your life on. You call it tino rangtiratanga or self determination . It is the Maori Party's raison d'etre.

Same thing in many languages.

Underpinning it is honesty and integrity.

Your decision to fuck off while you were leader of a NZ delegation for a bit of nooky with your missus shows neither.

You got all shitty when you were criticised for what you had done.

Shame on you Hone.

At the behest of your people you became an MP.

You are the leader your followers look to.

But in Europe, you stole from your people - so that said to your tamariki - "thats ok and who gives a shit - they owe us."

You acted like a spoilt kid skiving off to the shop to get some smokes at lunch time when the teacher wasn't looking.

You tried to say that criticism of your actions was racist - that's wrong - people were pissed off and it had nothing to do with you being Maori - it was about you being an arrogant, they owe me, arsehole.

Finally, we think you have forgotten where you had come from.

You once were a warrior. We all know that.

We thought when you stuck you neck out over the tobacco issue that that you had found a new war where the enemy was nicotine and you would fight to save your people .

But no.

You have just become a sad bastard distracted by the baubles of office, a weka attracted by the shiny things around you.

We thought that you would make a difference. But that is not the case. Your people do not have
the leader they need and the " whiteys" have a self serving figure to mock.

Shame on you Hone. You held so much promise.

In the end you are just nothing but a silly man from the far north who swears a lot and does fuck all for anyone.

Hey Tama - No Toa.