HONE THE HERO?

No - but at least he gets something half right. He is no fan of the iwi leadership forum. Who is we ask? Seems the Government, and Maori are all running a mile from claiming these guys are the Brown Brothers oracle...

In fact they are the Nigel No - mates of Maoridom.

Hone Harawira has got half the story right - the Iwi Forum aren't the guys who hold the mana. They are mana munchers who have hoodwinked the government. However, now the government has begun distancing itself from the group as they realise that their mandate is very, very shaky indeed.

That's all that Hone gets right.

Maori do not have an unequivocal property right to the Foreshore and Seabed as he claims . They have an unequivocal right to claim a property right to the Foreshore and seabed via the courts. If they can prove that claim then its theirs. Simple.

But we see this debate shifting from one of due process to prove a iwi, hapu, whanau right to some of the foreshore and seabed to one of a pan Maori claim of title for all of the Foreshore and seabed. That's just bloody daft.

So Hone is right -the Iwi Forum are a bunch of grandstanding wankers who seem to have a penchant for side deals and the silly buggers dont get property rights.

But he is wrong if people are going to suck up his assertion that Maori have an unequivocal right to own all of the coast of all of Aotearoa.

Remember this issue is about good process and establishing a property right. Not about granting a property right because someone thinks they own something.

So Hone needs to take a step back. He needs to support a policy of allowing due process to be followed and where that process shows that a right can be established - then it is granted - no matter if they are Maori or otherwise.