TOP TANE

Sometimes people just follow their gut instinct and take a risk and do something out of their comfort zone.

Derek Fox and some of his mates did just that - Last week , armed with a huge BBQ - Tunutunu from Flaxmere and promises of much food they drove from Hawkes Bay to Christchurch to feed those affected by the quake. They headed to the less well off parts of town like Aranui.

And they started cooking , and they flipped burgers and rolled sausages, thousands and thousands of them.

And there were mussels and kina and some beautiful smoked eel.

Derek says he reckons they put some warm kai into the pukus of a few thousand people, and there was also the korero that just happens when people join together at a common table.

Foxy will report on what he saw and experienced in a special Earthquake edition of Mana Magazine.

Derek says many of his mates supported their trip which came about after he visited Christchurch two days after the quake. He saw that the efforts were centred on the central city and decided that he could do a little bit to help those in the suburbs.

So he rounded up a posse and headed south. As Derek says it was a tiny attempt to live up to the proverb, "he aha te mea nui o te ao Maku e ki he tangata he tangata he tangata,"

So Derek and his band, joins the cast of thousands of people around the country who downed tools and headed to Christchurch to lend a hand, or those who stood in kitchens and baked till they emptied the pantry, or filled containers of food at Marae to be sent south, or the people with hammers and tools who went door to door to do the little things to make peoples lives a little more comfortable - kiwis all.

MAORI RUGBY - NEEDS MORE SUPPORT?

This week Maori publisher and commentator Derek Fox says in his weekly column in the Cook Island paper that its time there was more support for the Maori Rugby team

We think he is right and after the three crowd pleasing centennial matches, sponsors must see them as hot property.

Sealords can gain a lot from the partnership with the Maori team and there will be other Maori companies who must see their potential. And as Derek rightly puts it if the Rugby Union doesn't wake up to the opportunity , they may lose the crowd pleasing ass wooping boys and the money they must bring in.

Moe time over

The All Whites days under the African sun have ended; and despite the over-the-top, silly and repetitious clichés used by the New Zealand media to describe them – their efforts were nonetheless truly gallant and well worthy of the highest admiration.

Back home Maori exponents of a game I’m more familiar with have shown skill and pluck too, and played three games of rugby, which they actually won. I’m talking about the Maori All Blacks who have just completed a three match series to celebrate a century of Maori rugby. In fact the one hundred years only marks the first time that the Rugby Union pulled together a Maori side in Rotorua in 1910; genuine followers of rugby will know of the 1888 New Zealand Natives team that played 108 games in this country, Australia, Egypt and the UK in 1888 and 1889. They toured for 14 months, won 80, lost 23 and drew five.

The 2010 Maori team has lived up to the proud record that previous Maori teams have left for them to follow, despite the paucity of support from the Rugby Union over the years. Even this three match series seemed ill organised. At first the rumour was that there would be three internationals against Wales, Ireland and England; but the Welsh team pulled out and a New Zealand Barbarians team was put in its place. The series only went ahead because Maori money propped it up with the Ministry of Maori Development putting in 200-thousand-dollars; and the Sealord fishing company putting in an obviously larger, but undisclosed amount, thus becoming the series sponsor.

The Maori team with a brand new coach – former Maori and New Zealand All Black Jamie Joseph - began the series a little shakily in Whangarei against the Baabaas, but won a seesaw match with a spectacular last minute try. In Rotorua they got away to a spectacular start then had a bit of a moe in the middle allowing the Irish to kick a few penalties and keep in touch. Then they woke up and played on to win.

England fresh from beating Australia was always going to be the toughest opposition and the game in Napier last Wednesday night turned into a cracker. This time the Maori had an early moe and were 13 points down before showing their impressive firepower, springing back with a quick ten points. Their open style game can also be high risk and after an intercept and try, England went into the lead 28 – 17 at the break. A mate of mine having a mimi at half time met a Pom who indicated the Maori were finished.

But he was wrong.

The final score was 35 – 28, three games and three wins. Like the young All Whites, the young Maori players now know they can foot it with the best players of other countries.

The individual All Whites and their coach will no doubt have tasty contracts dangled in front of them over the next little while.

But what of the Maori All Blacks whose flair and dash drew the crowds.

No one knows when the Rugby Union will deign to gather a Maori team again – they didn’t last year.

Maori might have to do it themselves – like they did in 1888-89. It seems Sealords might be in it for the long haul, and maybe with other Maori owned corporates will pull a team together to play here and overseas.

Overwhelmingly the crowds who watched the series were Pakeha. They came because they know that whenever a Maori team takes to the paddock, something special could happen, like last Wednesday night.

But if Maori have to fund these games themselves, then who should own the brand and collect the gate?

Maybe the Rugby Union needs to wake up from its moe.

DEREK FOX IN PRINT

Maori commentator and publisher Derek Fox has a new column in the Cook Islands but it deserves another airing.

We don't agree with everything he says - ( that often makes having a drink with him a stimulating and interesting occasion) but his thoughts need a wider audience.

Here is the Cook Island column in full .

Still looking for justice

Last week I foreshadowed that I might this week talk about the Foreshore and Seabed debate here in Aotearoa. I indicated that while what MPs used their ministerial credit cards for was gaining all the headlines, the big story of the week should really have been the foreshore and seabed – and I still believe that.

It’s important for a number of reasons. Firstly it is/was a pivotal issue and cornerstone of the support agreement between National and the Maori Party; and secondly it’s one of those flax root debates between Maori and Pakeha which we need to get right – and so far we haven’t – if there is to be a peaceful path forward in this country.

It’s also important because we are at the halfway stage in the political game we call this parliamentary term, and the Maori Party doesn’t have too many meaningful points on the board as we head down now to the next general election.

The foreshore and seabed debate is about property and legal rights – something you’d think the National Party would be solid on. It’s not about access to the country’s beaches - that right – within reason – is beyond doubt.

But National is no keener than Labour to see Maori retain any of their traditional and customary rights developed over the centuries we occupied these islands prior to the arrival of the Pakeha. And that tells me this is a Maori Pakeha issue not one about law and justice and people’s inherent rights. Labour even took away the right of Maori to go to court to see if we had a right – National will restore that but will so tightly prescribe how that right may be determined that it will all but be negated.

So the foreshore and seabed that my tipuna held sway over as a result of hundreds of years of co-existence with our iwi neighbours, will be taken away by the government. On the other hand 12 and a half thousand separate parcels of foreshore and seabed – overwhelmingly held by Pakeha - which have somehow passed into ‘freehold’ title -will be sacrosanct. You won’t be able to go to those beaches and have a swim or a barbie, certainly not without permission and maybe a fee?

So once again it is Maori who have their rights legislated away.

Labour and now National both claim that one of their reasons for moving in this way is to ‘protect’ the foreshore and seabed from sale – nothing would give it greater protection that customary title - after all it’s endured for a thousand years until now.

Another looming punch-up in this process is the hoops that Maori will have to jump through to establish their limited customary right. They will be required to show ‘exclusive and continuous use and occupation’ of their foreshore and seabed rohe. If the land has been subdivided that test will fall down. But what if the only reason that hasn’t occurred is because a previous pakeha government stole the land or it was acquired by some other Treaty breach?

John Key last week joined Helen Clark in showing that he too is not able to treat fairly and justly and in good faith with Maori, the pull of his blood and the baying of his supporters is too strong.

While Fox has some harsh words for the government we think that after listening to Chris Finlayson this morning on Q and A , we are more confident that the agreement provides a good framework to allow Maori to exercise their customary rights.

We, in particular, are expecting Ngai Tahu to lodge a claim get title for the former crown muttonbird (titi) islands which are now under the guardinaship of a Trust. And the beneficial owners of the other titi ( privately owned ) islands will also be able to make a claim for theirs.

There is also a fair bet that the Waitutu and Rakiura Maori Lands Trusts will also be taking a close look at the new rules as there will be some expectation they will have a good claim as well.

Interesting times ahead.

RUGBY WAS THE WINNER ON THE DAY

Well it seems that everyone was a winner and a loser in the game to broadcast the free to air Rugby World Cup.

Everyone gets a piece of the cream pie in a compromise that sees a simulcast of the big games.

Its an interesting way to do things and the first time in our memory we have an event being covered by all channels.

Its got to be a good thing.

Our biggest gripe in this whole affair was the way that some people responded to the Maori bid which we still firmly believe had a whiff of racism about it. We are glad that is now behind us as a country and we can get on and showcase our nation to the world.

We think that MTV has shown with events like Anzac Day coverage that it can do a fantastic job of whipping up National pride and produce high quality we co-ordinated coverage. Some big names are already being touted to front so it may well be that MTV gets a lot of support because their coverage will be more entertaining and interesting than the other channels.

Now we just need the rest of the World Cup organisation to start revving things up.

BACKBENCHER SUMMARY

I was a backbencher virgin until last night. Its a really good pithy political pisstake. It could easily fill a slot on prime time TV instead of buried on Channel 7 Freeview. Last night Derek Fox, Maori Party ,Nikki Kaye (Nats) and Hamish Doull ( Lab )and some dude from the greens who looked like a merchant banker, were the panel.
It was fun and racy and interactive.

Nikki Kaye did very well, Hamish Doull came armed with some pithy one liners, Foxy sounded wise and the green guy was ok.

Will go again.

OFF TO BACK BENCHER

To listen to Nikki Kaye and the Fox. Might blog later if I don't have beer goggles on.