UBER FACTS - FOR THE UBER WAKA

The UBER WAKA FACTS

• The Waka is actually a funkily designed pavilion that will seat 200 people and has room for a 1000.
• It is made from the same materials as the Cloud Pavilion. A PVC Covered Frame – to ensure that it is portable.
• Creative NZ funds both the Ballet and the Symphony orchestra to the tune of $4m a year.
• The Waka is being built for less than $1 million
• $1.1 million is for events and cultural performances and entertainment. Its funded from the Cultural Diplomacy fund. That Fund is normally used to “take” Nz Arts to the world – like subsidising the NZSO tour of China. All iwi will be invited to submit proposals.
• As its the RWC 2011 year the funding is being spent in New Zealand because of the Foreigners who will come here.
• The $1.1million for events at the Uber Waka pavillion will have to be applied for in the normal way for each performance.
• But its been set aside for performances in and around the Waka.
• And most of the Cultural Diplomacy fund is being used to fund other RWC projects around the country not on the Waka entertainment.
• So we think that for a tourist they have some choices – food, fashion and industry in the Cloud and Maori Culture in the Uber Waka on the Auckland waterfront. We reckon there will be queues at the Waka and the Cloud. Similar structures are used around the world for Expo type events.

So what its not:

-A plastic canoe

-Something for only one iwi.

-Expensive

-Silly

ANTI WAKA WANKERS NEED TO TAKE A GOOD HARD PULL.

We suppose that there is no surprise that the fact a huge waka was to be built as part of the Rugby World Cup 2011 was greeted with derision from across the political spectrum. ACT, and Labour both hate it.

But it is Labours Shane Jones who is looking silliest.

He was first out of the block this morning claiming it belittled Maori. No he belittled Maori by showing that he was wanker who wanted the ratepayer to pay for his guilty little pleasures.

He called it a plastic waka. Its not. Its a grand showpiece for Maori culture. But the Government and the Maori Party were slow to react to the instant media storm he created. It has undoubtedly been the populist story of the day.

The Jones boy has harped on saying it is not " traditional." As a Ngai Tahu muttonbirder we have replaced kelp bags with plastic buckets to store our muttonbirds in. Traditions are not static. We build on what we learn.Traditions evolve. Poi are made out of all sorts of modern material theses days as are piu piu.

So his assertion that it fails for not being "traditional" are spurious.

Not sure where watching porn in a hotel room fits with Traditional Maori practices but maybe Jones Dalmation ancestors were voyeurs...

And perhaps if the Honourable member for the Far North goes in and out of the Uber Waka a few times he might find it is a pleasurable experience.

We think that the Uber Waka or ( Wakanui) is an inspired concept. Its a big idea. Its fun and it represents the pioneer spirit of Maori who travelled huge distances to call Aotearoa home. We are a people of the water. Its our playground, and its our food basket and Waka were the transport so what better way to transport visitors to the past to show our story. It is the very embodiment of modern thinking coupled with a nod to a rich past.

And $2 million is not a hell of a lot in the scheme of things. Especially if it offers Maori the chance to showcase their traditions old and new and offers the chance to develop work skills and jobs.

Maori own the tourism scene in Rotorua - may they give Auckland a shake up.

After all there are by our reckoning a fair few Maori in the All Black Team. They have adopted a traditional Haka as their own. The World Cup imagery is laced with a modern take on traditional Maori designs.

So to say that we shouldn't have something tied to the Rugby World cup that is uniquely Maori is just silly.

 Think about the possibilities of the Big Waka for jobs and for promotion of this country. Remember tourists come here to get a taste of the essential New Zealand - Not all of them will be able to make it onto a real Marae. So the Uber Waka has a place to play in whetting their appetite for more exposure to the many facets of our culture.

Anyway, we think that the Uber Waka is bloody fantastic. So everyone needs to take a bloody big deep breath.

PLEA TO MAORI PARTY DONT PLAY HONE'S GAME.

Hone Harawira has become a treacherous despicable conniving twat.

We predict that he will not even hold onto his seat in the far North. Sue Bradford , her voice loaded with scorn on Radio Live this morning, made it clear that Hones new party was about Hone and she would have no part of it. Then again, this whole breakaway by Hone has always been about him.

We used to have a huge amount of respect for Hone - when it comes to good health, he practices what he preaches and he fought hard to ensure Maori got all the support they needed to sustain healthy lifestyles.

Now days Hone is all about supporting Hones lifestyle. He cannot work with anyone. So any party he forms will be doomed to failure. On so many levels Hones narcissism is far worse that Winston Peters. Hone believes that he and he alone can save "his" people. He doesn't understand that they are the masters of their own destiny - an understanding and philosophy that Sharples and Turia share.

While we understand the frustrations of the Maori Party with their traitorous brown neck drop kick, the best way to combat Hone is to utterly and completely ignore him. Give him no traction at all.

Going head to head gives him a platform. The Maori Party has earned the respect of most New Zealand because of the dignity with which they conduct themselves. We may not always agree with them but we admire them. The Maori Party should have, by now, developed a series of stories about their achievements to pepper pot in the media over the coming months. They need to set a vision for what they want post election. They need to stay staunch and stay true.

And by Rangi they should walk proud in the knowledge of what they have achieved.

If for no other reason that making the party a true political force that supports positive social change.

Fighting with Hone now only feeds the media appetites for a scrap - it deflect from all the good that has been done.

So to the Maori Party - you have a good chance to build on the things you have secured for Maori under Nationals leadership. You need to gently remind your people what you have done and what it means for them. You need to ask them, against the black cloud of a looming recession what are their priorities.

You need to lead. Do not look back. Leave that to Hone. Look forward. Hone has set himself apart from New Zealand. In contrast, the Maori Party can go proudly into this next election knowing that it is now firmly a part of New Zealand.

KIA KAHA PITA!

The Maori party showed some testicular fortitude today when it biffed Hone Harawira out of caucus.

While far from perfect ( which political party is ) the Maori Party has done a pretty good job of focusing their priorities on the politics of aspiration not the hate based blame everyone creed of Hone and his ilk.

Hone has continued to harp on that he has 5000 supporters. No -5000 people may have voted for him as a candidate for the Maori party. but there is no way that the 5000 voted solely for Hone so his actual fan base is considerably less.

Today would have been tough for the Maori party. They are, as someone suggested recently, a very broad church of many different Maori points of view. However the gains they have made and the status they now have has made them a true political force.

Their acceptance means that if they continue to tango with National when they win the next election, then they will make more gains. Key has already signalled he wants them in government next time. He sees them as a vital to building a better New Zealand.

So all New Zealanders should feel happy that the Maori party has made Hone walk the plank. His actions were mutinous and he deserved nothing less.

It was clear from listening to Matt McCarten on the JT and Willie show late last week that the lefty party of bradford, mcarten and and Harawira is set to go. Hone's headline grabbing is nothing more than a cynical attempt to get publicity for the launch of the new party..

So the new party? Well its a very ugly political menage a trois.They get their kicks from creating hate, they blame everyone else. We think it wont even last the distance to the election.

HONE AINT GOT THE MANA

So Hone is up against it. He talks up the fact that he has all this support in the far north. So how many turn up for the meeting to show that Hone is "their" man?

100. Just 100. That in the scheme of things in the far north is a big fat nothing.

About 100 of Mr Harawira's backers attended and the outcome was rejection of the complaint, a demand that constitutional law expert Mai Chen be sacked from her role as an advisor to the party and that Mr Harawira should travel around the country to find out how much support there was for his concerns.

The trouble is the media didnt get it. They think that Hone has heaps of support. He has support alright. A whole heap of people who love him and respect him so much they couldnt be arsed going to a meeting . The National Council of the Maori Party will now know that the far north may be a noisy whingey lot but the reality is the same apathy that sees them locked into go nowhere blame everybody else lives is the same lot that cant be arsed making an effort to give Hone a decent show of support.

If Hone really did have support - attendance at that meeting should have been measured in the thousands.

And we all know how good Shane Jones is at wanking on and here he is at it again - He reckons that Hone will be Sharples in any political showdown.. Crap. Maori party followers are not that stupid.

Hone is toast.

HONE THE HATER

We are over Hone. He is a back stabbing moaning, whining, whinging dork. If he wasn't brown you would think he was a pom.

His latest column where he bags his own party, is a clear cut case of massive disloyalty. He is shaping up to move on out but we think that he will take his time, as like all well known troughers he will use the taxpayer funded resources that he is entitled to as a Maori party member to campaign on his own issues and dis his colleagues on the way through.

Sharples and Turia need to boot his sorry arse out now.

What really bugs us about Hone is that he has an enormous sense of entitlement and he thinks that its everyone else's fault that the Maori underclass are stagnating in a pool of despondency.

Its not - its their fault. Poor performing Maori are fast running out of excuses as the Maori middle class grows larger every day.

What Hone needs to do is starting being the leader he has the capacity to be. He is right when he says the Maori party could do better at connecting with its constituents. But for the wrong reasons.

He needs to connect alright but not to stoke their anger at everyone else. No, what he needs to do is get on the paepae and tell them that the only way that they will get out of the poverty trap is to haul their own sorry brown arses up out of the pit all by themselves.

Maori have an obligation to their children to show that while they maybe a generation of lost causes and losers that they must ensure that their children do not follow their self indulgent path.

Maori have forgotten that New Zealand offers the same opportunity to everyone to make a good life. And nothing exemplifies that more than the growing Maori middle class. They are the beacon of hope. They prove that what Hone says to his constituents is a lie aimed at keeping them despondent, keeping their minds full of hate and blame. His is not the politics of aspiration. It is the politics of envy and blame.

And for all the white fellas who are out there who are thinking that this means that they the brown middle class are just white folks of a different hue - think again. These Maori hold dear to their cultural beliefs and practices. They are still active members of kapa haka, active in tribal politics and take every opportunity to use Te Reo. They also do all that they can to inspire others to follow them.

They are the hope of the nation that desperately wants to be an egalitarian society.

Funny thing is Hone is a high earning member of that Maori middle class.

So his responsibility is to that small group of Maori who just arent cutting it. The Maori underclass , while overrepresented in every negative social status indicator, are not a large group in numbers.

It's Hone's responsibility to tell the gangs to f**k off and leave the kids alone. To get up in the hills and burn down the dope crops. Get down to the boozer and haul the men out and send them home, Walk into the pokie parlours and tell the women to get home to their kids. And prowl the streets in the morning and send the truant kids back to school. And tell them that whining about their lot wont fix shit. And tell them that its time they started to take responsibility for ensuring that Maori dont create another lost generation.

But the sad thing is that Hone wont do any of the above. No he will wander around the country talking down the whiteys and telling Maori that their salvation lies in the sands of beaches everywhere - that if they can convince the nation to give them " ownership" of the beaches then all will be well in the world and Maori will ride the wave of prosperity and feel good about themselves.

Wrong. They will still be down at the pub, picking their dope crops, pressing the button on the machines of neon dreams, wagging school and hiding out in McDonalds.

Hone will not be the saviour to his people - he is just the devil in disguise.

Cactus has also given him another broadside.

THE DEATH OF THE MAORI PARTY?

It will be if Hone gets to be leader. We have checked with the Kumara vine and the NZ Herald story is on the money. Hone is considering a tilt at the Maori Party leadership. It would be the singularly worst thing that he could do. But Hone is a tactician not a strategist. He is playing a short term game. And while he talks about doing it all for his people all the time, the reality is its all about Hone.

Dont matter if you are Maori or Pakeha - Egotistical dickheads are still dickheads.

There wont be a need for a referendum soon. the country will have had enough of little parties who have aspirations above their station and will essentially vote for government you would get under a first past the post system.

SHAKIN THE TREE

Maori are faced with some choices that could lead to a total transformation of their society. The first is to cocoon themselves in a ritualistic paternalistic past or unleash the warriors within to fight for the lives of their children.

Two recent announcements, one by Paula Bennett they other by Pita Sharples show the face of the past and the face of a future.

Paula has effectively told every iwi leader in the country that its time that they became proactively involved in ensuring their own whanau get the best start in life. Sort of a charity begins at the iwi approach.

The first thing that happened was the iwi leaders got all whiny about money. What crap. All it takes is for people to say no more, to say enough, to say what you are doing is not right. The " it takes a whole village to raise a child approach.

If Maori truly believe in Whanau Ora they need to show that it can be practiced at grass roots level it starts with them. So its about communities facing the problems within and dealing with them as individuals and collectively.

Paula Bennett's speech to the Iwi leaders has sent ripples through Maoridom and she has no doubt created some very powerful enemies who will try to undermine her rather than getting off there arses and into the homes of the their whanau and hapu who are killing and maiming their kids. That doesn't take money - just time and effort and some personal and tribal responsibility.

Bennetts stance is in stark contrast to that of Sharples. He is not just cuddling up to the gangs, he is playing a far more intimate game. It is extremely troubling and its a hallmark of the approach taken by Maori leaders of yesterday.

His calls for the Black Power to be treated differently than the rest of society sends the worst of all messages. It legitimises them and it sets them above the law. The only thing that Sharples should embrace are strategies to reduce the numbers of kids joining up and strategies to get the women away from men who kill and maim. Strategies that ensure that gang members and their kids find some respect for the law and understand the consequences of risky behaviour.

The Gang creed is still one of violence not peace and the only elements of Maori tikanga that they take on board are the showy ritualistic ones, the ones that dont actually do much for anyone but waste a shit load of time.

It is time for the strong women we see every day trying to do the best at the terrible cliff of evil that children are hurled off every day to take a greater role in leading

them away from the brink.

Simply said, the current crop of male Maori leaders have failed their people. It does not matter how many hotels they buy, how many tree they plant - it matters not a whit when the life of their mokos are shaken from them on a weekly basis.

The silly posturing antics we see every day down on the Marae and in the corridors of power as they strut their arrogance - is not saving our kids. Its time for them to stand aside let Maori women lead and let the true Maori renaissance begin.

Maori women like Paula Bennett - a woman who is Shakin the Tree.

TARIANA TURIA SOUND ON PROPERTY RIGHTS.

We see with interest that Tariana Turia understands that the Foreshore and Seabed issue can only be settled with an acknowledgement of property rights and due process through the courts.

Pita Sharples, it seems prefers the so called " communist solution."

Dr Sharples said Maori did not have a concept of ownership prior to Pakeha arriving in New Zealand. Maori saw themselves as guardians and caretakers of the foreshore and this was eliminated by the Act.

"I don't really know whether ownership is the right solution for New Zealand," he said. "I think the way it's heading at the moment is a form of co-management."

Dr Sharples said he didn't think the idea of keeping the foreshore in Crown ownership was acceptable.

"I think what iwi do prefer is that we have a kind of tikanga title, that we actually keep the mana that our ancestors had before."

However Tariana appears to favour the right for Maori to establish their property right through the courts.

Mrs Turia says the Maori Party does not support the concept of no ownership.

"I think that what people have talked about with the foreshore and seabed is this is an issue of justice. I still believe it's an issue of justice and should be treated as such."

She says her preference would be for Maori to be able to go to court or enter into direct negotiations with the Crown.

This is shaping up to be a philisophical split in the Maori Party. It will add another layer of difficulty for the government in brokering an acceptable solution.

Interesting that Turia seems to be echoing the thinking of commentator Matthew Hooton.

WHATS UP?

Remember this ? the Maori Economic Taskforce. Set up deliver on three goals:

The first is, in the short term, to protect and support Māori through the period of economic recession. This goal will involve training for skills and education, investing in resilience for communities and protecting or growing employment opportunities.

The second goal is to think beyond the recession and identify strategic economic development opportunities for Māori. The aim is to lift Māori participation in the economy and unlock Māori potential in the appropriate areas so that Māori can take advantage, and be drivers, of the recovery.

The third goal is to promote and utilise kaupapa Māori and Māori structures as drivers of prosperity. This is a real area of strength that serves to differentiate Māori and enables us to forge our own unique pathway into the future.

We thought at the time it was announced that it was top heavy with too many tired old troughers. It was the only time we had been seriously disappointed with the Maori party. We wanted to see new blood - innovative thinkers.

Well we understand that Price WaterHouse Coopers doesn't have a good relationship with them anymore.

Why?

TINOPAI!

At last we have some direction over the the Foreshore and Seabed Act.

Today we have a Parliament that sees Maori walk the corridors of power with National and now we have a report which clearly shows the dissatisfaction with this odious piece of legislation. It is a report that lays out the issues clearly and calls for the Act to be biffed.

We are in a prime position for the development of a solution that should unify this country and heal some deep deep wounds.

Well done guys - well done.

NEW WHAREHEREHERE PROMOTED

We are with Pita Sharples on this one. He wants a new style of prison with a Maori focus.

The National Government is open to the concept. Corrections Minister Judith Collins says she is "very keen" if it can be shown to reduce the Maori crime rate.

Dr Sharples wants the 60-bed institution to be located in an urban centre so education and employment opportunities can be provided to Maori prisoners "who are determined to learn, heal and socialise".

He said the institution would still have security measures like other prisons: "There'll be locks on the gates".

Dr Sharples said he had previously referred to the centre as an "alternative prison". It would have fewer jailers and "more healers, teachers, social workers".

Prisoners would have to "earn" their way into the centre by learning to speak Maori, he said.

They would prove themselves by becoming literate if they were not already, getting involved in a community project or charity from inside, and showing good behaviour for four months or more

.

If we were running prisons all white collar crims would be housed in the worst cells. For them it would have the most impact. Instead they end up in cushy prisons and on home detention. So prison is no real deterrent for them.

But, put the worst offender, who has had a crap life in an institution that shows him how the world can be, let him sample a life he has never known , lets him tastes the good fruits of society, give him hope and aspiration and you may have less recidivism. We reckon it is really worth a punt.

Good to see the Nats supporting this one.

MAORI TASKFORCE

At the risk of labouring the point - we want to see more details around Pita Sharples Taskforce. It is costing $4.5 million a year.

We want to know how that money is being spent. And we wonder why greater use is not being made of some of the fine young minds in Te Puni Kokiri. You see many of them have been wasting their talents monitoring the performance of other government departments for nine years or wasting away on projects they knew were of no benefit to their people. Why not devolve a heap of that responsibility and let them loose on how to reduce the impact of the recession on Maori. If they had been given this task they would have a cause that would light the fires of passion that we know still burn in many of the best there. The big wigs at the top table should just be there to grease the wheels and open the doors as required.

It is a dam shame that the Maori Party has put all its efforts into the development of an expensive tasforce rather that use the vast pool of talent that rests not a hundred yards up the road.

And we want to see regular updates on the outcomes from the Taskforces - both this and the Job Summit.

We cannot afford a single cent to be wasted. Nor see any human resource wasted. And we will be the first to say we got it wrong if the taskforce turns out to actually achieve anything of note but for us the jury is out.

WHY?

We don't get this - Tamihere has been annointed by the Maori Party. We have already blogged on it - we reckon its the first time the Maori Party has seriously wrong footed on an issue.
This morning Tamihere says he was sidelined by Labour and he is getting " much more " under National - We ask why? Nothing has changed. The guy is a dork.

Labour didn't want him so why would he suddenly be annointed by the Nats and the Maori Party. We remain dumbfounded.

SHARPLES HAS GOT THIS ONE WRONG

Sorry but what business experience has Solomon got? Why do we keep trotting out the same tired old boars who have been drinking at the tribal troughs for a decade ?

There are dozens of successful Ngai Tahu business people who should be on this taskforce before Solomon. And Tamihere's inclusion on this is just a bloody insult to every good moral person in in this country - Now why did he get not get re- elected again? Fiscal Prudence is not one of Tamihere's strong suits.

Sorry but we reckon the Maori Party had a chance to put some fresh blood on this Taskforce - instead the roll out the same tired old faces who have to sit along side a few people who have cut the mustard.

No more cuzzy bro favouritism please!

We didn't expect this sort of crap from the Maori Party and we hope it is not a portent of a continual roll out of the same passengers on the same old brown gravy train.

The Minister of Maori Affairs, Dr Pita Sharples, has asked seven iwi and
business leaders to head a Taskforce on how Maori can avoid the worst impacts of
the recession, and strengthen the Maori economy in the longer term.
"I am
very pleased to announce the appointment of Mark Solomon, Ngahiwi Tomoana,
Bentham Ohia, Daphne Luke, John Tamihere, June McCabe and Rob McLeod to lead
this work for two years," said Dr Sharples.
"These seven movers and shakers
in Maoridom have particular expertise in tribal asset development, the primary
sector, education and training, small to medium enterprises, social and
community development, investment and enterprise, and economic growth and
infrastructure," he said.
"Together they make up a balanced team with wide
networks and diverse interests, and they have the knowledge and experience to
deliver results in the face of the huge economic challenges facing our nation.
The key to our success is co-operation, and this team can achieve that for
sure.
"The Taskforce will follow through on the ideas that emerged at the
Maori economic workshop I called in January. I have set aside $4.5 million per
annum for the Taskforce to work with. At the same time the Taskforce will lead
rapid responses to the outcomes of Prime Minister's jobs summit.
"The PM's
Jobs Summit emphasised interdepartmental co-operation, and this task force is
expecting to follow that approach as well. Some projects may be taken up by
other agencies with Maori clients," said Dr Sharples.
"The task force will be
backed by a small secretariat in Te Puni Kokiri, with a private secretary right
in my office. Members will be expected to maintain their own networks to gather
information and co-ordinate responses from flax roots and iwi organisations
around the country," he said.

Rangi wept.

TINO PAI

Key is supporting the Maori flag flying on the Auckland bridge. Good.