FRIDAY ROUND UP

The UK Guardian has a nice piece on what people do and what people say they do.

65 % of all people claim to have read books they haven’t.

We have been involved in surveying the egg eating habits of New Zealanders and there is a big difference between who says they buy free range eggs and how many free range eggs are sold.

And last week MACDOCTOR wrote a blog about the trouble with the Ministry of Health stats on Smoking - it is clear from his analysis that people who say they aren’t smoking still are.

So we reckon t if you surveyed NZ’ers now about how they voted there would be many more who voted for National than actually did...

And for Gossip around the traps and other random stuff

Names in the hat to replace Leith Comer ( we think he will go before the years out)

Ø Peter Douglas.

Ø Wally Stone

Ø Parekura Horomia.

• We have heard that Wira Gardiner is scoping out replacements as we speak.
• And who is the ubiquitous Tailor of Panama Street?
• Isn’t it about time someone in the media did a history lesson on the fate of the Development Finance Corp for all the people who will be making decisions on how the govt intervenes in the money markets?
  
• Why isn’t the government folding the responsibilities of the Ministry of Womens Affairs into the Ministry of Social Development ?
• And to all the mycologists out there - why aren’t there any mushrooms in the Wairarapa ( well we have only had one feed so far)
  
• And what would happen AIG collapsed?
• and why wont Mark Solomon go and speak to each runaka on each of their marae instead of requesting a pow wow in Christchurch - does anyone else think thats a bit arrogant?
  
  

HUI TAUMATA - WHERE TO NEXT?

This Maori think tank is meeting today - the Hui Taumata at Te Papa. ( one of the most expensive places to hold a conference) We wonder what the future holds for this August body.

Here are the members of the Task Force

• Leith Comer
• Professor Ngatata Love
• June McCabe
• Rob McLeod
• Phil O’Reilly
• Sir Tipene O’Regan
• Sir Paul Reeves
• Tumu Te Heuheu
• Ross Wilson

Now we Maori are pretty good at hui -ing and it appears that this group has been very good at hui -ing but there seems to be a dearth of activity ( the Doee- ing bit) past about 2006. ( if you can find evidence we will happily update.
We have heard that this Government may have a different view on their worth especially in light of being fully govt funded to the tune of at least a Million Bucks.

TINAOPAI BOYS

We were a bit sceptical if the Maori hui yesterday would help chart a course through the choppy economic seas we are sailing on. But it seems that the big boys thought big. They are, as a result of Treaty settlements sitting on some big piles of dosh. They have, after a few years in the fishing game, working out that consolidation of assets leads to better returns.
So they are saying that instead of being the bum boys driving the dozers - they want to be financing the roads in partnership with the government. Infrastructure is a good choice - but we would also like to see some thinking from some of the younger ones about investing some of that money in JV's in broadband and other IT projects. There are more and more Maori who are in the IT industry and we are surprised that that has not emerged from the summit as a key way for Maori to work in partnership to oil the wheels of the economy.

MAORI MAHI HUI

We had a bet that there would be some Maori who turned up at the hui without having an invite. We have heard there was at least one.
Someone with links to fish and the Chathams. Too Too much, we say. Just rude really and apparently they wouldn't shut up. We can remember them from way back and they had bugger all to contribute then.

And we hear that the Ministry of Fisheries is restructuring as well. Excellent. We look forward to be efficiencies in the future.

PORK ROAST,TIO TIO AND CHARDONNAY

Well it appears the ex Minister of Maori Affairs likes pork as well as oysters and chardonnay.

And apparently the place was none too tidy either but then again Parekura has never been a stickler for cleanliness and tidiness - the following a jibe from Tau Henare during the reading of the Maori Purposes Bill in Dec 2007

Hon TAU HENARE: Oh—market rents! That Minister can talk about market rents. He was one of the slum landlords down on the East Coast. He was trying to rent out his house to his whānau, and I would not have rented out a house that looked like that to a dog. But the Minister did, and we all know that. We all know he is a bit of a landlord down on the East Coast.

Hat tip Whale oil