RANKIN IS CRANKIN

Well well. It seems that outspoken Maori and media slut David Rankin has some supporters on his home turf.

Rankin hit the headlines the other day for doing a slam dunk on an issue that has itched us for a long time - that the King of Tainui had somehow morphed into the Maori King.

So today we see that his own iwi agree that Rankin can be abrasive but that he speaks the truth and is reflective of a larger body of opinion within the tribe. And that from no less than Sonny Tau.

"Let's not pussyfoot around. Ngapuhi has never been part of the Kingitanga. I don't think what he said was wrong. It was the way he said it.

"I sit back and giggle to myself sometimes - he's got balls the size of moa eggs."

For his part, Mr Rankin says he isn't going to change his "shock and awe" method.

"I realise that the media is our new marae. There are 126,000 Ngapuhi. If I was to call a meeting at my marae there'd be 50 people.

"People say Ngapuhi are wild but in reality we want everyone else to put their point of view across. This has started debate.

"Who is critiquing Maori society today? Nobody. You have to have debate otherwise you may as well be Pakehas."

Ngai Tahu have never had much love for Nga Puhi - something to do with them cuddling Te Rauparaha - Ngai Tahu's sworn enemy but today we want to tautoko Sonny. What he has done by publicly supporting Rankin is open up the way for some unedited, reasoned and forthright debate on some important issues facing Maori.

We expect that level of support will see Rankin develop bigger balls. And from a girly point of view he aint bad lookin either.

Let the korero begin.

KING OF WISHFUL THINKING

There are as many people who like David Rankin as dont - He must be a thorn in the side of some Nga Puhi.

Today he has pulled a cracker out of the hat. He is claimed that the monarchial creep which has seen the King of Tainui become widely recognised as the Maori King is a crock of shit and a slur on other tribes.

Well, funny thing is that we wrote about just this issue a few weeks back - In all our time skittering around Southern Marae we were left in no doubt that Ngai Tahu were expected to respect the "Queen" ( the Kings mum)as the leader of Tainui but it was drummed into us that she was not our Queen.

So we reckon that Rankin has a good point. Go him.

POKOKOHUA = C**T

We use the shortened version of the word pokokohua (Hua) a bit. Its a well used southern curse of the vilest kind. Its a bit like saying motherf**king C**t - it invokes a sense of outraged gravitas that lends punch to a decent insult.

As a child, we once got a smack for using it.

So it seems that Outspoken Nga Puhi fella David Rankin is a bit hoha at Marama Davidison, a human rights commissioner calling him the Maori equivalent of a C**t.

He is right to be outraged and he is right to take Ms Davidson to task. After all, if she had called him a c**t then white people would be outraged.

So in her capacity as an arbiter of moral decency, Ms Davidson has no right to be flinging around insults about people who do not espouse what are obviously her strong left wing views.

So good on Rankin for calling her out.

YESTERDAY'S MAN

That Hone Harawira fella has a way of pissing people off and today he really riled us up with his silly bloody racist comment about miscegenation. He don't want his brown kids to mix it up with white kids.

He thinks its the way that many people think. Well thats just wrong.

Funny our dad never had a problem with us bringing home anyone with a touch of the tar brush but he had a huge issue with us bringing home a Nga Puhi.. Hated them with a vengance. When you see the mindless prejudice displayed by Hone , dads fears had some foundation. Some of them are a bit different and not in a good way.

Funnily enough, my scottish protestant grandfather, whom I shadowed most of my life, refused to talk to me for weeks whenI told him I was going out with a Catholic McDonald.

" No good will come of that," he said. His was a deep seated religous prejudice.

He was wrong . The McDonald was a good un .

Racism and prejudice of the sort displayed by Hone is best left for the history books.

Hone is definitely yesterdays man.

TAU STUBS OUT CHANCE OF EARLY DEAL ON FORESHORE AND SEABEDBED

The Kumara vine has been pulsing this  afternoon. Our Maori sources say that a very recent meeting between Iwi and the Prime Minister John Key came perilously close to reaching a conclusion on the Foreshore and Seabed issue.

Apparently it was all good to go until Sonny Tau backed by Mark Solomon presented a set of demands that derailed the deal.  Now, while most Maori see the repeal of the Foreshore and Seabed Act as paving  they way for them to make claims for customary title, there is concern that some tribes ( put Ngai Tahu at the top of the list ) are more interested in using the negotiations to leverage mineral rights.

So the primary issue about Tikanga ( traditional ways)  -  is playing second fiddle to greed.  Principles are the first casualty.

Meanwhile, our Ngai Tahu sources say that Dr Gail Tipa's appointment to Te Runanga O Ngai Tahu board  on behalf of Moeraki means that Solomons support is further eroded. While she does not play personality politics she wont stand for any silliness either. Solomon - is still valiantly trying to hold off the day when his runaka get the chance to vote on his fate.

The rest of the iwi throughout the country  and a fair stack of  Ngai Tahu reckon that the sooner Solomon's reign is brought to an end the better for the tribe and indeed all Maori.

NEW ZEALAND DAY

"Not my cousin," was a phrase we used to use a lot. It was said when a relative did something that was embarrassing, invoking an act of emotional terrorism that blew your family apart.

Now all Maori are supposed to be related. So - why is it that the most embarrassing acts always come from Nga Puhi?

Their attitude to the media is silly, spurious and in the past its been racist.

They bring shame on all Maori.

The latest move is to charge the media to cover events on Te Tii Marae.

And we were appalled that any of the media stumped up with any cash at all.

For once the media club should have stuck together. They should have walked away told them to stick the whole day up their collective sorry brown arses.

New Zealand is so over this posturing, elitist, isolationist shit.

Waitangi Day has become a national joke - a sad embarrassing day - nothing to be proud of. Its a tatty little sideshow run by arrogant little minded people.

The good thing is we think that this petulant bunch of posturing wankers and wankeresses are not representative of the true heart and collective mind of our country.

John Key says today that he doesn't really see the need to do much about the flag. We think he is so very wrong.

We have been watching the flag debate with interest. And you can taste the desire for change. People are talking about it on the buses , on trains, in bars and coffee houses.

We finally feel proud of ourselves as a country. We are happy to listen to ourselves on the radio and watch ourselves on TV.

After years of trying to copy America and Britain we seem to have got to that place where we know who we are.

However, we think it is time for the Government to take the energy for change and help mould our nation for the future. It will be testy but we need to be brave and have that debate.
We want a new flag. A big fucking bold proud as - Flag.

And we want a National day to go with it that speaks of our Nation and its place in the world today.

It is Time for New Zealand Day - a real holiday where we celebrate all that we have been, all that we are and all that we want to be.

And we see no reason for it to be centred on Waitangi. Its far to big and important to be held in a place full of intellectual and social pygmies.

THERE IS ONE IN EVERY HAPU

Bloody mad Nga Puhi. I can understand why my whanauka never had much truck with them. On the one day where they should be celebrating unity and a shared vision some silly dope addled no hoper decides to be a twat and rough up the PM. My pick is that they will be getting a thorough kicking out the back.

Silly silly tamariki.