NGAI TAHU NEWS - GOSS FROM THE TABLE

We have reported on the website Ngai Tahu established by Te Runanga O Ngai Tahu newbie Tahu Potiki.

His website indicates a welcome and new level of hitherto unseen transparency by runanga representatives.

We have also been given a bit of good oil on the latest meeting of the "Table" as the meetings are known as.

Firstly new member Quentin Hix is a well known figure in South Canterbury, a barrister and solicitor. Its great to see someone with a legal background join our tribal leaders but by all accounts , Mr Hix could do with a smidgen more humility.. And he can probably be forgiven for talking lots - he is used to holding the floor in court.

However BustedBlondes first rule for newbies on any organisation - the ratio of listening to talking should be about 95/20.

That being said the general consensus is that Hix is a good appointment and he has the added bonus of looking good too.

There are still a few elections to be held, the most important being Kaikoura, the last bastion of current Ngai Tahu chair Mark Solomon. We note that while all other runanga have at least begun the election process that Kaikoura are still trying to work out what process they will follow.

We have heard that there is a new air of co-operation at The Table and maybe that relates to the tenuous hold some representatives have on their positions.
However, we are mightily pleased with this new cohesion at the Table as it all bodes well for a good year for Ngai Tahu Whanui.

NGAI TAHU NEWS - TAHU POTIKI ON LINE

Tahu Potiki, the new appointed representative for Otakou at Te Runanga O Ngai Tahu, has joined the online community. He has set up a very well designed and easy to navigate website with a blog.

2010, we believe, will be a watershed year for Ngai Tahu. Tahu talks about the collective responsiblity of leadership as well as his thoughts on a range of issues. They bear the hall marks of of a thinker and someone who understands the needs and aspirations of his people.

We believe that Tahu, this time round as a politician sitting at the table rather than as a bureaucrat running the organisation, is where he will find his true calling.
We are delighted that he has done a quick synopsis blog of the latest Te runanga O Ngai Tahu meeting -
It will be welcomed by the many Nga Tahu who are scattered to the four winds.

Tahu is a big man with a big personality and some would content a big ego. Thats not a bad thing as long as one delivers on their self belief.

So we wish Tahu well this year. His mission is an important one and he has our full support.

BACK TO TIKANGA

We have been in Hamilton this weekend - a world away from Wellington and two worlds away from the South Island and Ngai Tahu.

We have had time to take stock and we think we have set out to achieve what we wanted to do - get Ngai Tahu focusing on their leadership and the tribes performance and make people think and act on who they want to represent them - and we have already seen the signals , with the election of Wally Stone and Tahu Potiki, that the people want a change of direction.

We have come under fire for moderating the debate on various posts - its simply because both the supporters of Mark Solomon and his detractors have indulged in some personal mudslinging the likes of which we have never, ever seen before on any issue we have ever run on this blog.

We reckon that we have done a good job of stoking the fires of a very important issue for Ngai Tahu rank and file. We think that we were pretty well known for plain speaking on the Marae so we have taken that approach on this blog. We have done what we have done here on Ngai Tahu issues on Roarprawn, with the help of many from one end of the country to the other. We thank them. For many Ngai Tahu, Roarprawn is not something that ends up in your puku - it a noisy little fish that embeds in your brain and makes you think.

But now it is time for the focus to shift from the virtual marae we have created here to the real one.

It is now the turn of the people, face to face, to sort these issues through.

So until the Hui A Tau which is being held at Oraka Aparima Colac Bay Riverton, on the weekend of the 20-22nd of November is over, we wont mock, prod, slap, dig, cajole, criticise or praise anything or anyone in relation to the elections.

We think that this way everyone can take a breather and think very, very wisely about the best part they can play in the future of the tribe that will serve the best interests of us all.

That sort of talk is best done without heat in quiet rooms.

It's time for all the tribe to turn up to the Hui A Tau and voice their concerns and support for the people they want to lead the tribe.

It is time to take the business back into the House of Tahu for a while. There is going to have to be an orderly transition in leadership - as Ngai Tahu is not just important to its people, it has an important role to play in the South Island economy. Ngai Tahu can also join with other iwi to get the economies of scale required to advance new business ventures to benefit all Maori.

And for those who have contacted us and asked if we are interested in being involved in the elections down home in Awarua, Bluff. Yes and no. We have no interest in standing as a representative. We are fervent devotees of Ahi Kaa. That is - that those who are at home are the best to manage the home affairs. But maybe we will put our hands up to be on the panel to select the local delegate. We will consider that option in due course.

We walked away from active involvement in tribal affairs 10 years ago, when we moved to Wellington, after being heavily engaged in runanga, marae and runanga business and the titi committee. The only tribal business we ever really wanted to be actively involved in was the management of fisheries but that opportunity never came our way.

Many of the skills we learnt at home have stood us in good stead all these years.
We have run our own successful little business without a drop of financial support from anyone, so that has been pretty satisfying.

And its good to look back and see that a lot of what we help initiateback home has survived today. So we look back with some pride. And its those experiences and understanding that has kept us forever interested in tribal politics - albiet at a distance.

So to you , leaders and followers all - it is time to put aside the egos, the family disputes, the jealousies and for humility to reign and for The Table to serve up the feast of social and economic riches for all us to share.

So for now we will stay quiet and concentrate on other things.. Just for a while mind you, just for a while..

CHANGING OF THE GUARD FOR NGAI TAHU?

Could be -- we hear there is a meeting in Christchurch at the Big Green House. ... We will keep you posted.

SOLOMON'S A PUSSY

Who would have believed it ? ( well us for starters....) Mark Solomon is doing all he can to delay the inevitable - reports the NZ Herald today being voted out by his own runanga which means he would not only lose the title of Kaiwhakahaere( chair) but he would also lose his seat at the ruling table.
It is disgraceful that he has not promoted an election and fought it like a man.

Again he has fallen short of what is required of a leader.

We have also considered that the Ngai Tahu voting system is nothing ( sorry mum) but a cluster fuck... It gives too much power to too few for too long.

It has ended up this way because the incumbents will normally be the ones to benefit from confusion..

Hopefully this time round we will have a ruling council we can be proud of.

TAHU POTIKI AT THE NGAI TAHU TABLE

We were delighted to hear today that former Ngai Tahu CE Tahu Potiki is to represent Otakau at The Table , the tribes ruling council.

Tahu is an abrasive, arrogant big shit but he does have a good head on his shoulders and the will to see the tribe head in a better direction. He will need to marshall all his best qualities to help turn the ruling council into the governing body the iwi needs to take advantage of its unique position in the South Island economy.

Tahu is set to play an important role in bringing some cohesiveness and good governance to the tribe.
We are hoping for a few more new more representatives to take their places at what will be a pivotal time in the tribes development. This is not a job for one alone. It will require all representatives to work together..

We need leaders who will start the tribe looking forward, not back and bear no grudges, people who will stand the iwi on its collective feet and stop relying on government hand outs to fill the tribal coffers.

We need our leaders to work across Maoridom to give us the economies of scale to take advantage of the opportunities that are on offer.

We want the tribes economic performance based on real asset growth and not on the amount of money it has wheedled out of the government.

We need leaders who give us the real warts and all version of what is happening with our collective business to give us a level of comfort and trust.

We all know that mistakes will be made but we want leaders to tell it like it is.

We, above all, want leaders who make us proud to be Ngai Tahu.

BLOG MODERATED

We we have managed to blog for 6 months without having to moderate comments but that time as come. And sadly it is because of Ngai Tahu. Apparently if you make a mistake in your youth there is no way you can redeem yourself. The target is Tahu Potiki - the vitriol and bile that is being spewed in the comments section suggests to me that maybe Tahu does have what it takes to be a leader.
He has followed a rough road, educated himself and risen above his past. His intellect has never been questioned. Yet those who support Solomon are obviously very, very scared of him. For that alone he would get my support. Now don't get me wrong, I think Tahu is an arrogant shit and I know his past well but he may well be the one to sort out the mess that Ngai Tahu is in. Time will tell.

And for those who want to get real personal - I have software that can pinpoint anyone who visits this site. I have never ever used it and I hope I never have to.

In the mean time , until some people create their own blog - comments will be moderated.

However feel free to email me bustedblonde@gmail.com

NGAI TAHU RIVEN BY PERSONAL ATTACKS.

Ngai Tahu would never be able to field a good rugby team. They are too busy playing the man and not the ball.

The Herald reports this morning about a letter circulating that attacks all the iwi members the writer believed are trying to get rid of Mark Solomon. It is nasty - we are aware of its contents.

our comments are in red

Internal revolt within Ngai Tahu is continuing, with seven tribal leaders banding together to push for change from within their governing body, Te Runanga o Ngai Tahu (Tront).

Yes that is correct.

Some of them say that because they've spoken out, a "nasty" campaign has started, which includes an anonymous letter being sent to media naming 10 iwi members and alleging, among other things, that some associate with rapists and murderers.

The typewritten note was sent to the Otago Daily Times this week. The author identifies the 10 as anti-Tront iwi members.

If they are ten then Solomon is in real trouble. He has lost the numbers.

Otakou Runanga chairman Tahu Potiki said the letter amounted to "threatening, bully-boy tactics".

He also alleged that his emails to other iwi leaders had been hacked.

For three weeks, the tribe has been in turmoil, a situation started by revelations it would be spending $52 million over four years on a cultural centre. Last month, Ngai Tahu Holdings Corporation chairman Wally Stone, who advised against that spending in the current market, was dismissed.

Mr Potiki said asking for "transparency" had seen all sorts of "hell" break loose.

Yip, both sides are claiming to want more transparency and accountability. Its a bit fo a worry for people like us who expected that by now the Tribe would have developed into a mature corporate citizen.

"This is because we want to have a debate about how much a building costs, how much senior management get paid and why they got rid of Wally Stone. In [a Ngai Tahu] election year, these are reasonable questions to ask, yet these nutbars think they can shut down all discussion because they want to hold on to power.

"And they think they're going to intimidate us with this sort of crap."

There is no way you can intimidate Tahu, big boy, big brain and probably a biggish ego. Unlike Solomon though, we think he displays more humility.

Chairmen from seven of 18 papatipu runanga - the constituents that make up Tront - yesterday publicly called for radical change in the way Te Runanga interacts with their members. They represent Hokonui, Otakou, Arowhenua, Awarua, Wairewa, Kaikoura and Ngati Waewae.

Yes this is the core of the dissent but other runanga are also split on support for Solomon.

The Herald requested an interview with Tront chairman Mark Solomon. But a spokeswoman said he was unavailable. In a written statement, he said he would not be involved in any further media debate.

We actually agree with this, not unitl he has met with his people first.

Awarua runanga chairwoman Hana Morgan said too many important decisions were being made in committee, without any accountability to members, eroding papatipu rights.

"We've tried going through our representative," she said. "They [Tront] ignore us. We've said, 'Come to the marae, listen to what we're saying'. They don't do that. It's like we're becoming invisible."

We don't do invisible in Awarua ( Bluff). We don't like being railroaded. The women of Awarua are known for their fearlessness and it is that strength that will carry them through. They have over the years garnered considerable support within their community.

Kia Kaha girls, Kia Kaha.

And this is from the ODT

Conspiracy against open speech is causing difficulties inside one of the country's wealthiest iwi, a prominent Ngai Tahu member says.

Otakou Runanga chairman and former Ngai Tahu chief executive Tahu Potiki said he is no longer prepared to be intimidated by "dirty tactics", following allegations of private emails being hacked, and an anonymous letter delivered to the Otago Daily Times.

Iwi members who have spoken out against recent decisions, including the sacking of Ngai Tahu Holdings Corporation chairman Wally Stone and the proposed $52 million cultural centre, have been attacked for airing their opinions, Mr Potiki said.

"There seems to be a conspiracy against open speech."

In other developments, Mr Potiki said he was aware of private emails circulating that appear to have been hacked and released to other recipients without their consent.

"This is not how people envisaged Ngai Tahu democracy should unfold."

That has to be the understatement of this whole saga.

This week, an anonymous typewritten letter was delivered to the Otago Daily Times concerning iwi members - viewed as being against Te Runanga o Ngai Tahu kaiwhakahaere (chairman) Mark Solomon.

The letter alleges "there has been and continues to be a carefully managed and orchestrated effort to pull down the walls of Te Runanga o Ngai Tahu (Tront)", and names 10 iwi members, including Mr Potiki.

It appeared anyone who questioned the direction of Tront became the subject of a smear campaign, he said.

"It has become like a socialist government."

Tension between the commercial and political bodies of Ngai Tahu, which has an asset base of more than $600 million, spilled over last month following the surprise dumping of Mr Stone.

In a statement Mr Solomon refused to comment on the "current tribal issues Ngai Tahu is experiencing".

"I have taken this stance because the path forward for Ngai Tahu is to return to our values as a tribe and I am confident that we will resolve these matters through open and honest discussions on the marae.

"Te Runanga o Ngai Tahu is obligated to act in the best interests of Ngai Tahu Whanui, and it is for this reason that I have called a meeting of Te Runanga o Ngai Tahu for us to address these matters as a responsible board."

There is no trust in the current administration, and if one of Marks supporters can name 10 who are not happy with his leadership, then his days are numbered.

Last month, Kaikoura runanga kaumatua requested Mr Solomon resign as their representative, calling for another person to stand in the June elections.

Mr Solomon has refused to comment on the future of his position, saying "the place to debate tribal politics is the marae".

A special closed door meeting between Tront representatives was held in Christchurch today, with an open hui scheduled for March 20.

A request by the ODT to attend the open hui was turned down by Ngai Tahu.

We wonder if Rehua is going to be big enough to handle the number of people who will be attending.