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.

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.

WHANAU AURA

There has been much wailing and gnashing of teeth over the Whanau  Ora launch - the new way to get families off the poverty tread mill. 

We think we know what Whanau Ora was meant to be and what it is going to be. 

Now the above diagram is half crap and half sense. The Green segements  are the important bit. 

There is still too much of a sense of entitlement within the ranks of Maori leaders for them to make much of a difference. Self reliance and and personal responsibility are not intrinsic Maori values otherwise we would not need Whanau ora. The reliance on the collective is part of the problem. 

However we see much merit in a focus on the Whanau taking more responsibility for its own. and at the end of the day the families who are most in need  may eventually  benefit from a reconnection to their tribal roots but  a night class in computer literacy and nutrition could well provide more benefit. 

Now for a start the one point that everyone does agree on is that there are a group of families through out the country who are in a hell  that many of us know little of. Sometimes of their own making sometimes not. Its about intergenerational dis-functionality, despair, hopelessness, and a life that is  nothing more than an existence and their existence is dependent on the state. 

One of the issues has been the handout mentality that has been entrenched in our past socialist welfare system. The sense of  entitlement is deep rooted in the collective psyche of the poor and dare we say it Maori. 

For us the most exciting things about Whanau Ora  is  that  government departments would finally be called on to work together. 

Thats got to be a winner. 

There has also been some cynicism over the level of funding  -- no new money  . Fantastic! That's great.  It means all the crock of shit programmes that have not provided any social payback can be canned. The new Minister  of Whanau Ora, Tariana Turia has the  various agency chief executives reporting direct to her and she will want progress quickly. 

Thats  got to be music to the ears of all taxpayers and beneficiaries. 

The bad things is that the way it is designed could lead to the possibility of misuse funds as it relies on a measure of ' bulk funding.'

The example that was used to provide how it would work was a bit simplisitic.  

However the solutions are not going to be simple and sadly the changes will not happen overnight. We just hope that the groups who have been selected to roll out the first wave of Whanau Ora  realise that there is an awful lot riding one some pretty quick and demonstrable outcomes from this policy change.  So when the government departments don't deliver,   the - in the field providers, shoud have an open line direct to  the Minister so she will be able to tell  the Chief executives  in no uncertain terms to sort out their departmental deficiencies. 

It is a lot to expect people who don't make decisions about their existence to suddenly make the psychological shift to self determination and in the end nothing will be achieved unless the individuals and whanau take responsiblity for their lives. However we  believe that there are some very good providers out there , who with the freedom to do things their way and the ability to  make government departments deliver for their clients will see Whanau Ora become a reality. 

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.

HONE LOOKING HUMBLE

We would not have believed it but Hone Harawira looked pretty contrite on TV tonight but the TVNZ Colman Brunton poll would indicate that most people have had enough of the grumpy radical from the far north. 61% of Maori thought what he said was racist and 69% of the general population saying he should leave parliament.

The poll seems to reflect the mood of the nation that we perceive. That the country wants builders not wreckers. It's time to get stuck in and sort shit, not whinge and moan. And its time for Maori and Pakeha to take personal responsibility for their lives. It is an underpinning tenet of both the National and Maori Party.

While we think that the road back to redemption wont be easy, Hone will be back. We hope he does some work and becomes part of a team, both the smaller team of the Maori Party and the larger team of Government.

We are still more aggrieved about his arrogant , owe me a living crap in Europe than the racist comments. He needs to apologise for that in a meaningful way let alone anything else. He should be, above all a roll model to his people. He is not.

More than anything he needs to do some stuff. We have heard much from Hone of the Hot Air of the north. What we really need to see, if he is allowed to come back is some action that will help turn the tide for Maori.

In short he needs to do stuff.

HONE NEEDS TO SHOW SOME HUMILITY

There has been a pretty disgusting turn of events in the Hone " Tiki Tour " Harawira .

Its time he showed some humility and shame for what he has done. It was never a racist issue. He is trougher - and apparently he can be a stranger to the truth as well. The fact he is Maori was inconsequential to how the Paris jaunt was viewed by the public and the media.

It was because as a MP he is a servant of the people. We pay him to do a job and shareholders of a country would be pretty pissed off if the CEO was indulged in some personal pleasure rather than company business.
And we think that the emails from Buddy Mikaere should have been a warning to Harawira. Buddy is a highly respected good bastard. ( they come in brown and white) Unlike Harawira who is fast becoming an arrogant troughing dickhead.
And Hone was on company business for New Zealand Inc. Plain and simple.

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.

MAORI SET TO SEIZE THE DAY

What many punters don't realise is that when the Maori party does a deal with the National Party we will see 11 Maori MP's who can work together for the greater good of Maoridom. And they represent a very broad church that reflects Maoridom today. There are tribalists, educationalists, lawyers,business people, representatives of most tribes and most geographical areas. We have urban and rural, old and young. We think it would be very useful for Georgina te Heu Heu( who looked fantastic last night) and Tariana Turia to develop a pan party Maori caucus that meets fairly regularly to promote and support issues that benefit their people.

MAORI PARTY WILL WORK WITH NATS

We have been saying this all along and again we were bouyed by Tariana Turia's statements on RNZ, Maori news on Morning report. Tariana berated the voters who backed Horimia and Mahuta saying that they had not thought through the options well enough. She wants to be able to make a difference. She can and she will go with National and we reckon the electorates occupied by Mahuta and Horimia will be the last on her list when she goes on her hui hopping tour to get the backing of Maori to support the Nats.

IF ITS GOOD ENOUGH FOR TARIANA ITS GOOD ENOUGH FOR US

Tariana has accepted Lockwood Smiths apology. Thats good enough for us. We were very pissed off when we heard what Lockwood had said this morning and called for his sacking. He got a serious bollocking from Key. We were still really angry - then we listened very closely to the tape and we were a little less angry. His comments were daft and we suspect that he may not be on the front bench for much longer.

Then we read Tariana Turias 's comments and she , like us was angry but she was prepared to accept an apology. Her comments are on Stuff

She was pleased that Mr Key did not condone the remarks and that Dr Smith apologised.

"If National didn't require an apology it would have affected us in the future."

Mrs Turia said Dr Smith should not be immigration minister if National won the election.

"Definitely not because what he's shown is he has a particular attitude towards a group of people."

We think if anyone was going to give us a measure of the offensiveness of these remarks it is the co-leader of the Maori party. She is a gracious women and we commend her for accepting Lockwoods apology. We will too.

But this incident must mean that Key has very good grounds for a refresh of the front benches to better reflect the depth of talent that exists in the party.

The country is looking for a better future and to deliver that Key must stack the front benches with his best talent.

MAORI PARTY KNOW WHERE TO GET THEIR REWENA BUTTERED.

I watched Marae this morning and saw Tariana Turia talk about the future. She is clear the Maori Party will do the best for Maori. She is not closing the door to anyone and certainly not to National.
Stuff has a round up here

This is what she said on Marae.

"If National was prepared to meet the aspirations of our people I can't see our people saying no, you wait in opposition for another term and we'll wait until Labour finally makes it back into government."

She said the Maori Party had to operate realistically within an MMP environment which might require it to work with a National or Labour-led government.

"We've got a responsibility to do something and that is what we are going to do," Mrs Turia said.

Meanwhile the Maori Party, based on four Marae DigiPolls has a major stranglehold on the four Maori seats it holds and is ahead on the party vote as well. That shows just how little Labour has done for Maori.

Labour may have arguably provided Maori with better targeted social services but they have done little to improve their economic development and this is where National's policies will help.

Tariana has already signalled its time to take the velvet gloves off and make the unemployed work for their government sponsored keep. Work for the dole is tough to deliver and up front can be expensive but in the long term it provides more self worth and work readiness among the ranks of the longer term unemployed, which is where Maori are disproportionally represented.

Gang numbers are on the rise again and that is always a sign of failed social welfare programmes and a lack of targeted and hard line policing. Maori will be the first and most prolific victims of any economic recession but if Tariana has her way she will line up with the party that ends up with the most votes on election day so that her party can help work out ways to minimise that impact. That party is National.

Tariana has again proved to be one of the most formidible and savvy politicians we have.