Wai 1040 or Lie 1040? The Waitangi Tribunals revelations in Wai 1040 that Maori did not cede sovereignty in the 1840 Treaty of Waitangi are nothing more than fallacy. Firstly it is clear that Pre European New Zealanders had no concept of sovereignty and as such sovereignty was not exercised in New Zealand. There was however momentary control of tribal areas until you were either killed or driven away. The Treaty does not so much establish that there WAS sovereignty rather it is a contract that makes it clear what ever sovereignty there is, it was ceded. At the signing of Feb 6 1840 Hone Hika’s statement “Thou go away, no, no, no, for the French people and the rum sellers will have us natives. Remain, remain…” Or Matiu, a Chief of the Uri-o-Ngongo tribe, saying “Do not go back but stay here governor, stay and remain with us. You are as one with the missionaries a governor for us...” make it clear the chiefs knew what they were signing. After all these people were not stupid. Despite the clarity of the speeches on the day, arguments are flung from every corner including the Waitangi Tribunal that Maori did not have the term “sovereignty” explained to them. However, these same people also argue that Maori had already established sovereignty over New Zealand via the 1835 Declaration of Independence. What sort of backwards argument is that? It is surely not possible that they didn’t understand sovereignty in 1840, but had already established sovereignty in 1835. Both statements cannot be correct, but they are both used in Wai1040 Another very strange set of descriptions regarding culture occurs in Wai 1040. Very early on in the report the Waitangi Tribunal establishes separatism with its Chapter 2: Two People, Two Worlds. In this chapter and in our education generally we are constantly asked to believe that Maori are/were culturally different to Europeans. And it is this cultural difference that is the basis of the separatism the government and the Waitangi Tribunal force on the rest of New Zealand. No matter where you come from or what your culture happens to be, it is not just devalued beneath Maori culture, it is not dealt with at all in any respect, which is disrespectful to say the least. Here is how the complex social structure of Maori culture and society is described in Wai 1040: “In a world based on whakapapa, the choice between cooperation and competition depended to a significant extent on the closeness of kinship links, though other factors – such as whether cooperation served the hapū’s economic interests – were also relevant. Among closely related groups, the principle of manaakitanga was a significant influence on behaviour. Closely related to whanaungatanga, manaakitanga is often translated as hospitality, though it also encompassed values such as generosity, kindness, caring and support for others, all of which served to cement social relationships between groups as well as within them.” This description sounds almost identical to western culture or for that matter any other developed society in the world. It does not sound like the collection of 600 separate nations who had just waged a 40 year war with each other where some 43,000 were killed or enslaved (a third of the population), an atrocity unrivaled in the modern world. Here is the description attributed to British people: “Yet, for all the advancements in understanding of the natural world, most Britons – even including the educated – still inhabited a world peopled by spirits, ghosts, demons, sorcerers, and witches. Furthermore, many educated Europeans believed fearsome giants guarded the entrances to the Pacific Ocean at Van Diemen’s Land, and Tierra del Fuego” This description sounds almost identical to the superstitions that were so much part of Maori culture of the time. These descriptions show a clear bias in the analysis by the Waitangi Tribunal, they appear to have swapped habits and ways of living of the two groups they are investigating to suit their twisted agenda. In doing so they have showed us that there really is no difference between Maori and anyone else in New Zealand. And if that is the case there is no reason to continue racially based policies such as the racially biased and separatist Waitangi Tribunal.
Posted on: Sat, 22 Nov 2014 10:29:38 +0000
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