underreported struggles 60 and 61

During my time away i have missed putting up Ahni's Underreported Struggles from Intercontinental Cry so i'll use this post as a catch up. All of our struggles are interrelated and connected and we can learn from other indigenous peoples and their challenges and successes, as they can learn from us.


Underreported Struggles 60

Mexico's Supreme Court ruled that a Tarahumara (Raramuri) community in the state of Chihuahua has the Constitution right to participate in the decision-making of any project that would affect them. The little-noticed decision could have far-reaching effects across the country. The high court also stated that relevant national law is similar to the International Labor Organization’s Convention No. 169, which protects the rights of indigenous communities and tribal peoples. Mexico is among 22 nations that have ratified the international agreement.

Naga Youth in Burma have formed a new group to resist the construction of the Tamanthi Dam which is located at Homlin township in Naga area, Myanmar. Once completed, the Dam reservoir would flood 1400 sq kms, permanently displacing 53 Naga villages, 15 villages inhabited by both Naga and Kuki people and 14 Kuki villages. At least 2400 people have been already relocated at gun point.

The Australian government passed new legislation to let nuclear waste be stored at a remote indigenous community in the Northern Territory, a decision that indigenous groups and environmentalists have vowed to fight. Muckaty Station was nominated by the Northern Land Council in 2007; But since then several traditional owners have argued they were not properly consulted and did not give their consent.

Underreported Struggles 61

The Chilean Supreme Court ratified a lower court ruling that rendered Goldcorp's environmental assessment for the El Morro mine null, due to a number of irregularities including the company's failure to properly consult the Diaguita Huascoaltinos Indigenous and Agricultural Community, whose lands would be destroyed if the mine is built. Goldcorp has since stated that they will not stop working until they receive an order declaring the Resolution of Environmental Quality, a kind of environmental permit, to be without effect.

The Hitorangi clan of the indigenous Rapa Nui people carried out a peaceful protest in response to an esoteric conference that was being held at Hanga Roa Hotel, a building that sits on the Hitorangi clan's ancestral land. Two years ago, the Rapa Nui occupied the hotel--along with 17 government buildings--in an effort to reclaim their ancestral land rights on the island of Rapanui (also known as "Easter Island" and "Te Pito te Henua", the Navel of the World).

In a major turn-around for the opponents of the Chinese-owned Ramu Nickel Mine in Papua New Guinea, the Minister of Environment and Conservation ordered the company, MCC, to halt work while he undertakes further studies on the environmental impacts of the mining project's tailings pipeline. The Ramu nickel cobalt mine has been widely opposed because of the environmental risks associated with it.

And so many more underreported struggles, all over this world, in every corner. Visit Intercontinental Cry there are so many great articles and stories there.

lighting a fuse

Well they have sentenced two of the Urewera four to jail and supposedly Tame Iti and Te Rangikaiwhiria Kemara will spend two and a half years inside. The police terror raids on Tuhoe, the dropped charges, unadmissable evidence and dismal evidence presented, the lies and evasions all lead us to this, so called 'justice' for these men. Unfortunately this will get worse for the system now that the judge has determined this sentence. I suppose if the judge had discharged the four, then the feelings and heat within the community may have dissipaited but that is not what has happened. Instead we will see a focussing of energy, including heat and light and ironically this is the opposite of what the 'powers that be' wanted. They wanted a short, sharp lesson, they wanted a 'quick hit', they wanted to show the US that they were on to it, they wanted to show uppity tangata whenua what happens if you don't toe the line, they wanted to sow dissent and division within the activist community, they wanted to divide. As usual 'they' have fucked up. 

I cannot tolerate these men spending one single day behind bars - this is a gross injustice that must be opposed.


Good updates from Tim at Tumeke

back soon

I'll be back blogging soon, until then here is a poem I submitted to my course.

Still life without you

The cupboard closes quietly as

it settles into place, a sigh of capture

intended. As reassuring as

a seatbelt sliding around me.

The old war-cupboard would still

be resounding, an echo of slams

descending from distant headlands,

the guns, my fingerprints everywhere.

The cupboard sits as silent as an

absence, a gap that exclaims,

remember I am still paused,

waiting in anticipation for more.

vto and me

So it starts when I put a comment on The Standard about Hone's open letter to overseas investors. vto places a reply

vto Btw, I recall last week some coughing and spluttering from yourself when I referred to the military machinations of Ngai Tahu. In the last week I have had cause to visit various tourist sites around the South Island, several of which had informations available regarding Maori history at the particular sites. I was quite appalled at the lack of reference to those who existed prior to Ngai Tahu’s invasions and the dominance of recent history (last 200 years i.e. Ngai Tahu) over longer history. I guess that some things never change – the victor writes the history books.

and on we go, please note many of these quotes are taken from long comments
6.1.1

me. oh vto rest easy the histories are there for those who are able to see them. Look up mana whenua and whānui, they might give you some clue – but seriously stick to the stuff you nearly know rather than things you know nothing about – makes you less stressed and less antagonistic.

vto Fact: Histories at tourist sites around the South Island are excessively slanted in favour of Ngai Tahu, the victors.

me you keep raising the same point in a snide way, such as – “when I referred to the military machinations of Ngai Tahu” and “I was quite appalled at the lack of reference to those who existed prior to Ngai Tahu’s invasions and the(ir) dominance of recent history.” Those statements are ignorant – sorry if that offends you. Just who are you talking about vto? Ngāti Mamoe? Waitaha? Guess what, most Ngāi Tahu whānui, like me, whakapapa to all three iwi – that’s what it means to be part of the iwi – it’s on the front page of their website, not hard to find. Perhaps you are talking about other peoples who inhabited the island – please tell me who you are talking about. Hopefully you don’t bring up some brailsford bullshit.

vto marty mars, this issue began when you raised yourself to some higher moral ground to look down on the european colonists and their military ways, forgetting your own past and its own military ways. The basis of the issue was hypocrisy and it was that which I was pointing out.

vto “… and through inter-marriage and conquest these migrants merged with the resident Waitaha and took over authority of Te Waipounamu.” Ngai Tahu website. LOL, this is exactly what I was referring to. A painting of history at odds with the reality. For example, why write “…through inter-marriage and conquest … took over authority” which implies inter-marriage was somehow equal at the time to conquest? I tell you why – because it makes for a better looking history when compared to writing “though military conquest the Waitaha were conquered and authority assumed by mamoe at the end of a taiaha. … ” As for inter-marriage, how long after the “conquest” was that? Or was it a result of the rape by soldiers?

vto face it marty mars, the history as written is not settled. Why else would it get raised in conversation when in certain parts of the South Island?And as for your moral high ground when referencing european military escapades as compared your own, sheesh, your own website blows that one out of the water. Wake up fulla.

me “at odds with the reality” – your distorted reality vto, “which implies” – only in your head vto, “better looking history” – so you say vto, the knowledge is there vto of what happened in detail the fact is you aren’t ready for it and couldn’t handle it – it not yours and not for you. your bigotry shows through loud and clear with your final ‘fulla’ – you show yourself.

vto to Hateatea I am questioning marty’s point some couple weeks ago that saw him clamber onto high moral ground and look down on the ways and means of the European as if they are / were somehow worse and more morally lacking than those of Maori at times of conquest or colonisation. His own history is the same, as you perfectly point out above. He chooses to ignore this and claim a superiority. That is what grates. An incorrect view of history and a hypocrisy. The line ‘the victor writes the history books’, so true through all of humanity, is entirely applicable.

vto to Hateatea That questioning by me of marty’s view then resurfaced through the example of Maori histories at tourist sites I happenned to come across some days ago, which also painted a view of their history seemingly at odds with other views. To further support this I copied just one part of Ngai Tahu’s website to indicate how the wording has been constructed to paint a more favourable picture than could otherwise have been written. He has not answered any of this except to say I am thick and no nothing. That is all he has said. Read it yourself, it is all there above and around.

me “He chooses to ignore this and claim a superiority.”, no I don’t – please provide reference. “An incorrect view of history and a hypocrisy” In your opinion or do you have backup for your ‘incorrect history’ story. “seemingly at odds with other views” Which other views – come on provide your sources, “to paint a more favourable picture” Once again in your view – favourable is subjective – my point to you is that you don’t know enough to understand the concept or content in relation to these matters, you are still looking through your blurred lense created by your own stuff.

me You started this deliberate attack on me because you know I am part of the iwi. You added comments to my unrelated comments to bring up the point that you strongly wished to say. Yet you still waffle on scared to tell your truth. Here you go – get it out – tell me the real story.

“I don’t like Ngai Tahu”
“I don’t like maori getting special treatment”
“I don’t like maori not fitting in to our country” and so on…

Frankly, if it is actually about indigenous historial narratives and their use in creating perceptions and positioning for marginalised groups, I’ll eat my hat.

So that is a flame war of sorts. Also a bit of fun. I do confess to being sensitive around these matters and when provoked a bit of tiger comes out, but I think vto is totally out of line with his terrible accusations. I cannot stand by and let lies gain traction.

contributions to an anthology needed

I encourage contributions to this anthology and i support the kaupapa. 

 

 

Working Title: Challenging Convictions: Survivors of Sexual Assault/Domestic Violence Writing on Solidarity with Prison Abolition.

Completed submissions due: April 15, 2012.

Like much prison abolition work, the call for this anthology comes from frustration and hope: frustration with organizers against sexual assault and domestic violence who treat the police as a universally available and as a good solution; frustration with prison abolitionists who only use “domestic violence” and “rape” as provocative examples; and, frustration with academic discussions that use only distanced third-person case studies and statistics to talk about sexual violence and the Prison Industrial Complex (PIC). But, this project also shares the hope and worth of working toward building communities without prisons and without sexual violence. Most importantly, it is anchored in the belief that resisting prisons, domestic violence, and sexual assault are inseparable.

Organizers of this anthology want to hear from survivors in conversation with prison abolition struggles. We are interested in receiving submissions from survivors who are/have been imprisoned, and survivors who have not.  Both those survivors who have sought police intervention, as well as those who haven't, are encouraged to submit. We are looking for personal essays and creative non-fiction from fellow survivors who are interested in discussing their unique needs in anti-violence work and prison abolitionism.

Discussions of sexual assault, domestic violence, police violence, prejudice within courts, and imprisonment cannot be separated from experiences of privilege and marginalization. Overwhelmingly people who are perceived to be white, straight, able-bodied, normatively masculine, settlers who are legal residents/citizens, and/or financially stable are not only less likely to experience violence but also less likely to encounter the criminal injustice system than those who are not accorded the privileges associated with these positions. At the same time, sexual assault and domestic violence support centers and shelters are often designed with certain privileges assumed. We are especially interested in contributions that explore how experiences of race, ability, gender, citizenship, sexuality, or class inform your understandings of, or interactions with cops, prisons, and sexual assault/domestic violence support.

Potential topics:

·      What does justice look like to you?

·      Perspectives on police and prisons as a default response to sexual assault

·      What do you want people in the prison abolition movement with no first hand experiences of survivorship to know?

·      How did you overcome depression/feelings of futility when dealing with these systems?

·      Critical reflections on why the legal system has or has not felt like an option for you

·      Perspectives on the cops/PIC participating in rape culture

·      Restorative justice and other methods for responding to sexual violence outside of the PIC? (if you are a settler be conscious of appropriations of indigenous methods)

·      How have you felt about conversations you’ve had about the PIC?

·      How sexual assault inside and outside of the PIC is treated by organizers against sexual assault, domestic violence, and the PIC

·      Police and prison guards as triggers

·      Responding to sexual assault and domestic violence when communities weren’t there for you

·      What the legal system offers survivors and what it doesn’t

·      Rants at manarchists, the writers/directors of televised cop dramas, and communities that let you down

·      Survivor shaming for reporting and for not reporting to police

Please submit first-person accounts, critical reflections, essays, and creative non-fiction to survivorsinsoli@gmail.com by April 15, 2012 with “Submission” as the subject line.

Please:

·      One submission per person;

·      English language (American spelling);

·      Pseudonyms welcomed, as are name changes in the written piece.

If you have access to a computer:

     ·      12 point Times New Roman font; 

·      Submit as an attached document (.doc files preferred).

Passing this on to someone without computer access:

·      We accept scans of hand written letters (please include contact info for the author);

·      Contact us if you require a mailing address.

Early submissions are encouraged. First time authors encouraged.

If you have questions, we welcome emails to survivorsinsoli@gmail.com with “Question” in the subject line. We are looking for both shorter pieces of writing and longer pieces, but if your piece is more than 20 pages consider sending us an email to run the idea by us.

Please attach a short biography that you are comfortable sharing with the editors (200 word max.). This is not about your credentials, but getting to know you and where you are coming from. All information you provide will be kept confidential.

About selection and editing: Submissions will be reviewed by a group of readers who will consider if and how each written piece could contribute to the finished project. Each piece will be read by at least two readers who will contribute to the decision to accept/reject/edit the piece. Some of us working on this project have been made to feel alone as both survivors and abolitionists. Some of us have managed to carve spaces within these communities. Now we are looking to open the conversation and hear from people we’ve never met, who have struggled to practice politics in a rape culture and police state. We believe that the needs of survivors matter in these movements, and we don’t need someone else to speak for us or about us as case studies and numbers. We want to hear from you.

For more information please visit: http://survivorsinsoli.blogspot.com/

Please distribute widely.

fair warning

Hone and The Mana Party open letter to overseas investors

Scoop

Tena koutou katoa

Greetings to you all

The New Zealand government is proposing to sell shares in five State Owned Enterprises (Air New Zealand and four energy companies, Mighty River Power, Meridian Energy, Genesis and Solid Energy) to repay overseas debt.

That proposal is opposed by an overwhelming majority of New Zealanders who believe that:

• Assets built up through the hard work of generations of New Zealanders should not be sold to investors whose primary objective is not the public good, but private profit;
• Privatisation will remove any ‘social responsibility’ from companies who until now have been responsible to government ministers;
• Electricity assets in particular, should be held by the government on behalf of all New Zealanders, for the benefit of all New Zealanders, at a price we can afford;
• The government should hold and manage those assets for the benefit of all citizens of this country.

As the indigenous people of Aotearoa, Maori have been even stronger in their opposition. The Maori view is that no asset sales should proceed until Maori interests in those assets have been properly addressed.

Maori have already made application to the Waitangi Tribunal to block the legislation. A separate case is before the High Court. Steps are being taken to take the case to the United Nations (under the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples) and Maori groups have pledged to take action against sales to overseas interests which impact on our sovereignty.

In a related case, following months of public protest, the High Court has called on the NZ government to reconsider a decision to approve the sale of farm land to overseas interests.
So today I think it only proper to send a warning to overseas investors - steer clear of any share offer in the above SOE’s. The purchase of these shares is likely to see you caught up in legal battles and direct action from citizens determined to protect their own interests, both of which will be lengthy and costly and have an adverse impact on the value of your investment.

As the leader of the MANA Movement and Member of the New Zealand House of Representatives, I wish to advise that MANA is opposed to the privatisation of state assets and will strongly argue for any shares sold to overseas investors to be returned to New Zealand hands.

You have been warned...

Very hard hitting but it is fair to give a warning to those overseas investors who may be considering buying into these assets. Those investors may believe the spin from the government that all is cool and everyone happy with this selloff of our assets. Good work Hone in putting this out there so that there is no misunderstanding about what will happen in the future.

reducing our rights

A good post by Morgan on the latest watering down of Māori rights by the government and the Maori Party here

the Maori Party cannot continue to claim to any credibility as a representative of Maori. This is a weak outcome and not the one Maori signalled they wanted. The government comes out of this looking clean, but the reality is far from it. Contrary to media reports, the status quo has not been maintained, it has been eroded.

Carwyn also has some great analysis here

First, nobody was saying that other shareholders were a party to the Treaty, rather the argument is that the Crown has obligations to act consistently with its Treaty obligations. If it is going to divest itself of responsibilities (such as giving up full control of State Owned assets), then it needs to do so in a way that ensures rights under the Treaty are protected.

and Hone cuts to the chase here

"This bill will reduce the protection that the Treaty provided for assets held by the government because the Treaty protection clause, Section 9, has been changed so that it will not apply to the 49% of shares being sold to private investors".

Harawira said that Maori wanted Section 9 in the new legislation because the Treaty applied to all people all of the time. "Nobody at the consultation hui supported the notion that government could sell off half our assets without having to account for the Treaty interests."

I've totally given up on the Maori Party - they have eroded Māori rights not enhanced them.

 

underreported struggles 59

More essential underreported struggles from Ahni at Intercontinental Cry this month.

The Wixarika people, after campaigning for seventeen straight months to protect their sacred territory, have been granted a major reprieve by the federal courts in Mexico. As of this moment, the intention to exploit natural resources through 38 mineral concessions in the sacred territory of Wirikuta is suspended; and no further mining permits can be granted as long as the core of the matter (the Wixarika'a concerns) remains unresolved.

A Nyoongar Tent Embassy was established in response to a Billion dollar proposal by the Western Australia government that would force the Nyoongar People to surrender their land title, permanently. Many of those involved in the Embassy are local Indigenous activists who just finished commemorating the 40th anniversary of the iconic Aboriginal Tent Embassy in front of the Old Parliament House in Canberra. The City of Perth, however, considers the Nyoongar Tent Embassy to be illegal. On at least three separate occasions they've tried to shut it down.

Malaysian communities have asked the Malaysia government to immediately halt their plans to build twelve new hydroelectric dams in Sarawak and to hold a referendum on dam construction. The call arrived on the heels of an important conference that was organized by the newly formed Save Rivers Network. Participants at the conference similarly called for an end to the dams, which threaten to displace tens of thousands of Indigenous peoples. Conference members also called for government to start promoting micro-hydro, solar, wind and biomass energy generation instead of mega-dams.

The Belize Department of Geology and Petroleum announced that it will order US Capital Energy to halt all illegal seismic work on a Maya community's lands and remove all markers it placed along a seismic trail the company cut through it. The community is presently waiting for a written copy of the Geology and Petroleum Department’s order to US Capital.

The Enxet community of Yakye Axa--after living next to a major highway for nearly two decades without access to water, regular food supplies or land to cultivate--can finally return to a normal way of life in southeastern Paraguay. A new land deal between Paraguayan authorities and a land owner ensures the long-displaced community can to return to their ancestral lands.

Visit Intercontinental Cry to read about these issues and many others. 

as deep as a dollar

The prime minister has said that

"Plenty of women go back to work when their baby is a year old and it makes financial sense to do so"

 and that shows what a lowlife he is. Of course he never asks the obvious question of why. Yes a number of women go back to work and some of them may even want to, but many are also forced to because "it makes financial sense". If they didn't then there would not be enough money to pay the bills or create a life for themselves and their families and even for many that do work, the money isn't enough. Welcome to capitalism 101.

Of course the other implication of keys statement is that raising a child is not work which is utter bullshit. A good post on the standard shows the truth of keys lies. As that post shows, key is only looking at one side of the equation and mr moneybags never adds in the cost of working for any parent, let alone a single mum. That's just the monetary values not even getting into the social and moral values of having parent/s around raising young children. The comments on the post also mention - what happens when the child gets sick, or is disabled, or there are 2 or more children - why mention all of these factors when all he can focus on is money. 

The attitudes of key and bennett are the cause of most of the ills of our society.

they are us

The latest announcements regarding welfare reform are indeed beneficary bashing as Hone points out and Paula Bennett is an absolute bloody hypocrite as Hone has stated. The programs attack those who need support and they are not about any reform or improvement at all, they are all driven by a warped mentality that blames people for their situation. Only a very small percentage of the unemployed are recidivist most are there because of circumstance and it takes a very mean spirit indeed to attack those people but this attack is only the beginning of the program to drive people to desperation. No point building new prisons unless you have the bodies to put in them, is there.

NZH

From October, the 30,000 people on the domestic purposes, widow's or woman-alone benefits will have to be work-tested for part-time employment once their youngest child turns 5, and for full-time roles when their youngest child turns 14.

Having an extra child while on a benefit will bring only a 12-month reprieve from these obligations _ a disincentive to having more children. Private agencies will also be employed to manage the benefits of unemployed youth and teen parents.

Not just Mana and Hone are speaking out

Stuff

Child Poverty Action Group spokesman Mike O'Brien said children were invisible in the changes although they would be "profoundly affected". "At the very time the Government is consulting on vulnerable children, it is about to blow a huge hole in the safety net provided to thousands of children whose parents are on a benefit.

"The minister argues on the one hand that her first priority is the protection of vulnerable children so she needs to explain how the interests of children and so-called vulnerable children in particular are enhanced by these moves."

Auckland Action Against Poverty described the changes as a "nasty piece of work".

Spokeswoman Sue Bradford said the Government failed to understand two basic work concepts.

"The first is that there has to be jobs to go to before people can get paid work.

"The next is that bringing up children on your own is very important work in its own right."

Both key and bennett say, "there are jobs for beneficiaries" but Hone again slams them with this

Mana Party leader Hone Harawira said the Government wasn't creating jobs but taking them away.

He pointed to recent announcements of job losses at government departments including; 50 at the Maori Affairs Ministry Te Puni Kokiri, 305 from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and 70 from Housing New Zealand.

So their lies are outed but only those affected or those who know someone affected will notice, the 'middle' who voted for the gnats will carry on with their head in the sand attitude, until they are forced to see by the inevitable downside of these changes - the increased desperation, the increased crime and the increased poverty. 

The people who need our help are our brothers and sisters, our family, our whānau - they are us and we are them. A pox on the instigators of these policy changes and their lackies.

wriggleroom shame

Well the Māori Party have found their wriggle room with the state asset sales.

RadioNZ

The Maori Party says its main concern about asset sales legislation was to ensure there was a Treaty clause, and not whether private shareholders would be covered. It's claiming victory after the Government confirmed a Treaty clause of some nature will be included.Finance Minister Bill English says there will be a clause reflecting the concept of the existing treaty clause in the State Owned Enterprises Act.But he says it will only bind the Crown, and not the 49% of private investors.The Maori Party says it can live with that, despite initially arguing that all shareholders should be bound by Treaty obligations.

Just like they found their wriggle room with the Foreshore and Seabed legislation. What a joke they are - I'm not going to go on about how useless they are - we all know it, we've told them it and they continue to display it. Shame on them.

the real threat

The consultation hui on the sell off of state assets are almost complete and Bill English the Deputy Prime Minister says that

Radio NZ

there has been general acceptance at consultation hui that the Government will proceed with the partial sale of four state-owned enterprises, but will protect Maori interests.

so Māori recognise that the sale will go ahead whatever the people say. Somehow Māori interests will be protected. Let's not forget this is the man who says the proceeds of the sale are a guess and not even the best guess and this is the person who deliberately tried to divide Māori on Waitangi Day.

I don't believe english or his guesses and this one regarding the hui is is wildest yet.

English, his position and attitudes are a bigger threat to Māori than Paul Holmes and his racist rant. Anyone who knows anything about this country knows that holmes was expressing a view held by many, often in subtle and hidden ways. Business as usual in other words for those of us fighting for equality.

underreported struggles 58

More essential underreported struggles from Ahni at Intercontinental Cry this month.

Black Hills Sioux Nation Treaty Council won a key judgment against RainDancer Resource Management, a company that was trying to get exclusive rights to economic development on allotted lands. The Company, which has clear ties to the oil industry, had a keen interest in funding an 'off shore' or 'central' bank that would, they asserted, be protected by the Tribe’s treaty rights and sovereign immunity. The company is now essentially barred from doing any business on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.

Tibetan Villagers successfully halted a controversial mining operation that threatened Kawagebo, one of the most sacred peaks in the Tibetan world. In the midst of rising tensions, on January 23, a vice-official from the prefecture government heeded the Tibetans' concerns and ordered a Chinese company to close its mine and remove all equipment out of the village.

Bangladesh Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, gave renewed hope to Indigenous Peoples in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT). The Prime Minister recently pledged to implement the historic (CHT) Peace Accord treaty, which brought an end to decades of unrest in the region. The 1997 Treaty promised recognition for the rights of the indigenous peoples in CHT--rights which are still consistently ignored.

Around 30 Indigenous representatives met in Copenhagen to discuss the best way to secure Indigenous Peoples' full participation in the 2014 UN World Conference on Indigenous Peoples. As the representatives know all too well, the UN has become notorious for sidelining Indigenous Peoples at high level meetings and conferences, despite the impact such gatherings tend to have on our rights and our quality of life as Indigenous Peoples.

Laura Baymarrwangga, senior traditional owner of Murrungga Island and one of the last remaining Yan-nhangu speakers, is setting a powerful example for all of Australia. The 95 year old woman has created a series of projects to secure the future of her language and her people under a grassroots effort known as the Crocodile Islands Initiative (CII). These projects include the Crocodile Islands Ranger (CIR) program which provides "coastal surveillance and bio-security" on the islands; the development of a Web-based Yan-nhangu Ecological Knowledge (YEK) DataBase; and a Yan-nhangu dictionary project for kids.

Visit Intercontinental Cry to read about these issues and many others.

pattern recognition

Farewell Spit Onetahua has been in my head and heart over recent days. I have been taking tourists out there showing them the birds, the sand and the unique ecosystems and environment and I have been loving it. One of the most enlightening aspects of the Spit are the patterns – the patterns of sand, of wind, of waves. These patterns are not created by people but we are part of them and that interconnectedness is one of the themes the tourists get from me. I know – poor buggers! But they seem to enjoy it and I certainly do too.

all are insulted by the dipton-dipstick

Divide and conquer is always a strategy employed by those who want to destroy tangata whenua. Robert Guyton was at Te Rau Aroha marae in Bluff and heard Deputy Prime Minister Bill English say this

robertguytonblog

"If the northern tribes could run a marae properly, New Zealand might have a more positive view of the Treaty."

What English is so ignorant of is the interconnectedness of Māori - we are all related. This meme of southern verses northern Māori is common as muck and often used to try and divide - I've heard it a million times and it doesn't work, it does the opposite - it binds us together. The dipstick from dipton has shown us, with this comment on a southern marae, what a lowlife he is and we can be thankful for that, even though anyone of a thinking disposition knows it already.

Hattip - robertguyton

the slippery snake slithers away

So key ran from Waitangi because he couldn’t be heard – good job I say and well done to the protestors, who at personal risk fronted him, and let him know in no uncertain terms what some of us feel about him. This protest was legitimate and necessary because the state and its representatives are treating tangata whenua disrespectfully as evidenced by the announcements this week of the proposed removing of clause 9 in the new legislation flogging off state assets and the job loses at TPK orchestrated by The Māori Party and the gnats.

Key wants to control the narrative and he wasn’t able to and that is great. This is the way to do it because his narrative oppresses Māori and reiterates inequality and unfairness. Some argue that it is better to be nice but where has nice got Māori?

Some argue it has played into key’s hands by solidifying support from middle NZ against horrid Māori but that doesn’t matter because they are already at that place. If it has played into his hands then THAT is what should be addressed – the fact that he has an anti-Māori agenda and sinister intentions towards tangata whenua. The protestors got it right by forcing the slippery snake to slither away.

heard it all before and didn't believe it then

Call me cynical but I don’t think the threats by The Māori Party to walk out of its relationship with the National Government holds water. It is bluster, maybe to get credibility with Māori, maybe to put the pressure on for the decision on Cabinet posts.

It is easy to see this because the same lines used here were used in the past with the disgraceful legislation pushed through by that party and the gnats on the Foreshore and Seabed. Remember they were going to ask the people and then do what the people wanted - but what happened? They didn’t listen and they didn’t follow the wishes of the people and that is why this latest attempt at spin is fake.

RadioNZ

Mrs Turia says the party will take guidance from its constituents, as well as iwi leaders. She says the party will be vigilant and, if it comes down to the wire, the party will consider its position with the Government.

Her co-leader, Dr Pita Sharples later told Checkpoint that if the party's constituents tell it to walk away from its relationship with the National Party, it will do so.

He said the party was getting bombarded with calls about the matter.

I bet they are, but will they listen? We’ll find out soon enough and I expect they will squirm around and then get their cabinet posts and it will be business as usual. And if they do decide to represent Māori they still won’t get a pat on the back from me – too little, too late.

The prime mincer says he is confident nay extremely confident that The Māori Party will remain in the fold – that is a telling statement. And all of this coming so close to Waitangi Day – I don’t believe in coincidence in politics – that is deliberate.

The fact is that key and his mates will be selling everything they can this term, everything we value – the land, the infrastructure, and our environment – have no illusions they want to do it and they will do it – unless we, the people, stop them.

Morgan outlines who will be pushing the government line to iwi here and his take on The Māori Party drumming here.

Hone and Mana have come out with a statement which starts with

Scoop

"The Treaty is stopping the government from flogging off the nation's assets, so they're gonna throw the Treaty out"

To the point and excruciatingly accurate. Yep the year has started and the battle is on and we fight for ourselves and our children and our children’s children.

and our children grow

On a personal level it has been an eventful start to 2012 and most of the events have been difficult. A lot has also been happening in the real world too - here are some of my thoughts...


I've talked about TAG Oil before on this blog and at that time I highlighted their enthusiasm for exploitation of the East Coast, which they recently described as "the Texas of the south", "literally leaking oil and gas". Only the people can stop these exploiters - the government wants them to drill, but they will be stopped. It doesn't matter how many paid trips TAG Oil organise for the locals they will never win. The battlelines on this one are clear and everyone will have to make a decision about where they actually stand - I have faith that they will stand with us in opposition to their plans.


The Archdruid has put a great post up that really made me think about privilege and it relates to the paragraph above too because the decisions we make today ripple into our future.

... To understand the consequences of that awkward fact, it’s important to get past the rhetoric of victimization that fills so much space in discussions of social hierarchy these days. Of course the people at or near the upper end of the pyramid get a much larger share of the proceeds of the system than anybody else, and those at or near the bottom get crumbs; that’s not in question. The point that needs making is that a great many people in between those two extremes also benefit handsomely from the system. When those people criticize the system, their criticisms by and large focus on the barriers that keep them from having as large a share as the rich—not the ones that keep them from having as small a share as the poor, or to phrase things a little differently, that keep their privileged share from being distributed more fairly across the population as a whole.

We are community but we are also individuals and that is where change occurs. Reduction is the consequence of Peak Oil but we must begin to prepare and get used to less. To reduce. And for those of us bought up in western societies that is a difficult point to accept. Yet as JMG says everywhere else people do live with less. Always thought provoking and inspiring is JMG for me. Another writer and person that I hold in high esteem is Matt McCarten and he is writing very well in the NZH

The winners in our society have most of us convinced that they are financially successful because they are academically brighter, make the most of education opportunities and have superior personal qualities. Losers, on the other hand, are the opposite; with the added problems of criminal behaviour, addictions and family conflict.

But a major academic study that has tracked more than 1300 individuals was released this week. Children born to rich parents have a better chance in life to be happier, healthier and wealthier then those kids from poor backgrounds.

The mythology surrounding the poor is designed to perpetuate poorness.We must stand up for equality each and every time and I am pleased that the Mana Party are focusing on the poor. I see a real alignment with tino rangatiratanga in that approach. And great to see Hone and the Mana Party come out in support of the workers involved in the port dispute. The Standard has lots of posts on the dispute and well worth a read for the facts.


A brilliant article called 'The Exclusive Economic Zone: for sale' by Claire Browning

It says that if what you find out there in the EEZ is worth enough, it’s all for sale. What the Bill does is state its price. It does not set in place any bottom line – any fence, if you like, against risk of environmental destruction.

It is the Schedule 4 policy leftovers warmed up, in a more remote place, where the government hopes we will neither notice nor care.

Our environment is in serious danger and the government has opened the gate for the predators. They respect nothing except profit and they will try to eat us. That is what they do - they eat and shit money. But we can stop them, people can stop them and we will! Part of the way we can do it is communication and consultation - spreading the word, talking about it. Community is the answer but as I've noted earlier we, as individuals, must decide where we stand, what we believe in and what we love. It is not our place to exploit and desecrate Papatūānuku, Mother Earth - it has never been our place, yet here we are, today. And our children grow.

Jarawa Tribe used for trophy photos in human safaris

The Jarawa Tribe of the Andaman Islands (owned by India) have only recently had contact with the outside world (1998) and that contact has been abused since then and has now descended into human safaris, where tourists hope to get a photo of one of the 403 tribal members. Evidence is now there that some police, who are supposed to protect the Jarawa people from this, are actually assisting the tourists in getting their trophy photos.


The Guardian/Observer

"Dance," the policeman instructed. The girls in front of him, naked from the waist up, obeyed. A tourist's camera panned round to another young woman, also naked and awkwardly holding a bag of grain in front of her. "Dance for me," the policeman commanded... The role of the police is to protect tribespeople from unwelcome and intrusive outsiders. But on this occasion the officer had accepted a £200 bribe to get the girls to perform. "I gave you food," he reminded them at the start of the video.

The Observer reporter noted

Tourists threw bananas and biscuits to the tribespeople at the roadside, as they would to animals in a safari park.

Too little has been done to date to protect these very vulnerable people

In an attempt to reduce contact, the authorities have cut the number of convoys to eight a day, but they will not close the road completely – as the supreme court ordered in 2002 – because they say too many people rely on it.

In 2007 the government established a buffer zone around the reserve, hoping to protect the tribe from further interaction with the outside world, in particular a luxury resort being constructed on the very edge of the reserve by the Barefoot India tour company. The company hired lawyers to fight the zone and the case is currently with India's supreme court: in the meantime the resort stands abandoned in a clearing near the shore of Constance Bay, on the west coast of the island. But the safaris go on, four each way, day in, day out, and the police admit they are powerless to prevent some contact between the tribe and the tourists.

The human rights group Survival International, which has been campaigning for the Jarawa for nearly 20 years, believes the current situation is precarious. "The Jarawa could easily be decimated or reduced to a state of dependency, as has happened to so many other tribes worldwide," says spokeswoman Sophie Grig. Survival argues that closing the road would at least allow the tribe to decide whether it has contact.

Visit Survival International to see how you can help the Jarawa Tribe. Pressure must be applied to protect these people and it must be applied quickly.

I have posted about the Jarawa Tribe before here

underreported struggles 57

More essential underreported struggles from Ahni at Intercontinental Cry this month.

After more than 6 months of research and preparation, Intercontinental Cry launched "Indigenous Peoples of the World" an online directory for all Indigenous Nations ever mentioned on the website. The directory, which you can access here, currently features 412 distinct populations in 78 countries.

The Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People (MOSOP), an Ogoni-based non-governmental, non-political organization for the Ogoni people of South-Eastern Nigeria, have announced the creation of a new Environmental Protection Agency to make sure that oil companies operating in Ogoniland, like Chevron and Royal Dutch Shell, are held accountable for their 'environmental crimes'.

Beowulf Mining, the British company behind the Kallak exploration project in Jokkmokk, Northern Sweden, was caught drilling on Saami lands in breach of the Swedish Minerals’ Act. Once this was pointed out to the Swedish Minerals Inspectorate by Saami representatives, the company had no choice but to stop drilling.

Traditional land owners won a major victory in their long-running battle against the proposed Woodside gas hub project at James Price Point on Western Australia's Kimberley coast. WA Supreme Court Justice Wayne Martin issued a ruling in favour of the Goolarabooloo Traditional owners, finding that the WA government acted illegally when it used 'compulsory acquisition' notices to take Goolarabooloo lands for the proposed gas hub. Unfortunately, the government does not seem the least bit phased by the decision.

The Tsilhqot'in people celebrated a B.C. Supreme Court judge's decision to grant an injunction against Taseko Mines Ltd, prohibiting the company from carrying out any more exploration work on Tsilhqot'in traditional lands for 90 days. Taseko had been seeking its own injunction and enforcement order to prevent anyone from blocking a road to the company's Prosperity mine project. The Supreme Court judge overruled the company's application.

Visit Intercontinetal Cry to read about these issues and many others.

somebody

I have quite wide musical taste and I enjoy pretty well most music as anyone checking out my music video posts could attest to. This song is really addictive and I find the emotion, lyrics and apparent simplicity of the music really gets under my skin. The first video is a cover of the song and the second is the original. It deserves to be high in the charts (whatever they are nowdays).

what is happening

I am enjoying time with my mother and son over the holidays. I love watching the generations together, 76 and 4 and me closer to mums age than Kahu’s. Mum was born into a family that lived in the Catlins, in what would be called now, a shed. Where will Kahu be when he is 76. I do believe we are heading towards tough times but I have hope. I believe in my son and the world he is growing into. I will do everything to make that world the best it can be for him and his peers.

Part of that is highlighting aspects of our society that are detrimental to the benefit of everyone. I was shocked to read this report about dairy farms and their voluntary (non) compliance with the Dairying and Clean Streams Accord

Nelson Mail

Under the latest accord figures published last month, 69 per cent of Fonterra Tasman dairy farmers told the company their stock was totally excluded from all permanent waterways on their properties deeper than a Red Band gumboot and wider than a stride. However, a representative audit conducted by the Ministry of Agriculture of 35 of those farms found that the actual figure was just 17 per cent, the second worst result behind Marlborough with 8 per cent. Nationally, MAF found 42 per cent of 587 farms inspected excluded stock from waterways, just half of what Fonterra's survey of farmers suggested.

69% to 17% is a disgrace and should be investigated thoroughly. There is something really wrong that farmers can misrepresent what is happening to the environment within their farms. These waterways flow and carry any shit, silt and mud downstream.

Neil Deans, Nelson Marlborough manager of the environmental group, which has long been critical of the policing of the accord, said the gap between what farmers said they did and what MAF had found was too big to put down to a mistake and it was clear some farmers were "pulling the wool".

Sadly a lot of dairy farmers, for all sorts of reasons, are letting us all down. We want the rivers to be clean and alive with strong mauri and plentiful life. The dairy farmers who are actively working against that should be ashamed, and they are making life more difficult in the future for our children – that should be reason enough for them to change their ways. But to date they have made the problems worse and changed little for the better.

Scoop

The number of dairy cattle in New Zealand increased to 6.2 million at 30 June 2011, Statistics New Zealand said today. This provisional result from the 2011 Agricultural Production Survey was up 260,000 on the number in 2010. "This is the first time the number of dairy cattle in New Zealand has exceeded 6 million" agricultural statistics manager Hamish Hill said. "The dairy herd is now double the number it was 30 years ago."

Our environment should not be sacrificed for a small group to make money. The basic requirements are compliance even if it lacks teeth and is woefully inadequate. The fact that this simple requirement cannot be met should send shivers down our spines because what the hell is actually going on. How bad is it?

the rain came

Golden Bay/Mohua, here at the top of the south is a most amazing area. But today, after the rain there are slips and people who have had water streaming through their houses, there have been evacuations and roads cut. The road to town has a massive hole in it and is impassable and probably will be for a few days.

Stuff

Takaka township recorded 423mm of rain in a 24 hours period, making it "well in excess of a one in 100 year event", Civil Defence said. The previous 24 hour rainfall high was 256mm in August 1990.

Small communities have had their infrastructure lost and the cleanup has not even started yet.  I haven't heard of anyone hurt so that is good. A massive disruption just before the festive season. Yet on the world stage it wouldn't even rate a mention. Interesting to consider the macro and the micro - how a significant event for an individual is just that, same for a community too. When it all goes bad we will have each other, we will have community and connection and we will have to get on with the job, together. So we help pull people out of trouble - thanks mate, and we open our homes to people that need shelter, and we check up on people and make sure they are okay. We open up the marae and we hear about the people that have suffered loss and we prepare to help them. We are community.

We know about weather events related to global warming - they will become more severe, more random and more destructive. At every scale we will be going through more trials and tribulations and there is nothing we can do about that because the cycles and momentum of earthly change on ponderous scales have already started and they won't stop. But we can prepare and a big part of that is building community and connection. No doubt in calamitous times we are forced together but the more we practice, when we can, the better and we can learn from other communities about what works and what doesn't. Ultimately when it all hits the fan we do what we have to do to survive - we are all in this together.