Hear, hear!

"ko ta te rangatira kai he korero"
the food of chiefs is discussion

Obituary: Tama Poata
Pita Sharples & Tariana Turia release statement farewelling Tama. A nice tribute.

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The Te Ra o Te Reo ("Maori language day") Festival was opened today with Tariana wildy eulogising NZ's indigenous tongue in an effusive, ornamental speech... in English. Good thing it wasn't Pita, with his PhD in linguistics & passion for te reo, we might've endured a Guiness Book type soapboxing.

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Speaking of World Records, count the number of cliches in Maharoa Okeroa's speech. This was manufactured by a computer program, has to be! I'm somewhat alarmed when he says,

"Over the past 6 years Maori have gained wide spread recognition to explode on the national and international stages"

Confusing us with Muslims, perhaps?

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Not to be outshone, Mr Harawira shows he's a dab hand at Te Reo Parliament. The melifluous bureaucrat wants,

"an urgent briefing on the numbers, characteristics and experiences of children and young people across the range of places in which they may be detained"

Parekura & Maharey have taught him well! Not just eloquent, but highly ingenious - he recommends,

"[CYA] try.. a night in the cells.. to think of better ways to respond to youth offending"

(I thought there wasn't enough room) And in an enlightened moment finally realises,

"our police are not equipped... to respond to the complex needs of our young people"

Neither, we'd argue, are politicians full of high-falutin rhetoric. Who is primaily responsible for Maori youth crime, Hone? Clue: "It's all about whanau" - where have I heard that phrase before?


I shouldn't really knock the Maori Party...
not after I ticked Monte Ohia on Sep. 17- not that it helped - plus I really do like Tariana. I'm AMAZED people find her scary* - especially after her 'soft' makeover since leaving Labour. Most'd be surprised at efforts to distance TMP from the real 'haters & wreckers' -- a point not lost on the Tino Rangatiratanga fringe. Poor Tariana! Even the radicals aren't impressed - LOL. For a so-called 'hardliner' she's more airy, flakey & new-agey IMO. Perfect example is her vision of a world without violence. ROTFL. Someone remind her we ALSO descend from Tu-mata-u-enga, God of War!

* My 'scary' rankings for TMP:

1 - Hone :-o
2 - Pita
3 - Te Ururoa
4 - Tariana :-)

TU edges out TT for the bronze medal coz he's Labour deep-down, far more so than TT.