Tariana Turia – Maori Woman of Integrity

Te Matakahi o Ngati Pukenga, on behalf of many of the descendants of the Ngati Pukenga tribe from Tauranga, Hauraki, Whangarei, Maketu and other places whole heartedly supports Tariana Turia’s decision to stand by her principles and leave the Labour Party. Their betrayal of her and indeed the many generations of Maori people who have supported them is keenly felt by all Maori. Ngati Apa, Nga Rauru and Te Tai Hauauru should feel proud of their daughter.

The Foreshore and Seabed issue highlights the injustices Maori people continually face. While private ownership rights enjoyed by non-Maori will be respected, those same rights for Maori will not. The 30 per-cent or more of the foreshore owned by non-Maori farmers and the wealthy will not be affected. It is these people who will block access to the foreshore, not Maori.

In his lust for power Don Brash the architect and schemer in this affair has achieved his immoral victory by pitting white against brown; dealing the ‘methamphetamine’ drug of discontent ‘P’ (for ‘Prejudice’) that has hooked the Nation. Helen Clarke’s allergic reaction to its poison will no doubt prove fatal, and the post mortem will reveal that her demise was self inflicted. Meanwhile ‘Don the dealer’ though his National distribution network will be pushing more ‘P’ in a neighbourhood close to you.

Much like the story of the ‘Original Sin’; Helen Clarke as Eve, and Don Brash as the Serpent sent to tempt her will lead to her banishment from the Garden of Eden. The male Maori Members of Parliament are the ‘Adams’ in this story, who like their namesake are not listening to ‘God’. 500 of HIS people marched in Tauranga, 2000 in Kahungunu, 3000 in Auckland, 4000 in Rotorua, and 3000 in Wanganui and still they don’t listen. This will be the biggest show of support for kaupapa Maori since 1975. They need to think carefully about how much of Eve’s apple they really want to bite off., because it will be fatal in the long term. It’s a real shame that Helen Clarke has succumbed to Don’s influence, as her leadership was one of the best we have seen.

The only political party that seems to have a sense of justice at the moment is the Green Party who has consistently opposed these immoral actions. Co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons has said that the Act will ‘amount to confiscation’. That it is, and an international human rights violation to boot. Good on the Greens for trying to keep ‘Eden’ as it was intended to be.

Te Matakahi o Ngati Pukenga supports the formation of a new Maori political movement. We support any movement that stands for integrity and justice. There is no other choice.

The Tauranga Moana tribes, Ngati Ranginui, Ngai Te Rangi and Ngati Pukenga have already marched and shown our support. We will be in Wellington to show our support, and we will be behind Tariana when she moves, as she is a woman of honour. Our actions will not end with the hikoi.

‘Not one more acre of land. Not one more grain of sand ’ is our slogan. Enough is enough.

Kia kaha mai Tariana.

Te Matakahi o Ngati Pukenga

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