15 Jun 2005

After the Foreshore and Seabed Act...

Recently the Labour Government ignored a United Nations finding, which found that the Foreshore and Seabed Act discriminates against Maori. This behaviour has been unsettling for Maori. Now with the recent behaviour of NZ High Commissioner in Canada the Labour Government does little to restore Maori faith in its Government. Labour wants the Maori vote but it does little to treasure that vote. Instead it seems that it chooses to treat it with disdain.

It has recently come to light that a New Zealand High Commissioner has made some offensive remarks toward Maori and a number of other groups who make up our nation.

Graham Kelly (a former Labour MP) has recently apologised to the Government for making a number of remarks including:

"There were seven canoes that came in 740 from Hawaiki, so there are seven tribes. They all held each other's hands to stop them from sinking on the voyage. Once they got to New Zealand they started fighting and eating each other, so there have been Maori wars ever since then".

"The (modern fishing) skills have been taught to those people, otherwise they would have gone out in a canoe or something".

"They (Maori) are entitled to fish beyond the recreational limit for events like funerals or special celebrations. There will always be some who stretch that definition beyond anything that you would believe. Occasionally they are caught and they claim their rights under the treaty".

These remarks were made in a presentation to a Standing Senate Committee on Fisheries and Oceans in Canada. The Government has accepted his apology and will not call for any further disciplinary action because it believes that Mr Kelly is doing a great job representing New Zealand enthusiastically to Canada but one may consider his behaviour inappropriate, misleading and just plain offensive. To hold such a position it is imperative that you have the ability to represent all New Zealander's and this situation brings Mr Kelly's ability to do this into question. It makes you wonder about the manner he discussed certain issues during his 12 years in Labour...

Read the Story on Scoop and Stuff