IT’S TIME TO “ACT” – NOW!!

On the 26 September 2007, the Prime Minister held a symposium to mark the centenary of the proclamation of Dominion Status of New Zealand in 1907. New Zealand was no longer a Colony. Then sixty years ago in 1947, New Zealand ratified the Statute of Westminster, giving our Parliament full legislative powers within our country. Prime Minister Helen Clark said, “This was a significant milestone in the development of New Zealand”. While we gained legislative power, we still acted under the British system of Law based on the Magna Carta – equality for all citizens irrespective of race, colour or creed. (See article below, “The Magna Carta, British Law and the Treaty of Waitangi”)

Before this in 1840, a document was signed in the Maori language called the Tiriti o Waitangi, which gave “equal rights to all the people of New Zealand - He iwi tahi tatou – We are now one people”. Again based on the Magna Carta, equality for all the people and I challenge anyone to deny this!!!

In 1975, the Government introduced the Treaty of Waitangi Act, which created the Waitangi Tribunal. This completely destroyed the fabric of our society. It was an apartheid Act, which completely divided our nation and breached the Tiriti o Waitangi and our Laws based on the Magna Carta.
(See, www.onenzfoundation.co.nz/THE%20TREATY%20OF%20WAITANGI%20ACT%201975.

For ten years the Waitangi Tribunal tried to divide our land and assets into Maori and non-Maori but failed miserably due to the Treaty of Waitangi and our Westminster System of Law - Equality for all the people, so 20 years ago Sir Geoffrey Palmer and a few of his pale brown mates in 1987 invented the “Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi” under the disguise of the Treaty of Waitangi Amendment Act 1988. These “principles” bear little, if any resemblance to our Treaty of Waitangi but fooled us into believing the Tiriti o Waitangi was a “partnership” between Maori and the Crown. The Treaty of Waitangi Amendment Act, State Owned Enterprise Act and many other apartheid and discriminatory Acts giving preference to Maori at this time, should have been rejected by the Queen’s “watch dog” the Governor General – but guess what – surprise, surprise at the time it was none other than, The Rev Sir Paul Reeves, of Maori descent!! Future Governor Generals have allowed these apartheid Laws continue unchallenged.

In 1990, Prime Minister Geoffrey Palmer and Attorney General David Lange stated during a “clash” with the Governor General, The Rev Sir Paul Reeve, on an ABC’s, Four Corners TV programme called Trick or Treaty, “Did Queen Victoria think for a moment of forming a “partnership” with a number of thump prints and 500 people. Queen Victoria was not that sort of person”. It seems both Palmer and Lange realised their terrible mistake and quickly disappeared from front line politics, but their statement fell on deaf ears. The rest of New Zealand, including those hard working Maori not within the “in crowd or chosen few” became the cash cow to feed the greedy few Allan Duff refers to in his following article.

On the 17 June 1997, Allan Duff wrote in the Rotorua Review, “Minister of Justice, Doug Graham’s statements that we must all come to terms with there being one law for Maori and another for the rest of New Zealanders was about as “dunderheaded” and “got at” as you can get. Brown men in suits down there in the capital must have got at him. He’s taken European legal principle and thrown it into the pot cooked up by cunning, self serving jokers with the gall, the fee charging effrontery, to call themselves Maori, representing - no-one bothers to check – themselves, a small group of them”.

“Doug Graham will not go down in history as the man who did so much to settle the long standing Maori grievances, not with statements like this. Instead, he’ll be remembered as the white man who sold out his fellow New Zealanders, Maori and no-Maori, to a bunch of brown gangsters and their pale brown thugs”. Margaret Wilson and Mark Burton can now be included to this statement from Allan Duff.

“There can not be one law for Maori and another for the rest. It is undemocratic, divisive in the extreme. And anyway, it’s so stupid when you try to think of its application you would be right to question the intelligence of it advocates like Graham. What happens to mixed blood marriages and their offspring? What are the children in the eyes of the law –Maori – European, half of each – what? Are my children who are quarter Maori – same as Tipene O’Regan - one or the other? Is Doug Graham the ass the law can sometimes be”? The simple answer is -Yes!!!

Today, we can relate Allan Duff’s comments to the 120 Politicians in Parliament, but it gets worse – far worse!!!

Not one Politician, and there are 120 of them, has ever asked – who are these people we are returning land the Crown is accused, alleged of cheating them out of and the millions of dollars in compensation. Are they really Maori, the people who signed the Tiriti o Waitangi in 1840?

Take the Te Roroa Claim for example, two of their main claimant’s ancestry today is, 50% Greek, 15% European and the rest is documented as Portuguese and Maori. Another main claimant’s ancestry is 85% European and 15% Maori and the Government recognises these people as Te Roroa!!! How “dunderheaded” is that!!!! (See, www.onenzfoundation.co.nz/NathanWhakapapa)

What real affiliation have these people to this land? What legal or moral right have they when all the documented evidence shows their ancestors sold their land fairly and squarely to the Crown in 1876? Allan Titford and Don Harrison and their young families had legal freehold titled to this land issued by the Crown, but the Crown, without one document of evidence, illegally took this land “under duress” by “tampering with the documents” for only a fraction of its real value. If the world knew the Government was giving land and cash to Greek and European people under the disguise of being Maori, we would be the laughing stock of the world!! In fact, if you listen carefully, you can hear the world beginning to laugh now!!!! Ha, Ha, Ha!

While Minister’s Graham, Wilson and Burton have been flat out doing everything in their power to give OUR LAND, OUR ASSETS AND OUR MONEY to these people, they and the other 118 in Parliament have never stopped to ask the question,

WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE - ARE THEY REALLY ENTITLED TO THIS CLAIM?

In fact, those on the Maori Affairs Select Committee lied to uphold the Te Roroa Settlement Bill but then many had a “vested interest” in it, as has been the case all along with this claim and many others as well.

It has also been stated that the average Ngai Tahu’s Maori ancestry is only 16% but these people are recognised as the same people who signed or agreed to the Tiriti o Waitangi in 1840. Even Tipene O’Regan is only 25% Maori!! Again did any Politician ask the question?

WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE - ARE THEY REALLY ENTITLED TO THIS CLAIM?

Not one “dunderhead” has ever asked this question of any of the hundreds of claims settled or being heard – not one!!! WHY? Are they afraid of the consequences? Bit late now!!!!

John Clark, a past Race Relations Conciliator of Maori descent stated, “Maori today are a people with Maori ancestry as one sees in legislation”. Since 1865, there have been many Acts passed defining Maori for a specific reason – not one of them to split up our land and assets!!

The Hon Doug Kidd when Minister of Maori Affairs stated, “Maori were a distinct race, who at the time of colonisation, were easily identifiable”.

The Hon Derek Quigley stated, “Maori indigenous? What rubbish, Maori are not indigenous people. Nor does the Treaty of Waitangi purport to say that they are”.

UN’s Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous People
The Government has decided it no longer wants to be part of this Declaration because they say the Tiriti o Waitangi protects Maori. Could it also be because there is no “partnership” between Maori and the Crown in the Tiriti o Waitangi and today’s Maori do not fit the criteria of being the indigenous people of New Zealand? They came from another land, as we all did, and have intermarried with other races at their own free will until today, most of their predominant ancestry is not Maori. Surely, not one of our 120 “dunderheads” could agree a person of 50% Greek or 85% European ancestry as being indigenous, Maori or entitled to an alleged Maori claim, but they are thinking of it!! While there may have been a few injustices committed in the past, intermarriage between the races has absorbed the problem.

If we are to honour our Tiriti o Waitangi, the Statute of Westminster bestowed upon us by the British Government and our laws based on the Magna Carta, then we must abolish all the apartheid Acts on our Statute Books. The billions of dollars being given to the few “greedies” could be spent on the many “needies”, both Maori and non-Maori with far better and fairer results for all concerned.

People of Maori descent can still be proud of their Maori heritage and so they should be, but under the Law they are New Zealand Citizens, the same as the rest of us, the Tiriti o Waitangi and intermarriage made sure of this. As Sir Apirana Ngata stated in 1923, “If you think these things are wrong, then blame your ancestors who gave away their rights when they were strong”!!

It is time the Prime Minister held a symposium where the many apartheid and discriminatory Acts are removed from our Statute Books and we all become proud New Zealand Citizens of many mixed races under one law, one flag, but all proud of our heritage, our ancestry, our colourful history and our very beautiful and unique country.

He iwi tahi tatou – We are now one people – New Zealanders

SO “DUNDER HEADS” - IT’S TIME TO “ACT” - NOW!!!

Ross Baker.

Chairman, One New Zealand Foundation Inc.

cc. To All Political Leaders.
Webmaster, One New Zealand Foundation Inc. www.onenzfoundation.co.nz

P.S. The only Political Party that has shown it respects, honours and understands the Tiriti o Waitangi, is New Zealand First. Last year they presented a Private Members Bill entitled, “PRINCIPLES OF THE TREATY OF WAITANGI DELETION BILL”. This Bill was lost at its second reading through lack of support by the other Parties but I believe New Zealand First is to re-introduce this Bill next year. The One New Zealand Foundation Inc. supports this Bill. There is only one Tiriti o Waitangi and that is in the Maori language and it gave equal right “to all the people of New Zealand”.

The Magna Carta, British Law and the Treaty of Waitangi
“From Treaty to Conspiracy (A theory) ” by H.R.Baker, page 212, published 1998.

The Magna Carta was signed by King John on the 15 June 1215 and formed the basis of all British Laws and Justice. “Equal Justice for All”

The three Great Principle of the Magna Carta are,
1. No man should be put in prison without being tried by a jury of equals.
2. The King must not levy any taxes without the consent of Parliament.
3. That equal justice should not be sold or denied to anyone.

Governments were set up to do just that, protect property and deliver equal law and justice to all.

The British Parliament formed itself into a High Court of Justice for the purpose of bringing Charles the First to trial as a tyrant and a traitor as he had broken the Magna Carta. The sentence of death was passed in 1649 and he was beheaded by Oliver Cromwell. Since 1215, British Justice has been based on the Magna Carta.

“EQUALITY FOR ALL OR BE BEHEADED”

The Treaty of Waitangi was also based on British Law, which in turn is based on the Magna Carta.

“EQUALITY FOR ALL”

The Treaty and especially Article Two cannot give Maori preference over a British Subject/New Zealand Citizen or visa versa. Our Laws based on the Magna Carta does not allow it. What Article Two did was to guarantee to Maori the same rights as a British Subject, something the Maori were afraid the Treaty would not allow in 1840. If we look at British Law, all British Subjects “inherited” the same rights as stated in Article Two. No more - no less – the way it had to be. (To the chiefs and tribes and to all the people of New Zealand).

After the Magna Carta was signed in 1215, no British Law/New Zealand Law could give preference to one group of people or individual over another.

Equality for all the people – something that is not happening in New Zealand today.

“The Crown, the Government and those within it, are not above the Law”

THEREFORE, HEADS MUST ROLL!!