Reporting from the Maori Council statement at the Waitangi Tribunal.
Taniwha proof of Maori water rights
Mr Geiringer said hapu and iwi which spoke at the hearing had clearly shown that the relationship they had with their water in 1840 and since was akin to the modern English concept of ownership.
“Hapu have had in 1840 a relationship for which the closest cultural equivalent within modern English concepts is one of ownership – of full-blown property rights. What I’m going to ask you to find is that one at least it seems highly likely that the same could be said of every hapu and every water resource throughout Aotearoa.”
He said Pakeha scoffed at the concept of taniwha because they did not understand it.
However, the Maori belief that taniwha were the guardians of their waterways giving them exclusive use of that water was evidence that Maori believed they ‘owned’ the water in modern English terms.
“People say ‘in this resource is my taniwha, my guardian spirit. He protects me, he protects my water resource. He’s not your taniwha so if you are going to use that resource without my permission, he will do terrible things to you’.
Phew, what can one say apart from “I think this makes Key’s option of ignoring a bit easier”.
Ok, I can saymore, but just as well I can’t comment at The Standard at the moment, any perceived slight on anything Maori can get a hammering there. Nevertheless I’ll try and keep it diplomatic.
I can understand that there may have been widespread belief in taniwha in 1840. But we are living in 2012, 172 years later. Most Maori will now be either Christian or non-religious.
If Maori claims want to be taken seriously they have to get serious. I don’t know if they really deeply feel they are right about taniwha based rights, or they are trying it on, knowing that criticism of Maori culture is often severely frowned on.
But I’ll stand up and call this as I see it. We have to put a stop to this mumbo jumbo coercion. This is a taniwha too far.
Note: In the same news report from NZH it says that the Maori Council counsel has had a severe cut to his fees. On the surface this seems very unfair to the claimants.
latte_killer
/ 19th July 2012Get stuffed you stupid white prik. I hate whites and will rip them off every chance I get.
**Edit: identity theft
/ 19th July 2012I am a silly wee bigot and posting in lattes name is my revenge for her humiliating me
[Someone posted here under someone else’s identity to try and implicate them. I won’t post their email address but it is on record. Assuming another identity for dirty tricks is very nasty]
Edit: Another false identity
/ 19th July 2012Shh cerium it was me
1hotdragon
/ 21st July 2012This is the real 1hotdragon the post I am replying to was not made by me.
Whom ever made the orginal post has commited identity theft
latte_killer
/ 20th July 2012Fucking white maggots
Edit: Another false identity
/ 21st July 2012Sorry about that moderators it was posted in a fit of anger at my humiliation by her. Please remove the posts I made in lattes name.
[Another person trying to pose as someone else. These comments will be left posted to show the dirty tricks some try to use to discredit others.]
Steve W
/ 17th August 2012If we’re going to laugh at taniwha than we best laugh at “God defend New Zealand”…..or be prepared to explain why our ‘taniwha’ is real and theirs isn’t. 🙂 That’s an argument I’d enjoy watching but have no interest in participating in. I can see a ‘taniwha’ being used as a metaphorical unit to contain one or more prohibited practices and specified consequences for choosing to engage in them….thus “angering” the taniwha. It would be an older model of expressing laws and sanctions for disobeying them. But effective.
Pete George
/ 17th August 2012I don’t laugh at “God Defend New Zealand”, I cringe at it, especially then lyrics.