That was energising – and deeply moving. I’ve just come back from the Hikoi – and I feel more Māori than ever before. Yes, I’m probably all Pākeha, but I think that most of Aotearoa is part Māori and part Pākeha these days – we are a mixed blood nation, although still deeply riven in two, whether ethnically or financially. We are definitely a nation of Haves and Have-Nots. The rich elite of the older pale people, and the poor underclass of many of us – including a vast majority of Māori. I hear the voices and the songs and the haka, the speeches that are bubbling over the waves of my favoured domain (more seabed than foreshore) – “Goodness me Nemo, why are you talking about the Treaty? Isn’t this meant to be a blog about matters architecture and urban design in Wellington?”
Well, the RNZ website puts it thus: “The Treaty Principles Bill architect, ACT leader David Seymour, says he supports the right to protest, but thinks participants are misguided and have a range of different grievances.” So, Seymour presumes to be an Architect does he? Yet another reason to protest against him! And while Seymour seeks to legalize the feeling of “we are all one people” in his deeply misguided attempt to wade into the murky waters of the Tiriti, I’d say that the Māori people are doing that themselves in this hikoi – apart from a few people still keen for race war and class war – this has been a massively peaceful protest so far in every way.
That’s the way that Aotearoa differs so much from the USA – now set to no longer be a proper democracy, but more of a fascist dictatorship – here, our native tribes are still empowered, and today more powerful than at any time since 1840. Of course, because Seymour has started the conversation, that perhaps many did not want to start, I think there is now more of a chance than ever before of our one nation separating into two – and we know how that will end. The cries of “Māori never ceded sovereignty” are louder now too, louder than ever before.
When a march from Waitangi Park (wonderful open space design, thank you to the designers from all those years ago) up the Golden Mile of Courtenay Place, Willis Street, Lambton Quay – that Universities happily walk down the opposite way, and that Mayor Whanau wants to dig up / widen / plant bigger flower beds in, when that march has 35,000 people, almost every one with a flag, then that’s an expression of faith in public space.
I just heard them say at Parliament – “Let’s make this a One Term Government”. Amen to that!
Our house had a flagpole for nearly 100 years, disappeared some time in the 2000s, I think.
I’m putting up a new one this week – just so I can fly those flags.
Starkive ! Are you getting into vexillology? It is a fascinating topic that you can get lost in. Fun fact – the white ensign so favoured by many in the Māori movement, is actually the same as the early flag of the Shaw Savill shipping line – not entirely sure which came first, but Shaw Savill used to ship the early settlers out here. Ironic, no? The Tino Rangatinatanga flag is much more recent, although I do not know the designer. A lot of people unwittingly fly it upside down, as it is not clear which way up it goes…
The tino rangatiratanga (best check your spelling there) flag was designed by Hiraina Marsden, Jan Smith and Linda Munn in 1989. Google told me so.
Google also told me that the United Tribes Flag was designed here in 1834 and subsequently gifted to Shaw Savill (in 1858) for their New Zealand trade – they seem to have modified the stars somewhat.