'You make a living by what you get. You make a life by what you give" Churchill

How to Value what you are and do
1. When the rules change in any game, existing attitudes, skills and knowledge have to be transformed into elements and forms that can be learned or caught in a way that empowers and enables people, within the new environment and rules.

2. Through the school of hard knocks, most people learn the real lessons of life. lessons that guide their gut and tune their senses to the signals of the ever complex & changing challenge of daily life. Most people , however, have great difficulty sorting out their knowledge and how it fits or whether it fits, into the new way of doing thngs. And this includes those who are responsible for changing the rules and those who have assumed a role of interpreting the rules on behalf of others.m

3. There are many reason for this phenomena including

a) Schooling into mediocrity by our sociey's education system and middle class parents( G Ditzel- 2009)and other social & cultural norms. Following the rules is crucial as reward and punishment are pitted against each other as the accepted tool for compliance.
b) People have no systems or structures, either internally or externally, to properly help them develop their experiences, into tools and pathways, that they can use to help themselves, in the constantly & rapidly changing world that we now live in.
They simply do what they always have done and the new world rolls on - drowning them in its changing tide... They don't know that the rules have changed and most often, they have no idea what the new rules are.

4. The great hope is that people know something is not right as things no longer work as they use to. We have a sense that things are going down the plug hole, no matter what we do. But do we stop doing what we do? Mostly ...No.
Why? because that is what we were taught - to follow the rules , what everyone else is doing. Its the proper way to do things..

But What Happens When The Rules Change?

When life changes beyond all that we knew as a child, where and how do we take our next step forward?
How do we build the hope of a new & better day when we don’t have the skills or rules of the new way?
Or as new skills and rules are set out neatly in a report, do they fit with our internal knowing of what is needed to satisfy a sense of what we value and do?

So much has happened since the last post and yet nothing has been done to empower the people of Ngati Mutunga o Wharekauri.
At best, it can be said that people are reacting to changes , but no one has really moved or done anything different to what they normally do.- and it shows.

Those who are involved in changing the rules, have and are, dislocating the core of our Iwi, by designing & controlling systems and processes that leave the people isolated and at the mercy of those who are on the Komiti.
A review of an organisation , tells you how and what systems & processes need changing, to make sure people line up and follow the rules that are already in place. 5 years down the track, people are still treating the Iwi as a part time job - and it shows !
Guess what! Its not! It is a serious full time job and you need highly skilled board members to make sure the work is being done properly.

It is horrendous that the Treaty audit on the Trust has been consigned to a secondary status, behind management and governance because there was no time to gather sufficient information!
Are you kidding? It was the Chathams that took the Sealord’s Deal!
Substantial Waitangi Tribunal hearings have been completed years ago. There is a mountain of information available –

Why don't you ask Iwi members/groups who hold the knowledge & information? Sometimes a series of hui-a-iwi is needed to develop agreement to decisions and to find a way forward.
Try doing something different instead of setting up a 'same old way of doing thigs facilitator' to consult the people about their tikanga and customs'

TALK TO THE PEOPLE

We do not need another report. We are a small iwi


It can only be said that the current Iwi Trust has derailed its Treaty based foundations and has thus disregarded not only its history and customs but significant Treaty legislation. It clearly indicates a huge lack of knowledge and skill on such matters. Consequently, the focus has moved to the assets and fish and relationships with like minded groups & persons - but what about the Iwi? . I am betting that even if you are told, you would not know what to do anyway. Consequently, the actions of the current Board to Treaty issues, appears lax and casual. it was up to them to prioritise the significant issues to be reported on.

I am including here a bit of your history , a voice from the past , to tell you about how importsant Mutunga was and is...My hope is you get the message. it is a significant one for this time, especisally as we have the Seabed & Foreshore issues to be debated amongst us. and yet you have not made contact with Iwi or set up a forum for us to participate or if you have, we haven't been told.

Whakaronga ki to tatou tupuna !

Waitangi 1905
Ki te Etitia o Te Puke ki Hikurangi.,

Tenei etahi kupu hei tuku atu mau , hei titro, hei mahara manga s iwi, ma nga kaimahi hoki i nga ture, ara, ma te kawanatanga.
He whakamarama atu i te ahua o te noho o nga Maori o tenei motu o Wharekauri; kua penei ta ratau noho me ta te Pakeha, i te mea kei a ratou te tikanga o o ratou whenua. Kua whakatipu i te taonga nga mea hikaka ki te mahi , kua puta mai he oranga ki era , kua titiro atu te hunga e ahu ke ana nga mahara ki etahi ke atu tikanga , i te ora ka puta mai ra ki ana nga mahara ki etahi ke atu tikanga , i te ora ka puta mai ra ki te hunga mahi. Kati, kua ahu katoa i runga i tera tikanga , i te mahi pamu.
Nga poraka i tenai tikanga i te pamu , Otonga poraka, 10,000 eka( he hipi, he kau, he hoiho, he poaka nga toanga o runga) , Kekerione 1000 eka, ( ko tana ahua ano nga tangata ), Wharekauri 5000 eka, Manukau 2000 eka. hui katoa ng eka kei to mahia e naga Maori ki te pamu , 23 500.
Ko nga taonga kei runga he hipi. he kau, he hoiho, he poaka, me te nui atu o etahi , hei tohu koia nei te ara e puta mai ai he oranga ki a tatau, he tahuri ki te mahi i ngqa whenua . E nga iwi, kei penei te mahara , na te papai ano pea o nga whenau i pai ai te whakatipu i te taonga. Kati, me ki atu au ki a koutou, ko aua ngaherehere ano me nga rarauhe me nga repo ngaere me te tini tu o etahi , engari na te hikaka tonu o te ngakau ki te mahi, i te mea kua kitea he oranga e puta mai ana i roto i te mahi i nga whenau.

he nui nga ahuatanga e puta mai ana i te mahi i nga whenua, he arai atu hoki i nga korero a nga Pakeha e ki nei he iwi mangere te Maori ki te mahi i o ratau whenua. Kati, he arai atu hoki i nga ture maha e hungaa mai ana hei muru i nga whenua o nga Maori.

na Inia Tuhata

When I think of the hours & hours of work, and the cost of that work, often paid out of their own pockets, to secure the Treaty rights, put in by our kuia and kaumatua, most of whom are no longer here, I am deeply concerned and angry. So many fought for that Treaty right - a right that belongs to all Mutunga o Wharekauri, not just those who signed up to giving away half our assets.

More importantly, if it wasn’t for one of our own, Bill Goomes, who put up his gear, his boat and information for Maori to demonstrate to Crown that there were Maori fishermen operating fully in the fishing industry, there would be no Maori fish for anyone in the country - including you on the Chathams. And what did he get for his contribution to proving Maori fisheries existed?

BUT YOU WOULDN'T KNOW THAT BECAUSE YOU WON'T ASK OUR OWN PEOPLE

WHY?

BECAUSE YOU DON'T VALUE OUR OWN PEOPLE.


WHY DON’T YOU GO AND ASK BILL TO TELL HIS STORY?

He deserves a better deal then what he has got now - then all of you sitting on the Board. Look after him - he is a taonga....

As for the contribution of Jim & Norman, it is without question. without them, you would not have what you have got now. Their fight for the treaty rights of Ngati Mutunga o Wharekauri, enabled you to have the fish you have today.

And where were you when they were paying out of their own pockets to do the work?

How dare you diminish the role & significance of the Treaty to a back seat on the bus.!

e>Organisation & Governance Systems & Structures

Specifically, it is a great concern to see that the review, under governance principle one, identifies core agency/principle issues common to all organisations , and attributes difficulties to tikanga ( I presume this refers to tikanga Maori’ ) and the need to try and ‘minimise the difficulties that arise in fitting a Maori organisation into a pakeha legal structure. That is a bit like the debate on whether customary rights exist as in the Seabed & Foreshore Act. If you as the elected Board members, cannot put up front, the existing legislative protections for the customs, tikangs, tinorangatiratanga, manaakitanga and kaitiakitanga of Ngati Mutunga o Wharekauri and its Rohe Potae, i.e the Treaty of Waitangi, then you should resign.
As it stands, I can see the Iwi Trust cuddling up to the Council and other local government agencies, so that you are all saying the same thing.

But, but what about the customary rights of Mutunga that already exist? they belong to our children , our mokopuna and those still to be born. This blog is a record for them in case something happens to me.

What a load of c---.! The comment of principle one, clearly shows that there is a perception that Maori have organisations that are different from pakeha and that it is difficult to reconcile them. It is a racist comment and should not be there.

Well of course they do...so do pakeha have organisations that are different from other pakeha. So what are we talking about here?

All organisations want to be successful and most set out clear goals and rules (tikanga) about why they have come together as an organisation.
Everyone knows there are laws & Acts governing how organisations are to be run and most set up skilled people, to carry out the work so that they can achieve the goals set. Even organisations managing the assets and interests of Maori, have such rules & systems e.g. TOKM ,Tainui, Maori Television, Te Wananga o Raukawa. Te Runanga o Kai Tahu.

The current mess in the Iwi Trust was & is a result of poor foundation systems set up in a covert manner,with poor management & governance skills. The people involved did not have the skills and refused to appoint highly skilled people who did!

BUT , we learn and move on. SORT IT OUT! LEARN & try not to do the same thing again

The rules are set out in the Acts, TOKM have clearly set out your agreements (I have put these on line so all can read for themselves) atnd the rest is about good management skill and expertise. But you need someone who is trained in corporate management. You are not running the local church committee nor its it part time – it’s a multi million dollar corporation, or was supposed to be.

Tikanga – (hopefully Maori ...or is there an emerging widget

A token comment is made that tikanga and kawa of Iwi are taken into account and customary values are to be identified – BY WHOM? WHAT IWI?
This sound like someone who is quoting the rules to apply for funding and needs to meet the criteria – so adds the words from the rules. but what does it mean?

What about Ngati Mutunga o Wharekauri? Are you going to consult with the Iwi on tikanga? Or are you going to decide what our tikanga is, for us?

What does AHI KAA TUTURU MEAN? Where did that tikanga come from? What is its origin? Wikipedia?
It certainly did not come from my grandparents or greatgrand parents and that takes the whakapapa back into the 1860’s

You have the agreement with Tokm and the relevant Acts, and I set out the relevant clauses below I guess that means you have to talk to the Runanga - just as well we didn't have a copy of the agreement, back when wrote to you seeking a hui and you refused !! AND YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO ! THAT'S WHAT THE ASGREEMENT SAYS!

Its amazing what information and knowledge does to help empower the people ..
I think you all need to look up the definition of FIDUCIARY DUTY

A. Notwithstanding the transfer of settlement assets to the Trust or its AHC, Te Ohu continues to have obligations, consistent with both its duties and the purposes of Te Ohu Kai Moana under the Act, to assist and advance the interests of Iwi individually and collectively.
B. Prior to the transfer by Te Ohu to the Trust or its AHC of any settlement assets allocated to Ngati Mutunga (Chathams) under the Act and consistent with Te Ohu‘s recognition of the Trust as the MIO for Ngati Mutunga (Chathams) the Parties have agreed to the terms and conditions recorded in this Deed.

(a) it has at all relevant times maintained the mandate and confidence of Ngati Mutunga (Chathams);
(b) notwithstanding the transfer of settlement assets to the Trust, Te Ohu continues to have obligations, consistent with both its duties and the purposes of Te Ohu Kai Moana under the Act, to assist and advance the interests of Iwi individually and collectively;Finding Our Values by Facing & Confronting Conflicts

People join the Komiti in the hope of trying to change things but become cauterized by the dysfunctioning systems and the way things are done around the table i.e. the old way of doing things.

People have to be involved in the process of developing their Iwi organisations. We are unique and unlike any other Iwi in NZ. You are 800 km away.
By the way, I can’t work out why Kevin left – his presence made the lineup more independent less like a family affair .It also gives an excellent example of why we need a hapu styled model based upon our land blocks, as a system to define membership & customary whakapapa rights . Avoids the messy membership scrap going on About DIX whakapapa.
Hope there's no inside trading going on!..Who got the fish this year?.

In the case of the Runanga, this has been played out predictably as the Chairman ‘did things the way he always did ‘despite rules and regulations, telling him otherwise.
Iwi organisations are serious corporate business and should not be run like your farm or fishing business. The assets are not your personal assets - they belong to the people and there are rules you have to follow , as you have found out.! The last 2 years have not been a picnic !

As his actions contravened the Court order, I had to move to fix the potential mess. It demonstrates how such people can create costly events by dumb, ignorant actions.

a) Someone should remind the Chairman that he has to give notice of a meeting,
b)call meeting and actually hold a meetimg so that
c) the annual accounts can be received, approved and passed by the meeting BEFORE it is filed with the appropriate regulatory forums.
d) That the meeting should have a quorum and minutes should be taken.

Using a court case as an excuse not to call a meeting is a little naive but perhaps demonstrates what the real problem has been since he fired all staff of the Runanga in 2007. The hearing was already over Charlie! I am sure Helen Clark did not stop parliament when an investigation was being held into her speeding ticket

It is an example of the dis ease and old ways that plagues the Chathams. The rules have long changed.
Evelyn

Of Treaties,Trusts & Constitutions...& Foreshore and Seabeds....

What a busy time it is..I think one step at a time is a good way of dealing with each day. Everyone has things to deal with and at the moment, the economic crisis is affecting us all...Making decisions can be a challenge, as is finding ways to get through the things to do. It is often the time when new ways of doing things are created as old ways tip over.

This is happening on an international level as new business and administration infrastructures are put in place to deal with the new economic climate. It seems even the jobs that our institutions are training our young for, are no longer meeting the needs as a new economy emerges from the embers of the global recession. We all have to think differently as the old structures crumble. It seems a key component for successful business is to make sure you provide a service to meet the needs of people. If you are not, you might find it difficult to survive.

Makes sense to me.!

It's great that people are sending in ideas about how Ngati Mutunga Iwi Trust should be run. It shows people are concerned about what is happening There are many aspects of a constitutional structure that need developing before organisation can fully function.
The purpose of being part of developing the constitution, is that you can make sure the people you appoint, have a set of rules in place that you have agreed to and can monitor them with. Like having the best tax structure, how should we develop relationships with other Maori? Other Iwi, Urban Maori? - what's the difference? how processes work, rights and access to benefits of Ngati Mutunga - who qualifies, rulea for membership, how should these be checked? whaangai ( rights of adopted children?) to benefits of Mutunga? what happens when adopted shildren inherit customary land from their parent? what entitlements do they have? ,what constitutes a conflict? how to deal with disputes? etc, etc. etc
Everyone has different ideas and tribes have different rules, so what are the rules for Mutunga o Wharekauri?

Definitions of key concepts (e.g tangata whenua, ahi kaa, manawhenua, kaumatua, kuia, Rohe, Whakapapa, how to determine, monitor rights of whakapapa, land blocks? why are these important? who has the rights? how are these determined? who decides?How?

THESE ARE SOME OF THE CRITICAL COMPONENTS THAT AFFECT EVERY MEMBER OF NGATI MUTUNGA O WHAREKAURI

Underpining these rules are the constitutional & legislative foundations set in place by the Treaty of Waitangi. Every clause must be capable of enhancing the regulatory framework of the Treaty. If it does not, it places the future of Ngati Mutunga o Wharekauri, at risk by potentially extinguishing the rangatiratanga of every member of Ngati Mutunga o Wharekauri. It is without question that the fisheries assets must have explicit protection by these conventions. It seems,however, the Iwi Trust assets do not carry these protections. Perhaps it is time to clean it up, so let's get on with it.

As a matter of interest, it took 7 years for the Runanga to work through its new constitution so that it could protect any Treaty asset- however, even though it was the first group into TOKM with a constitution that took account of the rules, the monkey doodles who set up the Iwi Trust, were already out the back doing deals on quota with Moriori and TOKM - all trying to secure control over the quota assets that belonged to us all- and we were not told, were not part of those negotiations. The deceit was appalling. You might like to ask Toa and Eddie bout their experiences.
And so that is how Mutunga lost half its Treaty fish.

FOR WHAT? What benefit have the people received in exchange for the 'gift' given to those who did the deal? Manaakitanga without reciprocity? ...a new kind of tikanga? What's mine mine and what's yours is half mine? Have you had any benefit?
Did Moriori offer the Iwi Truat, half of their $6 million deal with Crown? Did you know anythng about it? What was the $6 million for?

Meanwhile, at the time , the Runanga was climbing through the bog with hip gumboots, working with the Fraud Squad on more monkey doodle activities with the BNZ in Chch, involving financial transfers in big bags and constitutional quick steps, also set in place by the first Iwi Trust members. This evidence remains live...

SO...the way I look at it is.. we all need to start again...
CLEAN UP THE MESS!!!
The current Iwi Trust is built on activities that can destroy our families .. and I don't think that is what we are all about It certainly wasn't what our kuia and kaumatua wanted.

The only way forward is to bring everyone into the same paddock, warts and all, and find a new way forward. That includes building a new constitution by taking the best from both constitutions - the Iwi Trust documents and the Runanga documents .. Fixing up the Iwi Trust constituion won't work as the evidence is clear on why and how it got to be a mess. Let's hope we don't have to use it...The number of people on the board won't take away the problems or mend the broken bits. Only the combined will and commitment of the people to strive for a better future for our mokopuna, can clean up this mess.

To demonstrate the importance of the Treaty in our daily lives, I am wondering whether anyone put in a submission to the Foreshore & Seabed Review Committee?
My guess is no.. perhaps County Council did, maybe DOC , as they may have to manage it .. but I am not sure whether Te Iwi Moriori or Iwi Trust did anything..T
he Review process was really important for individuals who own land bordering the lake and sea, to respond to. It was your Treaty right to your land access to the lake and sea, that had to be defended.
Anyone answer? Or were you all more worried about how to keep the Iwi Trust going and and getting rid of some members?

However, I am not sure if any of the Board or members actually know how the Treaty works on the Chathams as they look to other iwi for answers . the thing to get is this..

The Rohe or territory of Wharekauri is the papakainga of Ngati Mutunga o Wharekauri.
Its history, its tikanga, its rangatiratanga can only come from the relationships built by the people i.e how they managed the political, economic, social and cultural activities that enabled them to live on ISLANDs that are 800 km away from NZ. If you come from the Chathams, you know how to survive its seasons, its isolation, its lands and seas, its risks and how to do what you have to do to get on with or dodge your whanau and neighbours ..Survival has its own code - in all cultures.
NZ's as we call them, i.e those who are not born of islands, can have a different view and perception of life on the Islands and they don't have the Treaty rights. Other tribes lived differently according to their landscapes and environments, tikanga and rights- IN NZ. However, we are all of the culture of Maori.

When government moves legislation to create a Crown property right in customary Maori territory, property or assets in any way, without consent or compensation or redress, all Maori object When the quota system was introduced and created a property right in the territorial seas around NZ, Maori tribes lodged legal challenges in the High Courts of NZ. The Runanga sonsequently lodged in the High court with everyone and continued onto the Court of Appeal, in an effort to protect the territorial rights of Ngati Mutunga o Wharekauri aqainst the tribes of NZ and Crown. The case was known as the Sealord's Deal. From this came the quota and assets and cash that are now held by the Iwi Trust. They have denied the Runanga and its members access rights......
A funny old world isn't it!

In the case of the Foreshore and Seabed, Crown are moving to create ownership rights from the mean high water mark out to the 12 mile zone. This is curently in customary ownership under the Treaty rights of Maori within the legislative frameworks currently in place. However, as the case to determine who has mana over the islands has been affected by Te Tau ihu o Te Waka case in the Maori Land Court,[top of the Sth Island tribes]. So, Ngati Mutunga o Wharekauri is in limbo, unless ---you keep protecting your rights.
I note TOKM was clever enough to keep their rear ends clean by allocating the quota without prejudice to mana whenua rights and indemnified itself from all risks and failure by the receiving groups. That means the battle to protect your rights to the Islands, is still to be fought!!! And so we have the Foreshore & Seabed Reveiw. My hope is that you continue to protect your Treaty rights - the rights and responsibilities of kaitiakitanga, rangatiratanga and manaakitanga.

As the Runanga is out of action, it is unable to respond to any critical legislative changes. It remains one of the most destructive implications of the actions taken by the Chairman, when he moved to dismiss staff. He failed failed to protect the Treaty rights of the Runanga members. Why did he sit for 2 years and refuse to do did anything? On the other hand, some would probably say it was deliberate.

What I have done is submitted a paper through my mothers Trust, on behalf our whanau and as a member of the Runanga. What else could we do?
The Treaty rights of Ngati Mutunga are critical to the survival of all members.
I understand there were 3 groups on a telephone conference with the Review Team, including the Council, but did any of you know about it? It would be great if we could see what they have written, perhaps someone can ask for a copy and we can put it on the site.
I have put the submission document on the Google site if you want read it. It was a rush job but at least it is there.
I have also added a submission responding to Steve's proposal for registering memberships and whakapapa. My intention is make try and sure the customary rights of Ngati Mutunga o Wharekauri, are noted explicity in the constitution so as to protect future generations of Ngati Mutunga o Wharekauri. Who knows, Crown might sell the rights mining to the Chinese, in exchange for closer economic partnerships!!

The Cost of Ignorance, Incompetence & Selfishness...

If you are wondering why it’s been quiet, it’s because my internet connection switches between wireless and dial up. Daytime connection is a hit and miss and if it rains, the connection goes haywire – and we have had heaps of that - and then I have to use dialup which means I have to wait for my turn as there is only one outlet.. and so it goes on... Oh well. on to other things ....

Anyway. back to the response from Steve Tuuta, to my blog on communication and other things. It seems an odd response to the content of the blog. It has obviously triggered something.

The thing to remember is this - the only reason this blog started was because no information or communication about anything to do with the Runanga as an organisation, was being sent out. The social, cultural and economic condition of Ngati Mutunga o Wharekauri, the Iwi represented by the Runanga, was unknown, but more importantly, the status of critical Treaty negotiations with Crown for Ngati Mutunga o Wharekauri, had been stopped. No one knew or had any communication about why all the staff had been fired in July 2007, why a Board member had resigned and that since July 2997, no Board quorum existed, no Board meetings had been held, hui-a-Iwi, or agm called. No one knew what happened to major economic and education projects that had taken years to develop and staff were being blamed for the situation. Yet decision making continued with no accountability or communication with members, despite independent advice pointing out the concerns and possible outcomes.
So, in this instance, as far as we knew, we had a renegade and split Board doing things they way they thought things should be done.

So what happens when this happens in an organisation? Who has to do what?

There are many things that could have happened, but didn’t.
The organisation belongs to its members who, ultimately, must take responsibility for who runs it. It is the reason why the Statement of Claim includes the members and the Board as Defendants and sets out the concerns. The constitution provides the rules and guidelines by which those who are elected by the members, must run the organisation and for for members to monitor and make the Board accountable. On top of that, the organisation must comply with a whole lot of associated laws of administration, management, financial control, human resource management etc. In addition, and more importantly for me, are the fundamental principles upon which the organisation was instituted.

The Runanga, like the Ngati Mutunga o Wharekauri Iwi Trust, is an Iwi organisation AND must comply with the lore, laws and regulations that protect the customary entitlements of tribe (Iwi) that it says it represents. Underpinning these laws and lore’s are the protections covenanted by the Treaty of Waitangi. That means in simple terms, look after the people, the land and the environs of its Rohe and the things within,for generations still not born. It means 'leave a legacy that will empower all our families into the future'. It is also the access right to Treaty settlement assets.

So what did the members do to put the breaks on the renegade Board and Chairman?

I can’t answer for others but I do know what I did and the result is posted on Google Groups and the Blog. It was the only way to stop what was going on and for the process to be transparent, open and to let everyone know what was going on. I simply followed the rules of the constitution because that is what any member can do; as those who belong to the Ngati Mutunga o Wharekauri Iwi Trust, can also do. More importantly, because I knew that a consequence of the Board decisions to dismiss all staff, was to stop the Treaty of Waitangi settlement negotiations for the Chatham Islands. I was not prepared to stand by and let the Runanga go to the wall because of mismanagement or rather no management, blaming staff and other groundless accusations or in other words, lying. The Runanga was never insolvent.
The problem was, the Board did not know how to manage the organisation i.e an incorporated society, through tight financial times and reverted to ways and knowledge that they knew.

Like wise, my interest in the Ngati Mutunga Iwi Trust is exactly the same. It is the reason I attended the Hui-a-Iwi in Whanganui a Tara and continue to query what happened in Christchurch and the Chathams. It is about telling the people what is happening as it is happening, not after all the decisions are made. That type of accountability, transparency and draconian management is destructive, disempowers people and leads to mismanagement and poor leadership. It is the point where the freedoms expoused by democracy, tip over into tyranny.
It is no longer acceptable especially as so many are suffering painful outcomes of the economic recession. It is even more important when the assets are collectively owned by the people, not the individuals who manage the organisation. Treaty assets are not supposed to be the property of individuals as a private institution!

A new and more empowering model for organising and managing ourselves in an increasingly complex world, has to be found. The future of Ngati Mutunga depends upon it.

The Status of Treaty Negotiations for Ngati Mutunga o Wharekauri?

These remain my key concerns in regard to Ngati Mutunga Iwi Trust. If they have been given the mana as Kaitiaki of the tribe for receiving Treaty fish assets, then there ought to be policies, accountable & transparent mechanisms in place, that track the management of the assets so that they can be seen to be accountable as Kaitiaki. As they have been in this role for 5 years and as the value of the allocation of assets were significant, the expectation that proper and appropriate mechanisms are in place, was considerable. So....my questions remain..

What is the status of the critical Treaty negotiations with Crown for Ngati Mutunga o Wharekauri?

Has the Ngati Mutunga Iwi Trust developed policies and implemented systems and management that monitors and protects the Treaty of Waitangi rights of Ngati Mutunga o Wharekauri?

I am not a member of Ngati Mutunga o Wharekauri Iwi Trust but I am Ngati Mutunga so what ever they are doing, affects my Treaty rights and those of my whanau as well as the rights of every member of the Runanga. I also knew that there was a perception that because the Trust had become the organisation to receive the fish Treaty assets from TOKM, they were also the organisation to settle all other customary rights. Not so!
I can assure you the Sealord’s Deal and the resulting Act that extinguished the Maori commercial fishering rights by removing section 88(2) of the Fisheries Act 1983,had little to do with settling the land rights. However, Runanga members were denied access rights to the Treaty fisheries settlement assets – and that has created a grievance which must be put right. Any assumption of mandate to represent Ngati Mutungz o Wharekauri under these conditions, can only be a flawed mandate.

Treaty resources of Ngati Mutunga o Wharekauri, are the property right of all Ngati Mutunga o Wharekauri, not just those who were able to gain the approval of those administrating the process of allocation. I was somewhat appalled to find out that Ngati Mutunga Iwi Trust is actually a private trust and that apparantly it has no Treaty policies, no management mechanism and systems to ensure the assets are properly governed, in accordance with Treaty rights of all Ngati Mutunga o Wharekauri.

Worse was to come when we found out, that despite being in place for 5 years, the organisation was still not registered and the assets had been given out on condition that those Trustees on the Board, agreed to give away 50% Ngati Mutunga rights to Moriori, for quota & assets. So they did, without telling the people !
What would you call that? Greed? Fraud? Selfishness? Ignorance?

So!.. Angry? Should we be angry?

I suppose the question is what triggered Steve’s aggression and caustic response to the Blog? Is it a personal or political? I will respond to his queries but the nature of his response does raise issues about the kind of leadership needed to take Ngati Mutunga o Wharekauri into the 21st century.

The past week has raised an awareness of the violence in our society and the consequences for families, communities and nations and I just think we ought to think about how our leaders behave. Violence attracts the energy of further violence.
We all get angry, sometimes for good reason. Sometimes we can all do things we regret but when we step out and take on the responsibility for assets that we have a collective interest in, the rules change. Hence the importance of the constitution and the law to provide guidelines, on how we must manage. A privately owned organisation/trust/company, has different rules and laws to those of a collective.

As the world and that includes the Chathams, goes through phenomenal economic, environment and resource crisis, new ways of working have to be found if our whanau are to survive or more importantly, if our mokopuna are to inherit a better life then the one we have now. If we believe that our whanau are the core of the whanau/hapu/Iwi structure of Maori society, and then it is there we must focus our short and long term goals of development, not in our own individual pockets. To do this,there ought to be a strategic plan on how this is to be done, which we have all participated and agreed to, as a way forward.

Management of a tribal multi-million dollar enterprise is complex and requires experienced business management, Treaty Based knowledge, financial management skills and expertise, if it is to achieve development goals and profitability. The responsibility of the members is to appoint people to the Board, who have the vision and commitment to ensure people who are appointed to manage, have the skills and experience to achieve the development goals set by planning. The current Boards' have not been able to fulfil their duties,for a number of reasons and things have to change.
The continuing high cost of incompetence, ignorance and no real development,progress, benefits, products,services produced for the people in 5 years, has to be stopped.

An example of such incompetence and selfishness is the failure to assist with funding for meatworks project that would have benefited not only all Mutunga whanau but the whole Island.
The Runanga had spent $300,000 in research & development on the project, involving Ag Research, CRI and initial marketing studies to find niche marikets and develop new products, alternative fuels, fertiliser and other farm developments. More importantly, it created employment opportunities and improved income streams. $100,000 was needed to complete a feasibility study to develop financials for investors however the Iwi Trust & Moriori response was to state they had their own farm projects. THESE HAVE NEVER MATERIALISED.
The full extent of the selfishness and incompetence was revealed at the Hui-a-Iwi in Wellington when the value of the funds held on investment was stated. The funds for the feasibility study would have been like taking a teaspoon of water from the Big Lake. I will only say that a huge dis-service has been done to all Ngati Mutunga whanau and to the critical economic base of the Island, by those opposing the project. The impact on the whole Island is felt now and will last for a long time time to come.
It did not have to happen. But it did, because of ignorance, selfishness and incompetence.

So in 2009,we have the situation where the farmers are in dire straits, our fishers are in dire straits and as a result, our whanau are in dire straits. And our farmers? See March 17 Blog. .."a tide that had to be taken at the tide..."

In other words, if we are to progress in a healthy prosperous way, positive dialogue with each other has to be a critical part of the process. As both organisations are obviously undergoing audit & management scrutiny, it is even more important that those who are elected to look after the organisation by the people, must keep people informed.
A report is not going make the wrong doing, right so no one can hide behind it. It will simply tell us what was done and make reccomendations for putting things right.

The interesting thing will be to see if those who stuffed up, still expect to take the organisation into a prosperous future for us all?
Are you kidding? Its time to grow up! There's too much damage been done! If they haven't got the skills now, a report won't give them the necessary skills!
If we look at what other Iwi did when the Board did not perform, eg. Ngati Ruanui, they fired the whole Board, appointed an independant Chairman until a new Board was elected. These are serious problems.

Dialogue between people is to help understand what the other is thinking and accepting that that opinion is legitimate. If we are get anywhere in a peaceful and prosperous way it will be by open, dialogue and discussion and not by giving lip service and caustic sarcasm to feel good by scoring brownie points over the other. I am sure everyone is utterly sick of the fighting... especially amongst those who are supposed to be 'Rangatira ' and Kaitiaki /Trustees of the people’s assets.

As with the Runanga, a split Board is a sure sign that management was a mess. As mentioned previously, the state of the Ngati Mutunga o Wharekauri Iwi Trust, as indicated by the review, confirms that an even bigger mess exists.

The cost of ignorance and incompetence is appalling... but worst of all, the egoism,greed and selfishness of those who strive to hold power and control of an organisation and taonga that belong to nga iwi o Ngati Mutunga o Wharekauri, has destroyed much. Families are leaving the Islands.
It has to stop and a new pathway taken. A split tribe cannot be good for its people or for our mokopuna or the future of Ngati Mutunga o Wharekauri. Getting angry won't put things right.

Only a commitment by its own people, to the continuum of rangatiratanga, kaitiakitanga and manaakitanga bestowed by the highest goals of service to its people, can restore the torn cloak of Ngati Mutunga o Wharekauri.

Evelyn

a copy of the response to Steve's email will be put on the the Google site.

.." a man's philosophy is the sum of his beliefs.....the assumptions upon which he habitually acts......

I think the best way to respond to Steve is to publish him so that we can all know what is going on. The interesting thing about being open and transparent on the Internet, is there is no where to hide.
I get many responses to the different things written which is what happens with a blog that is on a global Internet. The blog offers opportunity for dialogue which is what humans need to do when there is conflict or debate. Perhaps others will respond as well.


"Kia ora whanau

this is a response to a blog from Evelyn which is below,
Evelyn never hears anyone else does she but she has been true to form since 1988 and we all can't deny that.
A report concerning the Audit Hui's will be put to Trustee's by the end of May from Wynn Williams than on to Iwi members so that will break the Ominous silence Evelyn can hear.
I see you breaking your Ominous silence to Te Karere yesterday Evelyn sounded like a personal vendetta against Charlie Preece.

I wonder where your consultation with Runanga members was before you headed to the High court or is this personal.

Well at least some of the current Trustee's of the Iwi trust are consulting with their Iwi members for direction, all of us who choose to live in NZ can't remember to much consulting going on since 1988 by any of our previous Ngati Mutunga O Wharekauri Iwi structures.

Evelyn it's a shame you didn't have a longer time slot to explain what process seen you hired at the Runanga last time Oop's and the whanau.
While you are being open about the past you should tell the Moko's and Te Karere a fishy story how the Runanga had a fishy Company and a toy fishy boat and use to catch fishy's while you are at it tell the Moko's who use to Captain the toy fishy boat and manage it's fishy Company and before they go to sleep tell the Moko's what happened to the fishy Company and the fishy's and the toy fishy boat.
Don't forget to record it all it could be a best seller then the moko's will be able to live happy ever after Yep we may even be able to buy them some chocolate fishy's .
Never mind Eve everything will be revealed all in good time got to say Eve I'm starting to smell some fishy's maybe the deep freeze has had enough and called it a day I hope some of those deep freeze's from 1988 do the same then not only the moko's can live happy ever after.

From your cruz,
Steve Tuuta

An Ominous Silence ..Te Wai Pounamu Hui-a-Iwi...

There's been a ominous silence following the Christchurch Hui a Iwi!
No news from anyone apart from an odd email from my brother, a visit from a deeply concerned member, family fights and the flu! Life goes on ...
I thought there would be much more activity as the Wellington Hui was such a success despite the fact it was shut down by karakia - for the day - rather then just for lunch - as we all thought was going to happen. A good trick but in 2009, a little obvious. If you can't handle the heat - get out!

Here's the thing.

Ngati Mutunga Iwi Trust has been allocated quota ( ACE), shares, cash as a share of a Treaty settlement with Maori by Crown, FOR FISH. This did not include the land settlement.
The right to any Treaty asset exists because hopefully,members whakapapa to a tribe , in this case, Ngati Mutunga o Wharekauri and that includes members of the Runanga.
When TOKM allocated the assets to NMoW Iwi Trust, the Runanga members did not lose the right to the treaty assets, they lost the access because the NMoW Iwi Trust refused to engage in any form of dialogue, to sort out access rights for Runanga members.
That right remains today - and will not be going away. Those tasked with sorting out the current Iwi Trust mess, ought to remember this critical point. Hopefully another grievance will be avoided.

The entity eventually set up, had to follow certain rules set out by TOKM.
How it is managed, is also governed by rules, regulations, laws and Acts of Parliament. Those appointed to positions of management, are required to follow the rules - or were supposed to. My case against the Runanga was all about those who were appointed to the Board and who did not follow the rules.

Following the Wellington Hui,it has become obvious that there is much amiss within the Iwi Trust then previously known. In fact, in my view, when I read the audit overview papers, it is a bigger mess then the Runanga ever was. That must leave the Board in a most vulnerable position with its members who may or may not, chose to bring them to account for failing in their fiduciary duties of care. Saying ' its not my fault- I didn't do it' is not enough in today's economic climate. Insurance polices and Trustee indemnities, may not be enough to keep away responsibility for what has happened.

The question is ' how will they sort out the mess? What will be their priority?

Will it be cost ? i.e the least cost option which means members money will be saved.
Will it be a personal vendetta against individuals? i.e. to 'get them at all cost' for what they have done, make it publicly known,have personal ego's celebrated for 'getting them' and then to save the tribe last?
How will this help our whanau?. Will a personal vendetta help the economic,social, cultural and education needs of our whanau?
Or
Will they chose the option that gives the greatest good to all?

One thing I am absolutely certain of is this - all governments want the what is good as it is what they are chosen to do - govern for the good of the people. They will not want tax payer money or the Treaty asset, wasted on individual vendetta's while the good of the tribe is ignored. That is not good leadership or governance by anyone, including the Trustees.
What ever they do - lets hope it is for the good of Ngati Mutunga o Wharekauri and its people, its rohe, is papakainga. They have taken a pounding over the past years.

The Runanga:
I am working through requests by the Maori Trustee, as set out in the Orders of the Court. There is further financial analysis to do before a report is handed back to the court and the new Chairman takes over. I will keep you informed of events as they happen.

cheers Evelyn

Hui a Iwi - Te Whanganui a Tara....

From its genesis as a splinter from its parent in the mid 90's, Ngati Mutunga Iwi Trust has always attracted drama and intrigue of the highest order. Like the conflicts between a defiant adolescent and parent, the ever widening relationship between the leaders of the Runangq and Ngati Mutunga o Wharekauri Trust, like power games anywhere in the world, inevitably caught the people and the Islands in a net of intrigue and deception.

As part of an audit review process, Ngati Mutunga o Wharekauri iwi Trust held the first of 3 Hui a Iwi, in Wellington on the weekend and it attracted a good turnout. The purpose of the Hui was to tell people about the scope of a total management audit and to hear what people wanted to say about it. And so they did ! And the kina ,crayfish and paua fitters were delicacies that reminded us of ourselves - soul food!

While I arrived late there was a good feeling amongst all. It is always good to see other Chatham Islanders ! I couldn't help noticing with relief, the presence of next two generations as part of the kaiwhakahaere team and the sense of a continuity of rangatiratanga - manaakitanga and kaitiakitanga, that they demonstrated. The capacity to look after people and to protect and support each other as we go through our lives, to face the challenges thrown at us and to find a pathway through, is really what it is all about. Strong and healthy communities are those that provide leadership and care that spills over to the flax roots level in meaning ways. if its not working for them, why should they support you ?

Have you ever wondered why no one takes any notice of the Chathams when it raises its voice in protest? We are 1% of the total Maori population and 0.0% of the total NZ population so in a world where numbers dictates everything, we really don't cause too much concern for Parliament except perhaps " What are we going to do with the Chathams?

So how should we respond? Wait for government to do it ? Or grow up and get on with the job?

The essence of a Treaty of Waitangi based Island in a post modern society must be that it has systems that empowers our whanau, hapu and the Iwi, where ever they are. The core unit of a tribe is the whanau. We only have one Rohe.
If we as an Iwi, cannot grow our whanau, our tribe will dissolve into an amorphous soup of unimportance and insignificance. Only we can change how Ngati Mutunga is to survive into the future.

It follows that those who are elected to represent the people of Mutunga on boards, companies or executive committee's, must bring benefit by way of products, services or by dividends and income to the people, i.e. to empower the tribe.
If you don't have the skills or experience to do the job, you have an obligation to get some training or to appoint people who can. No one knows everything about anything.

On the other hand, members need to appoint people who have the skills and experience who can strategically manage their assets and tribal organisation, to bring profit and benefit that you have, hopefully, identified previously. With a multi million dollar organisation, the current Ngati Mutunga o Wharekauri Board cannot ignore its corporate responsibilities as it manages itself and its subsidiaries, nor can it ignore its fiduciary duties to members. Underlying it all, is the continuing need to make sure the nature and extent of the Treaty right is protected and not lost. It is a huge responsibility and each tries to do their best.

So, how did the Hui go? How is the Board doing? Good question !

This was the first time I had been to NM Iwi Trust Hui and as there are several Treaty policies currently being addressed by
government, I was keen to know how the Iwi Trust was dealing with the issues. The protection mechanism of a Treaty based organisation can be found in the content of the constitution or Trust deed. As they had received the Treaty assets from TOKM, my expectation was that there would be stringent mechanisms in place - I had been part of the team that developed the rules so I was keenly focused on the presentation. Others made very equally focused enquiry abut the financial investment and management.

I think the best thing to say is that the audit review is well overdue and may in fact , be too late to rescue the organisation. With an 81 page document, the cost of reviewing must be weighed against the loss that is occurring or will occur and against fiduciary duties required by law. The Trust has been up and running for 5 years and there does not seem to be much growth of the assets or benefit back to the members by way of products, services and or dividend value.

The Board faced very pointed questions on the current state of the finances and seemed unable to answer clearly and at times, simply did not know the answers or chose to close down the questions. This brought a series of heated responses and a list of further queries were added to the review. It was also revealed that the Iwi Trust technically, has no mechanism in its deed for monitoring and protecting the Treaty based rights outlined above. Members then asked for copies of the agreement with TOKM as the situation seemed out of kilt and it seemed obvious TOKM would behave been aware of the situation. It seemed to be a mess on all fronts.

From my position, I felt the only way out was to do what I have been saying on the blog since the beginning - to form a joint working party to work on bringing the 2 groups together. In this way, the best of both constitutions, can be brought together in a new organisation without loss of assets or any mana of Ngati Mutunga or its people. It would then allow government to engage in a proper mandated Treaty settlement process with Ngati Mutunga o Wharekauri.

In the event, the Hui in Chch may well have a significant influence on how things will go for Mutunga of Wharekauri.

Lets hope they do the right thing!

It was a great Hui ! Good luck for the rest.

cheers Evelyn

Being Right or Doing Right.... What is Tika....?

Someone once said enemies or those who set out to cause you harm, animosity or dis-service, are your greatest teachers of inner strength, courage, determination and compassion. In the face of such crisis and events, outer cloaks of socially accepted behaviours are often stripped away leaving the raw reality of life.

The Rev Maori Marsden once said

"a man's philosophy is the sum of his beliefs;the assumptions upon which he habitually acts "

My mother would respond when I asked her about things

" All I know is what I saw and this is what I saw and this is what happened"

I am reading over some papers for the hui tomorrow in Wellington and can't help pondering over the past 20 years as it reflects in the words of Maori Marsden. I sometimes think the problems of the world can be found inside our families and that if we turn and face problems inside ourselves with the hope of making life better for those involved, it is highly likely that the world outside ourselves will also start to change and become a better place. As both Mutunga groups, Ngati Mutunga Iwi Trust and Te Runanga o Wharekauri face their internal conflicts, the hope is that there will be a better future together, for all members of Mutunga o Wharekauri Iwi.

As with all situations where there is conflict, every individual has a perception of what is reality? what is right? and what is wrong? In most cases, " my reality is what is happening to me and therefore I am right and you are not right." is the position taken and of course, we face the outcome of what we think and do. , and made decisions based upon what they knew.

Reality
If we ask ourselves what happened to Mutunga, the answer lies in the crisis now facing the Runanga and Ngati Mutunga Iwi Trust.
The reality for both groups is that their existence comes directly from a legal right that is legitimised by the Treaty of Waitangi.
In 1988, the Runanga was set up as a direct response to devolution and governments need to engage with the Maori tribes of NZ.
While they existed as authentic and legitimate structures as a culture of indigenous people, Crown did not recognise such entities and thus, did not have any legal structure which in their view, allowed them to engage in the business of government, with Maori. They provided services to Maori, through the Department of Maori Affairs.
Maori were thus required to set up legal entities that met government rules.
At the same time, major challenges to Maori Treaty fishing rights were being debated in the High Court and the Court of Appeal. The Chathams were represented by the New Zealand Maori Council, one of the parties in High court case. Devolution was also in full flight under Rogernomics.
Why NZ Maori Council?
The Chatham Islands Maori Committee, was a sub committee operating under the Te Wai Pounamu council, which was a regional committee of the NZ Maori Council. Our signature to the MZ Maori Council case in the High Court, was that of Roger Preece.

I remember the Ministerial Hui held at Whakamaharatanga Marae, made possible when I hijacked the final National Hui bringing in 'Iwi' development ' as it became known, in Wellington and Koro Wetere agreed to go the the Chatham's. Chatham's wasn't on the Hui list. What I remember most on the Islands, was the fighting and arguing between locals, inside the marae. It was a symptom of what was to come.

From this visit,I was appointed by the Minister, to deal with policy for the Chathams and the first job was to set up an entity to represent the tribal community of Wharekauri. Hui were held and the Runanga was set up as an incorporated society, which held as its foundation, the Treaty of Waitangi It has stood the test of many a tight scrutiny.

As the fisheries settlement debate progressed and Iwi (as Maori tribes were now known),company and individual competition for resources began to emerge, families began to pull away from the Runanga and seek a self determination in the new political and economic environment. Around that, political plays and policies began to shape the quest for those organisation and individual goals. A study of the organisations, groups and individuals that emerged during the fisheries debate,provide us with a wealth of information and study about the changing shape of traditional codes and customs.

New interpretations of customs and rights appeared, shaped by the changing political and economic landscapes and altered realities for all. Goals changed. Where once there was just the Treaty, we began to see the emergence of an analysis and policies with new realities and perceptions. " Principles " of the Treaty began to appear, forcing Maori into turbulant and unchartered waters as we sought to protect that which we held so dear and near. Where do we start? and what do we say? as the new opportunities provided by income from the quota, clashed with customary philosophies and codes.

For the Runanga, the game kicked off with the Sealords Deal as we challenged the Governmenet and tribes of NZ about the fisheries settlement. Up until this point, the Chathams had been subsummed into Kai Tahu by way of the NZ Maori Council. We had no seperate voice or rather, the island inhabitants had no idea of how to deal with what was seen as weapons of control i.e the machinary of local and central government. 'Council' was the authority i.e it was seen as such as they had a mechanism which government seemed to heed. The Council leaders were well known for trooping off to Wellington and coming back with news of who they had been to see , to get things done. In fact, it was the Chairman of the County Council who was instrumental in bringing together the initial hui which set up the Runanga in 1988. And as we all knew, all eyes were on the quota.
The debate in NZ, continued as tribes challenged Crown and each other, over critical interpretations of tikanga Maori in all legal forums. The debates was pounded out in the highest courts of the NZ and Britain e.g what is an iwi?.

The commercial constraints and administrative laws, surrounding the new entities that had to be set up, to deal with these new philosophies of managing resources and people, have continued to bring conflict. The dichotomy and duality of values between the individual right and the collective right, has created major conflicts up and down the country. The seeds of discontent and conflict in the Mutunga groups, can be found in these dualities of rights and values.

The Chatham's had its own form of emerging interpretations of customs as political and economic landscapes converged in quests for wealth, self determination and reparation - all rolled in one.

But ohh ! those perceptions of reality and right ! How far? how long ? and when did the Treaty start on the Chathams ?
where do you put the stake in the ground to make the perception valid ? How do we know it is valid? Can the Tribunal tell us about ourselves? did they write of our stories?
Is it the money? the fish? the people? or the land? outside Iwi? or government?

WHO IS RIGHT?

The Tribunal report is confusing on critical custom of conquest. In fact, it could even be said to be laying a 2 bob bet each way, to make things tika. Oh dear, there's that word again ! Has war ever been fair? Someone won and others lost. Did these things happen only on the Chathams?

SO WHAT IS THIS THING CALLED CUSTOM?

And what importance do all these things have on the structure and constitution of organisation's who say they represent the tribe, Ngati Mutunga? What does that mean? What of rangatiratanga?

The Treaty of Waitangi

The important thing to get about the two organisations is that both exist because of the importance and legal status of the Treaty of Waitangi.
It follows that both must reflect the fundamental philosophies of the Treaty, in their constitution, their management and their policies. This also means all elected to Executive positions, ought to know what the Treaty is all about especially as it impacts upon the land and the people. All are held in the rangatiratanga of Ngati Mutunga o Wharekauri. They become kaitiaki for tribe and have a duty of care of the people. Having such a duty means they make themselves available to ' be of service" to the people , the environs and future generations.

The current conflicts between the two groups are not consistent with being kaitiaki of a tribe. Service seems to have been for self interest and is not so obvious, for the people, the environs or for future generations.

Of particular concern, is the on going controversies over whakapapa for political gain to boast registration numbers for Moriori i.e the whakapapa of our tupuna kuia, Ngahiwi Dix. My great grandfather was Manuera Dix. What is disturbing is the associated compromise of fundamental principles of the Treaty, of customary rights and the Rohe Potae, by Executive members, for what can only be described as greed or self interest. Why else would you compromise your customrry right to land for some fish?

Personally, I cannot see how Ngahiwi could be granted land if she had been of Moriori descent. There are a number of early succession applications recorded in the Maori Land where the Judge clearly states that succession could only be awarded to Maori. It seems to me she is more closely related to Te Rauparaha, which makes her principally Ngati Toa and Mutunga. Now as Ngati Haumia was a hapu of Toa, that makes the reserve at Waitangi, an interesting place ? How's that for a twist in perception?
Ω
Once again the confusion tells us we need to manage our whakapapa and customary land information much better then is being done now. One of the greatest damages done when all Runanga staff were dismissed in 2007, was the Treaty research on the court wards of land blocks blocks and identity of the tupuna granted land and history of owners, stopped. The cost of the dismissal is immeasurable. Those of Mutunga, must dialogue and korero with each other, to learn and know who they are and what Mutunga is.

So on we go ...but where to?

I heard Cris Finlayson say on TV something about how a divided people can never be united. I thought how fitting that described Ngati Mutunga o Wharekauri but it also sent a message to us. My hope is that the Ngati Mutunga Hui being held in Wellington, Christchurch and the Chathams, will not only face their internal conflicts, but also set a pathway for the future of Ngati Mutunga o Wharekauri.

They ought to reccommend that a joint Working Party be set up, with the terms of reference to bring the two constitutions together, to take the best from each and to reshape it into a strong, efficient and effective wharenui for Ngati Mutunga o Wharekauri, so that it may engage meaningfully and fully, in the local, national and global society, as it has always done.


Still no media statement so I will put the draft version on the Google groups- Wharekauri site.
Do This:
Go to Google. click on Groups. click on the document you want to read OR
Click on 'wharekauri ' and then the document OR
Type 'wharekauri ' into the search box.

cheers Evelyn

Orders of The Court

It looks like the media statement has not been released yet as I am still waiting for Charlie to respond to the draft that was sent to him. Maybe he will send it out anyway - without checking with anyone , hopefully to newspapers in Chch, Wellington and Auckland as well as the Chathams.

Anyway, as I am not prepared to wait another 2 years to get information out, I am posting the Orders of the Court on Google groups site- Wharekauri, so that you can see what the court has ordered.
As per the order, we are currently going through a process of agreeing on the terms of engaging the Maori Trustee.

I keep harping on about the huge cost and loss of opportunity that has occurred with the actions by the Chair and the Board taken in 2007. This also includes the loss of access to government services including major economic policies like the Economic Summit for Maori, health and education initiatives during those 2 years. A critical issue is the seabed and foreshore debate. The Ministerial Review Panel on the Foreshore and Seabed Act 2004 is accepting written submissions up until 19 May 2009all groups with customary interests in the foreshore and seabed should make submissions. That means you. Ia anyone preparing a submission ? everyone should. I will post the details when I get them.

In the middle of case, my father's sister, Aunty Min (Te Miri), passed away in Chch. Confined to full time care as disease overcame her once fastidious focused mind, it was a relief to hear that she had gone. Amidst the chaos of the case, I needed to write of her, to mihi to her, as she had done so much for me during and for my life.
She had also told many stories and I had taped her telling those stories as I knew they were of a bygone era, about which, we would not hear from anyone else. So many of the issues being debated amongst the new kaumatua and kuia, would have been given greater credibility, if the stories of this generation, could have told to us all.
I will post the story when it is finished as I think we need to celebrate our kuia who achieved in her chosen profession of nursing, at a time in this country when the glass ceiling for Maori women was about 2 feet above the floor with a pinny and a scrubbing brush.

I loved to listen to her stories about going to school at Kairakau.. walking from Torotoro..she was brought up by Takiri ( daughter of Ngahiwi Dix) and Rua Herata. Ngahiwi was midwife to our grandmother, Te Amo Ngaonemaringi (Daymond) daughter of Te Amo Rereti and Matoha Daymond ( Tuhata) ...but there was bush about then... In her last year at school, there were 2 in her class, Mick Lanauze and her!
Their stories are critical as they tell us our real history...Hopefully someone will record his story and that of all our kaumatua and kuia.

This brings me to the notice I received about the Ngati Mutunga Trust Hui being held for the purpose of talking about a thousand things including an audit. Looks like you have to bring a sleeping bag, with a list that big. As a non-member, it looks scary! what do you guys do?

Maybe it's time we all sat down and had a yarn about how we can sort things out together. After all, we are all one tribe from an island Rohe - quite unique actually. And we are not going to go away. Why not sort out the mess together and try and find a better way of doing things as it is obvious, what's happening now , is not working.

Who knows.. maybe this was all meant to be ?

cheers Evelyn

Statement of Claim

I have created another site for documents. It also has its own email that you can use. It was too difficult to do it any other way and you don't have fast download services. Anyway- here goes. Email me if it doesn't work for you.

Current web address:
http://groups.google.co.nz/group/wharekauri
Current email address:
wharekauri@googlegroups.com

FOLLOW THESE STEPS

1.Go to Google.com OR click on link above, which ever works for you.
2.Click on 'groups'
3.In the search box - type Wharekauri.
4.This will take you to Google sites with the 'Wharekauri' site at the top.
5. Click on Wharekauri and this will
EITHER
a) take you to a green site and a file called " Statement' .
6. Double Click on the file called 'Statement'
OR
7. Click on ' open' on the blue menu box that opens
8. Double click on the pdf file in the box on the RIGHT hand side. The statement of claim is inside. Just use the magnifying icon at the top of your page to increase the size of the document. There are 15 pages.


THE STATEMENT

I am posting this as it is a public document available to anyone. This outlines the greivances I had. The Maori Trustee withdrew and another independant Chair was found.
The hearing on 1 April was to resolve the matter. It had taken 2 years to get the Chairman to this point. My concern was that you are missing out on critical government services, the cost of continually delaying the case, and opportunities lost as a result, has been too high.

Discussions have taken place to bring to the matters to a head so that you can get on with things that need to be done. While I am not at liberty to discuss what went on inside the court, the court documents are a public record. When they are released, I will add them to this same site so that you can read for yourself what happened.
My position was that I have no right to put at risk the rights of other members of the organisation or Ngati Mutunga.
There will be a media statement released.


cheers Evelyn

It's Been A Busy Old Time ....

It's been a busy old time these last 2 weeks. Much happened.
In the days leading up to 1 April, as expected, things became more hectic, people reacted as the final form of what was to happen, took shape.

I have always found the law to be an interesting phenomena.
As one of our wise kaumatua put it...

" It is not the fact of law I question, it is the quality "

Justice seems to be shaped by perspectives, opinion and interpretation of lore, law, regulations and previous cases that have determined acceptable outcomes.
Focus is critical. Having good lawyers is critical if you want to achieve your goals.

The question is 'What do you want? Why are you doing what you are doing? Know this before you start and remember the reasons as you face each decision that comes your way .

At all times, I was mindful when I started this paepae in January. of what was in the statement of claim, which was already siting in the HIgh Court and where I hoped the whole action would go.
Doing this sort of work is no walk in the park. It is a good idea to know why you are doing what you doing.

I was also mindful of the whakatauki that I had used to guide me in my decision making over the years but there is something different about this time.
It has a more significant kaupapa then the Sealords or the Tribunal hearings. They were real opportunities for choice that would lead to better growth for all. However,that did not happen. We are now living with the choices that were made - and we have to face that. We are where we are now, because we did what we did. This case in the High Court, is the outcome of what we did. It can never be said we did not have the opportunity to do things better. We had it all.

This time, we have 1 last shot at getting it back on track.

Those of us who live offshore, are directly affected by what happens back home as that is where our Treaty rights are determined.
Treaty rights fall out of our customary rights to a particular territory - your papakainga. Wharekauri, Chatham Islands is the papakainga o Ngati Mutunga o Wharekauri, not Wellington, or Christchurch.
Those living in NZ could well be described as Urban Maori, a new term coined to describe the characteristics of a post modern Maori society. It is the phenomena of living away from our Rohe, for whatever reason.

What was happening to Ngati Mutunga, has to be brought back into balance so that the generations to come, can have a better life on that island. The one we are facing now, looks pretty grim. The issues still need to be sorted out in the weeks and months ahead but we cannot do that unless we talk together and then take action to do something about getting it back on track.

That starts at a whanau level. I have had my whakapapa questioned, my professional and commercial agenda challenged my personal, mental, emotional and interlectual capacities thrown at me - for what ? I am not the tribe.
I am just a member of Ngati Mutunga o Wharekauri and I cannot change the past but I can do something about the future by doing something now, to try and make a difference for my mokopuna in years to come. So what legacy are you leaving for our mokopuna? for the Rohe? for the papakainga?

Mutunga has been split for too long and it has been to the advantage of everyone else and the dis-advantage of ourselves.

When Mutunga sorts it self out, the Islands will come right.

"When one tries to tame external enemies, they increase. Therefore, it is a practice of the wise to tame themselves"

There are all too many stories about tribal people all over the world, who have lost their land through government programs, legislation and regulations as their land becomes the target for economic wealth and development. A global economic crisis has changed the world in which we live and the old ways are falling over.

Where would you go , if government presented relocation to you as an option now in 2009?

These considerations were all part of the things that ran through my mind as I considered the case I had taken to the High Court.

Never has it been more important to make sure that those who are placed in charge of of your organisations, tell you what's going on. The collapse of companies and organisations world wide have occurred for the same reason as I am taking this case. There are rules and laws that have to be followed if you are elected as a representative of an Iwi organisation. If you don't know them , find out what they are. Ask for training so that you can learn what to do.

I have finally worked out how to load up documents and will post the Statement of Claim for the case next time.

In all the work and events over the past 2 years, my goal was

a) To stabilise and get the organisation working properly and effectively.
b) To get the tribe into one paddock to stabilse the Treaty settlements

How to do this without too much cost, added to the challenge.

I will tell you about the case next time.

cheers Evelyn

a tide that had to be taken at the flood',

As the days count down to 1 April, I am intrigued at the silence from some who were initially very vocal, pressure from others who seek a certain result and the activity of others who just want to get on with their daily lives and not be bothered by such things as Treaty rights and governance. Whatever that means, they don't really care or want to know! In the scheme of things, that is perhaps an average response.

How can you get excited about invisible things like constitutional rights, customary laws and the challenges of making competing rights work in every day life? It can all seem too difficult and far away at times.

The reality is, we have a responsibility to care. It's what determines how you live on the Islands.

Our lives on the islands, are shaped by laws and regulations that govern the whole country, even though it maybe 800 km away.  We elect people to make laws, implement policies that regulate and and manage our nation.  They do so that we may have the privilege of life with a right to aspire to the highest levels as a human beings. The extent that we have our aspirations fulfilled depends upon the mix of decisions made by our elected representatives and the effort by ourselves, as we make our decisions each day, when we get up and put the kettle on.

Sometimes our efforts can seem as if we are pushing the proverbial load up hill.

The right can become overwhelmed by the sheer volume and complexity of things that you have to make decisions about. At some point we simply ' tip over' as the job of trying to satisfy the demands of everyday, outstrips our ability to meet those never ending demands.

At this point , we begin to make decisions about how to survive.  It is a normal human reaction to stress as we seek to meet the basic human needs of ourselves, our families and our homes.

The right to develop seems to have an insignificant place in the thinking of those who have the responsibility to manage our resources and us as humans on the island. Sometimes you get the feeling that life would be easier for others if we were not on the islands. As one who was responsible for writing a paper for Cabinet in the 1990's on options to relocate people from the Chatham Islands as a solution for replacing the transport subsidy, I am all too familiar with the unbridled power of those we elect. They play team well when they have to. It is a skill we have yet to learn.

There is no doubt that Chatham Island Maori have had fundamental rights denied over the past 2 decades as intellectuals, legal experts and political environments set different agenda, goals and proclaimed myths, legends and injustices as the legitimising and moral codes for their conduct.

Events of the 19 century were revisited, pummelled by the intellectual minds of the 20 century, judgment's were made and then brought down on people who had long gone, and the punishment delivered to descendants of those judged to be in the wrong. 160 years later, in the 21st century.

For me, that translates to mean, customary events that are now considered in the 21st century, as 'sins'. These 'sins' of my great, great grandfather, of the great, great, great, grandfather of my children and the great, great, great, great grandfather of my mokopuna, , are being judged and punishment is being brought down upon us in 2009.

There is something blatantly unjust in this whole phenomena.

I remember Justice Cooke saying at our Court of Appeal hearing in 1992, that the courts cannot bind future generations or its successors and that there is a fiduciary duty owed by Crown in regard to matters of the Treaty. A Tribunal report delivered 8 years after the event, was bound to be a political document, yet it delivered messages and energies from other places, not connected with the local lore and life. 

As Rodney Harrison QC warned Justice Cooke in 1992 when he stated that the Sealords deal was a tide that had to be taken at the flood',

The problem is ..the tide comes back in ...

In my opinion the current situation has triggered the prophetic words of Rodney Harrison and set dangerous foundations as seeds of unrest and disquiet lie germinating on the surface of an economic recession.

But were the events of war occurring only on the Chatham Islands in the 1830-1840's?

The implications and answers to these questions are determining what happens to you today.

Go find out what happened yourself.     You have a great Island - it deserves your support and care!

Cheers Evelyn

Feast or Famine? The Silence of the lambs....

FACING OURSELVES

The dilemma of being human is that we can never escape ourselves no matter what.

While others can tell us their view of stories about ourselves, only we can know the true story of what goes on inside our families. Silence is often a response. Sometimes the weight of indisputable and invisible authority silences the most vulnerable.

And so it is with the Islands. We all have family stories abut how life was and each generation has a different history.

Similarly, the Chatham Island customary tribal events of 19th century, have given rise to extra-ordinary political events in the 21st century, encoded by stories that touched the moral sensitivities of the 21st century.

For instance, we know about Cheif Tamati Ngapora writing to Governor Grey in 1848, to ask for help in controlling his slaves so obviously things were still happening in NZ well after 1840. Have the descendants of Ngapora had judgments and punishments visited upon them in the 1990's, as has been done to Mutunga descendants?

We also know cannibalism, female infanticide and slavery were abolished in all tribes when the British Crown took over and thank goodness for that.

Contrary to learned opinion that Chatham Island Maori felt aggrieved when the British brought the Chathams into the fold in 1842, they did not - why would they?
In fact it was the Chiefs who were responsible for bringing many of the changes that were becoming available in NZ, for the Islands. They needed to keep up with the rapid changes. Who else was going to do it? Crown didn't get going until after the 1900's.

The critical point to get is that there was a war over territory, someone lost and someone won using the customs and weapons of the time. That 's it! We cannot change the past so that is has a different ending - it is not a Play Station game.

Settling the Past ...

The huge task of settling, developing and growing a thriving community, was the responsibility of the leaders of that time. They were tied to the international trade routes of the world, with whales and seal trades dominating economic activity. They also introduced the age of agriculture to the islands when our potato's were exported to NSW. In those days,natural food resources were abundant and access was governed by customary codes.

Lifespan's, however, was much shorter. Medical science had not reached our shores, dis-ease was usually tied to spiritual beliefs and tohunga, were the experts for tribes. This was no different on the Islands.
When the new diseases arrived with the whalers e.g they annihilated hundreds. There are areas on Island farms, that have the evidence of what can only be described as attempts to find relief from the raging temperatures - who really knows?
We can only speculate , we did not live then but what we can do is look after them as they rest now.


As happened with NZ tribes who fought territorial battles, the codes of war were customary. They were dynamic and legitimised by the ongoing post war relationships that developed between the defeated and the victors in the 1830-40's, the Colonial Office and the multitudes that were descending on NZ to claim a new lifestyle for themselves.
This also happened on the islands.
Today's tribal mix is a result of this dynamic process of human relationships that evolved from the changes wrought by global economic drivers, tribal wars, where ever they occured. The fundamental kinship relationships born from such customs, cannot be legislated away by vehicles developed to drive Treaty settlements. They are born of blood that carries the genetic codes of ancestors and are embedded in our DNA molecules. To do is to invite indictment of social engineering as the inevitable result will be to split families as they are placed in a no win situation of having to chose between which parent, grandparent they wish to claim, to enable access to services, benefits and assets of the new order.

The testimony of our kaumatua , Charlie Preece to the Waitangi tribunal hearings, clearly spell this out. Other kaumatua and kuia also gave testimonies to support.

" I am Charles Henry Preece and I am 75 years old. my mother was part Moriori and part Maori. My father was pakeha from London and. My mother never spoke Moriori only Maori. They are both buried at Manukanu. But we very definitely got on very well with everyone back then. There was no animosity between Maori and Moriori. the fact that Maori had come from Taranaki and taken Moriori was never discussed. People just accepted that the Maori had conquered Moriori.
That was in the past, we just got on with out lives. When they say these things
I feel they are talking about my wife. It upsets me . I know...I am the oldest Moriori on the Islands....
We never lived as tribes, we lived as one people... As fasr as I am concerned I am just a Chatham Islander....And me with more Moriori in me then most other people. I am a Chatham Islander. I have been that way all my life and I will stay that way. I was born here and I will stay here.."/em>

em>

" My name is Minnie Heni Tuuta (nee Pomare) of Wharekauri. I was born in the Chatham Islands in 1917 and until my 49th birthday, lived on the Chatham's. When I was born my pito was buried under a tree at Waitangi, that happened with all my children in my family. i cannot remember any divisions between Maori, Moriori or European during my school life. We were all one people and we basically lived as one big family. Uncle John Tuuta who worked for Tommy Solomon who use to supply meat for the fishermen. We all lived together. We lived off the land, there was plenty of fish and shell fish and meat. We had our own gardens."

>Wars in the 1830's between tribes were not waged with the cloak of the British Crown hovering over the principles and policies of the customary codes. They weren't interested! In NZ, it wasn't until the 1860's that the contining lack of interest by
the settlor government problems associated with customary codes, lead to armed conflict. the contining coflict lead to the Native Land Act in 1862. while some progection was aforded by this Act, in reality, it created property rights in the form of a title that vested defined areas of land in indviduals who were then able to act independantly of their whanau, hapu and tribe. While the Act afforded some protection of the customary title, the operation of the legislation undermined the cloak of protection.

On the Islands, it wasn't until that astute German tried to buy us that the British, not the Crown, moved to bring the Islands into its paddock and thereby under its rule,in 1842. The Chathams had it's own version and there are dolcuments available to you from the Waitangi Tribunal hearings , should you wish to learn more.

As Micheal Belgrave argues, this time in our history was driven by a response to deal pragmatically with problems and disputes between the Colonial Office, the New Zealand Company, who was out from Britain acquiring land as fast as they could for sales to settlors still to arrive, the new settlors and Maori tribes , between Sydney speculators in Maori land and Governor Gipps of NSW. (Belgrave Maori Customary Law')
Grant Young explains,

" The Treaty itself was a necessary expedient, a product of recognition of the Declaration of Independence of 1835, the military strength of Maori ( generic term referring to tribes) and the political influence of missionaries and other hunitarians."

These post war relationships remain today and create the foundations of powerful tribal networks, that operate in the 21st century. It is the stuff that underpins the foundations of the NZ Maori Party - a party born of its time and for its time.

We live in a new Time. We have to find new ways of doing things as theold ways are no longer working.

So what place do the inter generational models have in the legitimised codes accepted by Crown and intellectuals, as they bring down judgments and implement rewards - 2009 style?
Does whakapapa still have significance in law or lore?

And what do the new intellectuals give as an explanation for our predicament? Our place, Our Rohe that

"..place so remote and neglected place ...beyond the gaze of officials.. They were so remote and valueless they were seen to be a perfect place for Maori rebels from Ngati Porou"

Gosh! what an interesting history we have!


SO ! HOW DEEP THE PUTEA OF PEACE AND COMPENSATION?

How deep is the putea for compensation already dished out? What has been given so far - to the aggrieved party? What deals will still be done to protect a now well entrenched myth?

I already know Steve has been busy in this area !
Have you been given the official nod by the Treaty Office have you , Steve? What about the rest of us?

How long will the teat be kept ready for milking?

Now the sensitive, emotionally and politically correct amongst us might say

'That's cruel and crass Evelyn, !

Really ? Its the truth!

What's happening to Chatham Maori is a fiscal scandal ! Would you prefer I was silent? to be lead like a lamb to the slaughter?

How come Crown gave 6 million dollars to a small sector of our island community to find peace and refused to fund $100,000 to do a feasibility study that would bring economic benefit to the whole Island, stimulate growth and bring employment?

When over $300,000 was spent on research & development and included reports from the Crown Research institute, Ag Research and initial niche market research reports, that Crown preferred to walk away from innovative economic development initiatives from the farmers and to give $6 million dollars to Moriori to go find themselves ?

What are they trying to find? peace? a new brand for marketing the islands?

What about the local people who are responsible for the care of the primary resources, the land? For the Manaakitanga ? Kaitiakitanga? Our families ? Our schools.

Something is not right somewhere !

BUT IS OUR FUTURE ABOUT THE PUTEA?

Where we are at is the a result of where we have been. Actions of the past have created an economic climte that is making our families leave the islands for work , old people running the farms, social services running down and generally a tough time for all.

It did not have to be like this.!

We have the resources, you have the capacity to work . You need a vision for the future.

Part of the 2005 economic project plan was to grow a green model of development. You have all the ingredients to succeed.

To do that, all you need is a pen and paper and a group of committed people.

Watch this ! Our 70 year old Kuia & Kaumatua doing their own crutching.
Is this what you want for you or your parents when you or they reach 70 ?

Fire of Wharekauri

' From The Nothingness, To The NIght, Into The World Of Light...'

'...I te kore ki te po, ki te ao marama..'                         

Rangatiratanga (stewardship) and kaitiakitanga (custodial care) are commonly held notions of Maori lore, law and life. Underpinned by customary foundations and principles , they are essentially key drivers for the collective aspirations of Maori.
Within this world, whakapapa (genealogy) is the core transmitter of our spiritual, physical and elemental resources. The management of these resources and the inter-relationships within and between them, ensures the political, cultural and economic wealth and health of successive generations.
Fundamental to the balance of these resources, is Papatuanuku-Earth Mother, the feminine principle, nurturer, source of food and nourishment, te whenua- the land.
Traditional Maori tribal society is generally structured as whanau(family), hapu ( large kin groups of families) and the tribe or Iwi ( groups of hapu), all are linked through whakapapa to an eponymous ancestor/s)
Tribal settlement of the islands spans centuries and previous Polynesian migrations recorded in whaikorero, waiata and whakapapa, tell the ancient histories of the current mix of people who share ancestral links to tupuna from Hawaiki. The current descendants also trace whakapapa links to Taranaki.

As discussed earlier, the pressure of inter -tribal conflict, and wars and new settlors forced tribes to find new territory. The Chathams heke was lead by well known leaders with kin links to well known warrior leaders such as Toarangatira, grandson of Mutunga, Te Rauparaha and Rangihaeta ( second husband of Wi Naera' Pomare's mother) but it is the testimonies of Rakatau and Toenga at the 1870 Maori Land Court Hearings on the Chatham Islands, that give us an insight into the minds of the Taranaki leaders of the time.

" We have come from Taranaki to Kapiti in accordance with a previous arrangement that we should go and take possession of lands. Thence to Queen Charlotte Sound, thence to Banks Peninsula and Otago. Some of our party went in whale ships and returned telling about the place . And we held meetings and discussions. The question whether we should come here or not. We came to the Chatham Islands and took possession. I took possession of these lands,as was the custom..."

"I am the oldest man , I came from Taranaki. I formed a wish to come here. . i came from Taranaki to Kapiti. I took possession of Kapiti and then Wellington. Part of my tribe went south across the straits to Queen Charlotte Sound and that land was taken, and we came to the Chatham islands and we took possession of the Chatham Islands."

Despite the challenges to its validity in recent times, the conquest was defining in terms of the status and mana of Mutunga on the islands. As was the custom of conquest throughout the world, the conquered were absorbed into the new order and over the intervening 150 years, a peaceful co-existence was built. There are many testimonies of this phenomena.,the most significant one in recent times is that of Charles Preece. (see previous posting).
As land wars, settlor companies and new governing rules continued to bring changes , Mutunga continued to live in a world much larger then the Chathams. They had to keep up with the new government regulations ,political changes and to maintain political links with other tribes especially Taranaki.

" Te Whiti was well supplied with eels by his Chatham Island adherents. 2000 were caught in one small lake and hung up to dry. 5000 from another required 14 bullocks to drag them to the surf boat to be shipped in Hood's vessel, the 'Omaha'. Altogether the Maori exported 20,000in February alone, followed by huge quantities of grey duck and swan, then mutton birds and young albatross. Deputations of food and money regularly went from the Chathams to Parihaka taking gifts of food and money."

Nevertheless, land loss, new governance and global economic readjustments over the years, brought great changes for whanau, hapu and iwi throughout Aotearoa. It resulted in tremendous shifts in the political, cultural and socio-economic life of Maori. and different relationships and management systems evolved as tribes adjusted to the significant changes wrought by history. The impact of these changes can be clearly viewed in the current political, social and economic environment of the Chatham Islands. It is a mess!
Evidence abounds in the Waitangi Tribunal and other forums, showing that since 1842, government administration of the Islands has been one of indifference and neglect.
But what can one do when a fundamental premise of service and priority of the governing system is based upon population. Chatham Island Maori is 1% of the NZ Maori population and 0.0% of NZ's total population so we ought not to expect that government or anyone else for that matter, will take much notice of any call for anything really!

But there is the matter of the $6 million pay out that remains a mystery.

However, what I know about change is that there is always opportunity for better things to come.

"A positive future cannot emerge from the mind of anger or despair"
~ Dalai Lama

History can be changed in a moment but it needs people to take responsibility for what is happening now - and we all must carry some responsibility.
It did not have to happen this way.
The past 30 years has has seen mega wealth produced from our waters - but what is there to show for it ? what was the return to the islands? Where did it go to?
As the global financial and economic crash continues , our islands ought to be a safe haven to nurture the tribe, instead of a hell for failing businesses and desperate & stressed whanau..

It will not take much to turn things around BUT we must do it as a team. No person can survive on their own on that Island in the current financial climate. No one person can make things happen on their own. You have to do it together as one tribal community.
Governments come and governments change, but communities are formed and made successful by people, not governments

" This achievement is larger than any individual. While individual projects can be completed, the sum is so much greater than its parts. Learn to see yourself not on where you have reached, but on the Path you are traveling. ..."

And so I can only do my part.

I started this paepae at the beginning of January, to communicate with you and others because I was concerned at the lack of information coming out to members of Ngati Mutunga o Wharekauri.
I was also deeply concerned about the destruction of the Runanga, its assets and Treaty negotiations and the opportunities that were lost, for economic development and education services to the islands, because of internal political & economic ignorance, greed and ego. If you had picked up the option to build a meatworks, you would have been up and running now, with alternative power units in place - for $2 million dollars approx.

Dare I mention the $6 million 'Find me Fund " again ? where is it and what is it being used for? Does anyone know ?
Who gets the benefits and how many are on the register to justify such a huge a government handout ? Is that why they need the whakapapa of our Kuia Ngahiwi Dix to fill up their waka?That was just a little less then the $8 million government allocated to set up what is now the Enterprise Trust , back in the days of devoution. !

Anyway, back to the case:
The lack of skill and knowledge of those "controlling' others in charge of the organisations , on how to make proper financial and management decisions, coupled with the closed, rigid attitude against seeking skilled help when it is obvious things are going wrong, is a major factor contributing to the lack of growth within our whanau and Iwi. The case is an example of a bad decision made out of ignorance and egoism and the damage that it has caused, is probably irreparable.

Someone has to say it up front & you may hate me for doing so, but it needs to be said and faced. We are here to leave a legacy for our mokopuna, not a mess.

We have not inherited the world from our forefathers.
We have borrowed it from our children."~ Kashmiri proverb

I previously told you I would put the statement of claim for the case on the site ( " Evelyn Tuuta vs Te Runanga o Wharekauri Rekohu..") that is to be heard on April 1, in Wellington. [ If I knew how to do the technology, I would, but I can't . So if anyone can tell me - i would be grateful. I am no techie! Just email me at the blog e90249@gmail.com ]

What I can tell you is this.
This whole case did not have to happen. There has been two years of doing nothing based upon a statement that the Runanga was insolvent -it wasn't. I took a case for wrongful dismissal and won. They refused to sign off the settlement agreement , dragged out responding and still haven't signed it off. ; I had no choice but to challenge for such wrong doings and there are many. While doing the case I have had to go on a benefit because the impact has been so stressful. I have lost all my assets and have borrowed from 2 family members to help pay my bills. My car under threat and I am living with my daughter until I can find somewhere to stay while I do this case.

And now I see they want to negotiate an agreement on a settlement for this case. FOR WHAT?

So why have I told you all this about my situation?

Because real stories of history are about what happens to the people in the middle of the conflicts. it is not what the learned student writes , seeking information to expand their knowledge so that they may embellish their prowess in the famed halls of cerebral longdrops.
It's about those who are not clear and may have never even thought about visions for the future or simply don't care.

The world is abound with evidence of people in positions of power who control and make decisions that destroy the lives of families and communities - just like the Chathams.
Real stories of history are about ordinary people , families and communities having to survive against all odds ,the egoism and destructive power of individuals who seek to empower themselves. above the good for all people.

"So What do you think I should do - negotiate? '

"What would you do if you were me ?

Do you think they deserve to have a day in court to have a proper yarn about what went wrong ?

Who knows, we might all learn something and that maybe a good thing

If there was any other way of getting information out to you or if hui were being held to inform you of what has been happening, I would not be doing this . There is, however, no other way to inform you or seek your opinion on matters that affect your Iwi.

Please feel free to Email or write what you think in a comment section below.

Cheers

Evelyn
e90249@gmail.com