Bugger trying to woo local voters – the smart way to power is through Treaty settlements

Forget about all this democracy stuff.

There are short-cuts to getting a place at the local authority decision-making table – or close enough – without having to go through all that messy stuff about winning support from voters.

Nah, nuts to all that. If you are an indigenous person with tribal inclinations you can count on non-Maori decison-makers – if you approach the right ones – being only too anxious to let you in

That’s how Taranaki’s indigenous persons will soon be flexing their iwi muscle with the Taranaki Regional Council

The good people of Taranaki – who have shown a distinct preference for making their indigenous big-wigs earn their council posts the hard way – accordingly have been gazumped.

Alf senses the craven aiding and abetting of Christopher Finlayson may be found in there somewhere.

Co-governance: the Kiwi way of doing things increasingly by halves

As was foreshadowed here before the election, the Crown has buckled to give Maori another 50:50 co-governance deal.

The Maori who have come out of the negotiations triumphant will be popping the champagne corks or their indigenous equivalent to rejoice.

The NZ Herald tells the story –

Far North iwi Te Aupouri will celebrate a major milestone tomorrow when it signs a two-part deal which gives it a hand in governing 90 Mile Beach.

Treaty Negotiations Minister Christopher Finlayson says he hopes it brings much-needed economic development to one of the most impoverished areas in the country, while a tribal negotiator said the iwi will work hard to move Te Aupouri to a brighter future.

If co-governance arrangements are the secret to boosting economic development, perhaps we should proliferate them around the country.

Come to think of it, bit by bit we are proliferating them around the country but it is being done somewhat insidiously and the Government does not brag too much about this path to brightening our future.

No wonder Tuku Morgan is rapturous – the Waikato regional council has just given Maori a special deal

Iwi within the Waikato Regional Council catchment are celebrating the council’s decision to create two Maori seats, according to Waatea News.

Tainui chairman Tukoroirangi Morgan says his iwi is “rapturous” at the council decision, says Radio NZ.

Of course they are celebrating. Of course they are rapturous.

They have just persuaded non-Maori on the council to tip the political playing field in their favour.

Let’s ask young Maori in Porirua if they want to be forced to learn Te Reo

Is Te Reo destined to become extinct, too?

Hats off to Maori Party leader Pita Sharples, who has spoken wisely and sensibly (in English) on the future of Te Reo.

He has injected a much-needed dose of reality into the proposition that New Zealand should have a bilingual Maori-speaking government.

That proposition comes from the Waitangi Tribunal. Accordingly it will be accorded great respect, not because it deserves respect but because Pakeha who challenge it risk being denounced as racists.

Nothing here to make up for those bloody fuel taxes

Alf has been eagerly awaiting news from the Beehive to help mollify his Eketahuna North constituents, who remain riled about being stung with higher fuel taxes to make life easier for Aucklanders on the transport front.

No salve was dispensed today.

That’s not to say the Beehive has buggered off to the West Coast for a get-together, as Labour MPs did – to a region that should have been as scarlet red as The People’s Flag, but which fell to the Nats at the last election.

National’s Ministers are beavering away and earning their keep.

It’s no big deal when there’s no beach

The missus is chiding Alf for failing to record the Government’s decision to review the Foreshore and Seabed legislation – the stuff that got people hot and bothered a few years back when the Clark Government passed it into law.

A slip-up?

Not necessarily. Alf can’t imagine Eketahuna folk being at all interested, since we have no foreshores or seabeds in our immediate vicinity.

But if constituents are bursting to read all about it, the terms of reference and members of the Government’s ministerial panel to review the Foreshore and Seabed Act were announced yesterday by Attorney-General Christopher Finlayson.

Internet protest is over

Score one for the black-out brigade, the NBR trumpeted: The government is to delay implementation of the controversial Section 92A of the Copyright Amendment (New Technologies Act) due to come into force February 28.

Personally, Alf reckons the PM buckled because the member for Eketahuna North was resolved not to leave the Eketahuna Club (where he had ensconsed himself) until the right decision was made.

Where Alf hunkered down to battle bad legislation.

It seems that decision has been made, and Alf is back at work.

The NBR says –

Prime Minister John Key announced at a post-cabinet press conference this afternoon that implementation of the controversial clause of the copyright legislation is to be delayed until March 27.

“We are hoping that by that time we will have come up with a voluntary code of practice,” Mr Key said.

If no agreement is reached, Section 92A will be suspended.

The business newspaper recalled that on January 21, a spokesman for Attorney-General Christopher Finlayson’s office told it “a last minute stall won’t happen”. The minister wanted to see how the act would work in practice before considering any tweaks.

Obviously, The Boss had other ideas.

Politically smarter ones.