But consultation with iwi is good for you, Sir Bob – and they have ideas to improve your designs too

Aucklanders have long looked like a spineless bunch of tossers, more anxious to be politically correct than to stand up for their property rights against the outrageous demands of local authorities and the tangata whenua.

Or – and there is another way to look at this – Aucklanders recognise that some members of their community are special and should be allowed to dictate to them what they may and may not do.

These special citizens, of course, are the city’s indigenous persons who have increasingly been empowered to influence development decisions.

Auckland’s readiness to subject themselves to the demands of indigenous persons can be seen today in this report in the NZ Herald.

The article deals with an Auckland Council rule that requires building owners to seek iwi approval for work on their land.

Okay – maybe the waka is not a $2m white elephant but if anyone profits who will it be?

Alf is ready to say he was wrong about saying he was wrong.

He refers to the item posted here yesterday about the waka that (according to the Weekend Herald) nobody wants.

A tribal big-wig reckons that’s bollocks.

Auckland transport planners may never see what hit them as their tunnel project is threatened

Bugger...we should have consulted with Horotiu.

Alf wonders what the taniwha thinks about things, as he lurks beneath the streets of the Queen City.

Maybe he is a she.

But whatever the gender, above ground it is being said the wee rascal could upset plans for an Auckland city rail link tunnel.

It seems a bit late in the day for the Auckland Council’s Maori Statutory Board to be sounding a warning to transport planners.

But better late than never, eh, when you are dealing with a taniwha, who – we are told – lived in an ancient creek running past the Town Hall and down Queen Street.

This taniwha has found a champion in board member Glen Wilcox who

Hapu has cause to be happy if (as is reported today) it now owns the Kaipara Habour

There's plenty of room for a few hundred generators.

Well bugger me, Alf muttered while browsing through his Herald.

He feared that maybe he had done a Rip Van Winkle, dropped off to sleep after sinking one whisky too many, and woken up several years later.

And lo and behold – things had changed (as, of course, they would have done).

But some changes would be the stuff of nightmares.

In this case, it seemed the foreshore legilsation had been passed, claims to ownership of chunks of our coastline had been sorted out, and Kaipara Harbour was now owned by the local Maori.

So what triggered Alf’s consternation?

Some things – like putting $3.4 million in a Super City Maori trough – can’t wait for debate

Apathetic Kiwis are curiously oblivious to the way the Treaty of Waitangi is being invoked to debase the democracy their forefathers fought to defend in two world wars.

A few months ago, they made bugger all fuss on learning that fewer than two dozen people will select members for the Super City’s Maori Statutory Board.

An iwi selection group made up of 19 tribally-drawn members was set up to go through nominations for seven “mana whenua” or iwi representatives and two others known as “mataawaka”members.

Mana whenua representatives were being split between Ngati Manuhiri, Marutuahu, Waiohua and Ngati Whatua.

Full credit to political commentator Matt McCarten for being among those who expressed outrage.