Big Game in the Far North
-Welcome Winston to the world of blogging. Never mind that this medium is foreign-owned too; I look forward to your blogs because it only adds to your hippocracy - and when the truth comes out, your legacy as a political buffoon will be legend.
-Michael Cullen gets full marks for getting involved in treaty negotiations with Maori. He has the clout to move efforts past the front line of government mandarins and pooh-bahs who keep the dialogue on an endless loop of discussion. With Agreements in Principle in place among many of the Iwi in the Far North, it is interesting to watch the squirmings of the many 'professional negotiators' making a five-star living from the process. All Iwi negotiators cannot be tarred with this brush, but there are a handfull sprinkled about who garnered big reputations by photocopying and plagiarising the work of others - under their guise as capacity-building consultants. And of course, just as Runanga budgets are depleted, they have resurrected muriwhenua to begin a new round of plane trips, hotel rooms and cabernet.
-And then you have Shane Jones returning to the Far North. His new best friend is Wayne Brown, Far North Mayor. These self-styled 'masters of the universe' are working together to build 'Las Vegas with a beach' along 90 Mile Beach. While Wayne pitches the idea to Chinese property developers and wrestles power from Northland Regional Council, Mr. Jones is taking care of the Maori side of things by resurrecting muriwhenua and assuring there is enough money to go around to fund the retirements of 'white wine Maori' everywhere. The only honest far north parliamentarian is Hone Harawira, a man who cannot be bought at any price.
-Michael Cullen gets full marks for getting involved in treaty negotiations with Maori. He has the clout to move efforts past the front line of government mandarins and pooh-bahs who keep the dialogue on an endless loop of discussion. With Agreements in Principle in place among many of the Iwi in the Far North, it is interesting to watch the squirmings of the many 'professional negotiators' making a five-star living from the process. All Iwi negotiators cannot be tarred with this brush, but there are a handfull sprinkled about who garnered big reputations by photocopying and plagiarising the work of others - under their guise as capacity-building consultants. And of course, just as Runanga budgets are depleted, they have resurrected muriwhenua to begin a new round of plane trips, hotel rooms and cabernet.
-And then you have Shane Jones returning to the Far North. His new best friend is Wayne Brown, Far North Mayor. These self-styled 'masters of the universe' are working together to build 'Las Vegas with a beach' along 90 Mile Beach. While Wayne pitches the idea to Chinese property developers and wrestles power from Northland Regional Council, Mr. Jones is taking care of the Maori side of things by resurrecting muriwhenua and assuring there is enough money to go around to fund the retirements of 'white wine Maori' everywhere. The only honest far north parliamentarian is Hone Harawira, a man who cannot be bought at any price.
