Michael Laws...IDIOT!!!

This blog is likely to be the shortest ever...and its simply going to say this.

Over the past few months I've become more and more convinced about one thing regarding Michael Laws, Mayor of Wanganui/Whanganui.

HE IS A COMPLETE AND UTTER IDIOT.

Listening to an attempted interview with his radio live colleage Maggie Barry about the 'H' issue and him hanging up 30 seconds into the interview...then his dose against TVNZ's use of the 'H'.

The man is an idiot. If you don't see things his way...you are wrong in his mind.

What is Ann Tolley doing?

I thought Michael Cullen, Steve Maharey and Trevor Mallard were bad as the big three of the educations ministries but I think Ann Tolley has gone and topped the lot.

I've been watching her for the past few months and I think she has gone and made a number of questionable and in the long term, costly decisions. Not just financially but overall cost. Economists call it opportunity cost. Choosing the next best option...but in some cases not the best choices.

I do not agree with the blanket scrapping of the Adult Community Education programs across the country. Much like other tertiary education programs there are better ones than others. The better choice would have been to cull the less than successful programs and provide a similar supply system as other providers, preferred options...one can run this, the others cannot. There is no reason why that cannot work at the ACE level as well as the PTE, Waananga or tech/uni level.

I'm not convinced with these national standards that are being rushed in and how she seems to be shoving them down everyones throat without so much as a trial period. She's packing a sad that any board that resists the introduction of the national standards will be sacked. Her excuse is that its going to be against the law...reeks of play with my toys or else mentality.

There is no doubt that New Zealand's need for literacy and numeracy training at the grass roots is extreme and long overdue but this policy I think has also taken away from the adults who need this kind of attention. Millions of dollars used by private providers to give this support and training to adults was lost this year. A syndrome of the we need more people to read and write but we're going to restrict the amount of people who have access to it and where it can be done from.

I don't like the mentality shes adopting. Its childish...which one can say that at times that is a necessary trait in ministerial politicians. For once I find myself agreeing with Trevor Mallard and his comments in the Herald that she could take a small step back and trial it out.

I've seen the negative impact of untried and untested programmes getting national roll-outs long before their times. People who know me will know where and what I'm talking about. They became unprecedented disasters in their own rights and cost millions of dollars to fix and taking thousands of man hours to repair with reputations placed at risk to boot. Yet a little more time for preparation, review, discussion, the result could have been a lot different.

I am worried about the state of our education system. It is in a bad way and this may be the tipping point. There are elements of goodness in it as there are with other aspects of the existing system...but its not enough. I think we're afraid to test ourselves and the students, afraid to push them more than the requirement says too. Afraid of standing too high out of the crowd and celebrating extraordinary academic talent. Afraid of not being able to give everyone a certificate.

I'm going to say this...and it may be a polar opposite end analogy but I'll put it out there...CPL Willie Apiata got a VC for doing something extraordinary...his mates didn't get one too because they were there with him...

The 'Maori' Flag

Is there really one? Personally regardless of the unity level of this country and its relative maturity on the world scene a flag represents a nation and its people but in recent days the announcement that the Tino Rangatiratanga flag will fly along with the New Zealand flag on Waitangi day, while good in its intention is simply moving more to devide the nation.

The thing I see in my mind is that the flag is not representative of New Zealand or Maori and that seems to be the opinion I am seeing being reflected on Talkback radio, letters to editors and poll results. I find the Stuff.co.nz poll interesting. As of 10am today when I checked the results, 12,048 votes had been cast, a whopping 49.5% of voters felt the flag selected is a symbol of division and that it should not fly. 17.5% said yes its a show of unity and 11.3% said it should fly more often.

As a person of Maori blood, regardless of the level of adherence I place on my ancestry I find no unifying feeling about that flag at all. To me its a flag that is flown when Maori want something for nothing. It in itself is a symbol. A symbol of an intent to remain buried in the past.

New Zealand will be paying for eternity for the wrongs of the past. But the point is that efforts are being made to as best as possible make restitution for those stupid wrongs of our colonial ancestors but as a nation, we cannot move forward without a full and final acknowledgment of the wrong but those that did the wrong, and a full and final forgiveness of those that were wronged.

That does not mean one law for one people and another law for others. That means one nation, one law for all to follow. That means that there is one legitimate and recognised law making entity and law enforcement body. Not these random people who think they are police...that I have seen around Hamilton and other places, especially that dude on you tube who thinks his car license issued by the maori parliament is valid.

I'll say it again. I do not know what legitimate place the Treaty of Waitangi has on modern New Zealand. The treaty between two peoples has never been fully honoured and these principles that are being spouted out again and again are meaningless to a vast majority of New Zealanders...mostly because no one on either side fully honours them.

I have to agree with Labour MP Shane Jones who said that the Maori Battalion has a flag that has never ever received the level of recognition that this Tino Rangatiratanga flag will be and that is sad. The members of that battalion shed blood, gave lives for that and the current NZ Flag. This flag was made in 1990.

I feel proud when I see the current New Zealand flag rise at sporting events, yet I feel divided when we have to sing two versions of the national anthem at sporting events and the reason behind it. But when I see the Tino Rangatiratanga flag...I feel a sense of oh no...now what do they want. Acknowledging I am Maori they includes me...whose land have they occupied...now what do they want for nothing. I feel no sense of pride...no sense of honour...no sense of devotion or dedication.

Is the reaction mean spirited as is the view of Hone Harawira in terms of the general populous to the announcement of this flag flying? No more mean spirited than Mr Harawira's cuss laden email to a constituent! Will this flag gain more national unity in its meaning as time goes on as is the view of the Prime Minister? Possible...but no more I think than the Southern American states confederate flag has of being a symbol of race unity.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and I will likely gain some not popular comments...so here goes.

Maori have historically been a divided people. It almost was a tribal version of survivor. Each tribe I believe a law unto themselves even amongst iwi groups...and I open myself up here to be proven wrong or even to be corrected. but I really want to know if in Modern New Zealand, Maori, of varying levels of blood percentage lineage, can be a unified people. That is a question I would like to see answered.

Until Maori can decide on a flag that represents them...nothing should fly other than the New Zealand flag.

Thats my view.