Christopher Luxon once again made himself available to be yelled at and insulted by a bunch of modern day indigene Māori activists. I deliberately use the word indigene which means the first people to inhabit a region, questionable though that is because, according to Rawiri Waititi, when it comes to genes, Māori are definitely superior to Pākehā. You would be hard pressed to agree, given the performance at Tūrangawaewae. Dressing in their pre-colonial attire would have been more appropriate to the rhetoric that they chose to deliver.
While most Māori were, like most Pākehā, hard at work trying to earn a crust so as to provide food and the other necessities of life for their families, these radicals were ensuring they took the opportunity to verbalise as much hatred as they could muster. There was no recognition that here was a chance to open reasonable dialogue, rather, here was the chance to, figuratively speaking, beat your enemy about the head until he was knocked senseless.
In terms of the warfare on display, Luxon could be thought lucky to survive the day. This is 2024 and there is nothing to be gained by expostulating and dancing around emulating the far-off days of 1840. This wonderful gene they are supposed to possess appears to malfunction at important occasions. The way forward is to sit down and take the opportunity to work through differences. Both Christopher Luxon and Shane Jones said they would not support the Treaty Principles Bill at its second reading. That showed there was room for dialogue.
Any normal person genuinely interested in the subject of their grievances would have seized the opportunity, recognising that the door was somewhat ajar, and that discussion on various matters of concern was possible. But not this band of political zealots, because they’re not genuine. They showed outright rudeness and in doing so prove they lack class, finesse, polish and any sense of the correct way to behave.
Society might be full of rough and tumble, but there are occasions when some decorum is expected, even on a marae. By behaving as they do they are letting themselves and their race down. It is not surprising that the majority of their people choose to ignore them. Respect is a two-way street. It’s time to drop the warrior mentality and start living in today’s world.
In my view the prime minister needs to reconsider attending these charades. The invitation is not sent with good intent: it is to create a situation where people can harangue him. This is not acceptable in 2024. The majority of us want to get on with each other in a civilised manner.
It doesn’t matter how much the government acquiesces: it will still evoke the same belligerent response. These activists are only interested in acquiring dominance and absolute power over those they consider their enemy. They couldn’t care less about anyone else, and that includes their own people. If they were genuine in wanting to help their people then they would use their superior gene to behave in a more respectful manner. But they are not.
The time for grovelling to this spiteful minority is long past. By acting the way he is, the prime minister is doing nothing except putting himself between a rock and a hard place. Playing nice is the greatest folly. Rather than thanks, it will continue to be the same old violent language. That is the name of their game. Until they demonstrate some civilised demeanour, the prime minister should devote his time to matters which are of greater importance to the country as a whole.
