Gravity
The ups and downs of the week.
Oh twice as much ain't twice as good
And can't sustain like one half could
It's wanting more
That's gonna send me to my knees
Song: John Mayer
Some ups and downs from the last week of August ‘24. The good and bad, happy and sad, funny and mad, heroes and cads. The week that was.
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Down - the death of the Māori King
This morning, there was very sad news on the death of Kīngi Tūheitia, the Māori King, who recently celebrated 18 years in the role.
From my point of view, appreciating that many in Māoridom do not recognise the position, he seemed a calming and uniting influence, and boy do we need that now.
Especially the uniting. Against an enemy, and I do not use that word lightly, who seeks to undermine and remove every piece of progress towards addressing inequality that has been hard won by Māori over decades.
The official statement read, “The death of Kiingi Tūheitia is a moment of great sadness for followers of Te Kiingitanga, Maaoridom and the entire nation."
I always felt a bit sorry for Tūheitia. His mother Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu had been such a presence for so long, a really tough act to follow. From where I sit, appreciating others will be better informed, it seemed he wore the burden well, a decent man.
One can only hope that people act respectfully at this time, and for the benefit of all please could no one ask David Seymour’s view? We would be better off as a nation without it.
To his credit our Prime Minister responded with good, respectful words. I hope that some of them, whoever wrote them, registered with him in some way.
“Kua riro atu ra a Kiingi Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero te Tuawhitu. E Te Kiingi Māori, takoto mai I te arikitanga o te pō. Haere atu ra!
Today, we mourn the loss of Kiingi Tuheitia. His unwavering commitment to his people and his tireless efforts to uphold the values and traditions of the Kiingitanga have left an indelible mark on our nation.
I will remember his dedication to Aotearoa New Zealand, his commitment to mokopuna, his passion for te ao Māori, and his vision for a future where all people are treated with dignity and respect. I will also remember the kindness he showed me personally whenever I met with him at Turangawaewae.”
Maybe Luxon could use the opportunity to speak to the nation, to look into the camera and say…
“Listen Dave, I’ve been thinking. Your Treaty Bill is a load of bollocks and it’s making me look like a prize prick. Now I don’t much like looking like one of those, haircut aside, I’m a lot more praise-orientated. So you know what mate - I’m not going to support your horrible bill, not even to the first reading - you can stick that in your vape and inhale it. Go on, do your worst.
To the rest of Aotearoa - my apologies, I can do better. Let us move forward together.”
Fantasies of Road to Turangawaewae revelations aside, sometimes good things actually do happen. Like this, on the other side of the paywall…
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