Flying The Flag Of Progress
The Manukau City Council exercised some commonsense last night in voting down a motion put forward by Councillor Jamie-Lee Ross calling for a ban on the flying of the Maori flag on Council buildings. For that it should be congratulated. But the fact that the motion was even put forward, let alone the amount of time devoted to debating it, leaves me completely dumbfounded, and it is certainly saddening that in the 21st century people can feel so threatened by something as simple as the flying of a flag.
I can see no good reason why the council should not fly the Maori flag, and arguments that it would be separatist, racist, or a step toward Maori sovereignty only serve to highlight how ignorant, uninformed and seemingly uneducated those who hold such views are. On the other hand, there are many good reasons why the Council should fly the flag. Maori are tangata whenua, and it is recognised in many statutes that they have a special relationship with both central and local government. Furthermore, district councils and local Maori are considered Treaty partners for the purposes of a number of Acts, so it makes sense that the flags of both partners should fly, if only for a few days a year. But overwhelmingly it is a sign of good faith on the part of the council toward its Treaty partner, and, it would seem, would do much to improve race relations. If that is the case, then where is the harm?
Ross was quoted in the New Zealand Herald as saying:
“…if Maori expected their flags flown, each of Manukau’s 185 ethnic communities would want to do the same thing”
That kind of dim logic from a supposedly “intelligent” councillor simply amazes me, but then again it is somewhat of a hallmark of National Party supporters. It conveniently overlooks the important role that Maori play as tangata whenua in New Zealand and underestimates the intelligence of New Zealand’s ethnic communities to recognise that role. No other ethnic group in New Zealand can claim tangata whenua status, and I imagine that most would accept that fact.
The irony is that those who say it is time for Maori to let go of their grievances and for New Zealanders to move forward “together” are the very people who are stifling New Zealand’s progress by their determination to hold on to our Eurocentric past and keep the status quo. If something so simple as flying a flag can garner greater race-relations and a more harmonious society, then all Kiwis should be embracing it with open arms.
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First Leader’s Debate
TVNZ launches the new channel 7 on Freeview this coming Monday, and from 12pm-2pm Guyon Espiner will host the first leader’s debate for this year’s election. The ‘Kingmaker Debate” will only feature the leaders of the minor parties, so no Helen Clark or John Key, but it will definitely be interesting to see how the smaller parties are positioning themselves for post-election negotiations. I suspect they will have some strong words for both Labour and National. For those not lucky enough to have Freeview, TVNZ will have a live internet feed here, or you can wait for the highlights on TV One at midnight.
