Ngai Tahu Shareholders

Summary The current disarray within Ngai Tahu is an insult to ordinary people within the Iwi.
I find it hard to give respect to a table that has so much contempt for Iwi members that they choose to ignore a large number of members and take the cover of “In Committee”.
I have witnessed many iwi members from all over New Zealand and well respected Kaumatua being ignored and left on the footpaths of central Christchurch locked out of a tribal meeting because it is “In Committee”.

The Tail Wags The Dog.

What is the reason for this vendetta against Mark Solomon and earlier Terry Ryan?
What have they done to invoke the wrath of the TRONT table and to be subjected to continuous attack?
Verbal assaults leveled at Mark and Terry have taken its toll on these two and has been damaging to the tribe to say the least.
The iwi has quiet rightly voiced their support for or against these two who have given so much to the people, that to me is a democratic decision and those who have exercised that right are to be applauded, as such we must respect those views even though we may or may not agree or disagree with the reasons sometimes offered.
I have no qualms with people offering their reasons for or against but are willing to discuss those matters with the wider whanau be it in print or kanohi ki te kanohi. (eye to eye)
I find it hard to give respect to a table that has so much contempt for Iwi members that they choose to ignore a large number of members and take “In Committee” as a defense not to confront the Iwi on the issues surrounding these two.
The iwi several times have rallied to these two men to give them support, but it is to no avail, the representatives at the TRONT table fail to give a reasonable explanation as to the reasons for wanting to get rid of them or why to their continuing attack on their integrity.
Terry in his role with whakapapa over a considerable number of years, put there with the blessing of kaumatua who are no longer with us, until recently single handedly co-ordinate the whakapapa unit which is second to none and in fact the envy of Iwi through out our country.
Mark who has gained for us the respected that Ngai Tahu enjoys within all the Iwi throughout New Zealand is a humble man in the mould of some of our most respected Kaumatua from years gone bye, he is a people person of the highest caliber.
In both of these cases we have had a large number of iwi supporting them and in both cases has that support been ignored by the table.
I have witnessed over the last three years the Iwi saying one thing and the table doing the opposite. I have witnessed many iwi members from all over New Zealand and well respected Kaumatua being ignored and left on the footpaths of central Christchurch, locked out of a tribal meeting because it is called “In Committee”.
The forum of the Hui A Tau is a joke when it comes to a forum for the iwi members to voice their opinion, this is only a rubber stamp vehicle for the TRONT table looking forever to justify their large meeting fees and ineffectual communication to the people.
They hide away from the ordinary members in flash hotels / motels, not for them the wharenui and sleeping bag and the direct talk and scrutiny of the people on an eye to eye level.
They have come to believe that they are not ordinary people to do ordinary things they are of the caliber of people they see as their peers who sit in corporate concrete and glass monstrosities who are fawned over by minions who stroke their egos on a daily basis.

Is this what is happening to our representatives, is there manipulation by people behind the scenes who have hidden agendas and are stroking the egos of these reps?

Is there some sinister ulterior motive to not front up to the democratic right?

Is it not time to embrace the democratic right of all the Iwi to have an open transparent system that is accountable to the people.

The time has come to introduce postal voting where all members of the tribe get to vote no matter where they live.

The time is right for all members to vote on the office of Kaiwhakahaere.

The time is overdue for a Kahui Kaumatua to be attached to the Kaiwhakahaere’s office, with the role of adviser to the Kaiwhakahaere and the whakapapa unit.

We must move to a democratic system where the voice of the Iwi is heard and not ignored nor to have a whole section of the tribe dis-enfranchised because of were they live.

The Time has come for all members of the Table to resign their positions and have the guts to seek a fresh mandate from the Iwi and stop being the tail trying to wag the dog