Rent Seeking Monster

Treating Maori With Respect

New Zealand is boldly arrogant and fiercely proud of its rejection of the Living God.  Consequently, it is not surprising that as a nation we are so often played for fools and given up to stupidity.  We have just been given another serving up of the pathetic genre.

Maori, by playing on white liberal feelings of guilt and pity, exploiting them with great cunning, have inveigled themselves into a position of great influence in our country.  Essentially, Maori, as the indigenous people, have manoeuvred themselves into a position of perpetual rent-seeking, by which they extract money every time somebody breathes.  The only debate now is over not whether, but what new rents can be extracted.  The issue as to whether Maori are entitled to extract rents was settled three decades ago.  This unfortunate affliction has come about because white liberal guilt met up with cunning Maori avarice and the latter very cleverly and successfully did over whitey. 

Traditional Maori animism believed in mythical monsters known as taniwha.
  Animism always produces a culture riven with guilt and superstition: the Maori were no exception.  Taniwha were used as threats to frighten young children to keep them in line.  But adults also believed the superstition.  Taniwha had to be placated, appeased--got on side, as it were.  Offerings were the usual way of achieving this.

Modern Maori have turned this into a productive way of extracting rents.  When work or construction is proposed on a site local Maori tribes frequently invoke the local taniwha who will be disturbed or offended.  The taniwha need to be placated.  Often this takes the form of the local Maori tribe receiving an ex-gratia payment on the general understanding that they will conduct rituals to appease the taniwha and settle it down, so that the work can proceed, while the local tribe pocket the cash.  Classic rent seeking.  What a joke that New Zealand in all its unbelieving arrogance has been reduced to being so foolish.   

Auckland City is proposing a new rail network.  One of the local tribes has suddenly "discovered" a taniwha resides on part of the proposed the route.  According to the NZ Herald:

Plans for an Auckland city rail link tunnel could be spiked by a taniwha - a spiritual creature that Maori say is in the way of the project.  The Auckland Council's Maori Statutory Board has warned transport planners of the taniwha, who lived in an ancient creek running past the Town Hall and down Queen St.

Board member Glen Wilcox has asked Auckland's transport committee to give consideration to the taniwha - which the Ngati Whatua iwi call Horotiu - as it plans the $2.6 billion tunnel project. "What's being done about the taniwha Horotiu who lives just outside here, and that tunnel will be going through his rohe [area]?" asked Mr Wilcox.

When Maori invoke the presence of taniwha which require mollifying there are only three possible ways Maori actions can be understood.  The first is that some Maori (probably the more superstitious and ignorant) genuinely believe in the existence of taniwha.  Their fears would be real.  Such people are to be pitied, not placated.

The second possibility is there will be those Maori who know that taniwha don't exist, but they represent part of traditional Maori pagan culture.  These Maori want others to respect their past and their traditional culture; making society pay due deference to a mythical creature is one way of extracting honour and mana.  The issue is not so much one of money or extraction of rents, but of respect.  So, an appeasing ritual will be conducted officially, with government officials in due attendance, so that Maori honour can be maintained.  The non-Maori see their participation as an expression of politeness and respect.  It is farcical--nothing more than a role play.  But it is extracted respect, neither genuine nor heartfelt.  More seriously this group of Maori are shown up at petulant children, desperately needing to grow up.  The governing authorities who participate disgrace themselves and bring shame on the whole community.  They are treating Maori, not with respect, but with arrogant condescension and paternalism; and Maori are playing the role of children.  The whole charade is shameful to both parties. 

The third possibility is that there will be Maori who don't really believe in taniwha, but see a way of using the myth to extract cash.  These are not childish or ignorant Maori--they are sophisticated, clever and cunning.  They are playing the system for all the rent they can get.  These Maori take the view that if New Zealand is stupid enough to be sucked in by all this, they might as well take advantage.  A fool and his money are soon parted.

True enough.  But these Maori are also acting shamefully.  Cunning, but not constructive.  They are leeches--as indeed all rent seekers prove to be in the end.

The only ones laughing are Christians.  We see is as yet another instance of the King of kings mocking Unbelievers (Psalm 2:4).  The Scriptures reveal that it is the fool who says in his heart, there is no God.  It is not surprising, then, that God makes fun of arrogant, bold Unbelief by showing it up to all the watching world as the preserve of stupid benighted fools.

Fortunately, the Environment Court in recent decisions has put a stop to the farce--at least for the moment.

In 2002, the Environment Court - in a ruling on Taukere, the Northland taniwha - said it respected the rights of people to believe in spiritual, metaphysical taniwha, but the court was part of a secular state. The Resource Management Act required it to consider the well-being of physical people.

Thankfully some in government are treating this latest taniwha boondoggle as a joke--which is good to see.  Stephen Joyce, Minister of Transport, who has rejected the rail proposal as being an unproductive white elephant, had this to say when he heard of the discovery of the taniwha across the tracks:

Transport Minister Steven Joyce said the project appeared to be plagued by taniwha. "It does not massively surprise me," he said. "Treasury found a few fiscal taniwhas as well, so it doesn't surprise me that another one has turned up."

Well said.  Mockery is a powerful weapon to shame the shameful. The more we mock Maori for their taniwha-invocation, the more we treat them with respect.