Meteria Turei and the Bible

Unwittingly Turei Confirms the Scriptures and Condemns Us All

We are finding it hard to move on past the mendacity and priggishness of Green leader, Metiria Turei.  Here was a public exposure of universal human depravity--an uncloaking of what lurks and festers inside all of us.

The particular events are now well known. But to recap, the Green Leader has admitted lying for over a period of at least five years in order to maintain her state income support benefit which was means tested.  In order to get the full entitlement, there were limits on how much "other income" Turei was receiving.  In this case she owned or operated successive apartments which she had sub-let to several other flatmates.  She lied to the welfare authorities about the income she was receiving from her cohabitants.  If she had told the truth, of course, like ordinary folk, her state welfare benefit would have been reduced accordingly.

Now, years later, Turei has cast herself as both a victim and a martyr.  She was forced into lying, she says.

Relentlessly Shifting Blame

A National Sport

In 2000, Stephen Wallace was shot and killed by a policeman in the small New Zealand town of Waitara.  A summary of events is as follows:

It’s unclear what sparked Steven Wallace’s rampage through Waitara that night. After cooking his tea and watched a Super 12 game on T.V, Steven had headed out to a New Plymouth bar. Once returning home it is unclear what triggered the violent reaction that would end his life only hours later. Neighbours to the Wallaces were said to have heard yelling and swearing as Wallace beat the family shed with a golf club around 3am that morning. His mother stood by calling to him to calm down and come inside. Wallace threw the golf clubs in the boot of his car and sped away with blood-alcohol level twice that of the legal driving limit. As he left his mother was worried enough to dial 111 but hung up before the call was answered.

Wallace rampaged like a man possessed. Leaving golf clubs at various scenes he smashed and beat windows and cars. 3 cars were damaged. A taxi with passengers, a private car with 6 youths in it, the third car was a police patrol car. It has been said that night Wallace was intent on killing either himself or someone else and that the Senior Constable was an unwitting pawn in his game.

The Buck Stops . . . With Me

Taking Responsibility

Shifting blame on to others is intrinsic to our fallen human condition.  Right from the beginning, immediately after the Fall, Adam, our father blamed his wife and God ("The woman you gave to me, she gave me the fruit . . ."); Eve, our mother blamed the Serpent  ("The serpent deceived me and I ate").  Just about everything that is wrong with human society can be traced back to these fateful events, attitudes, and words. 

It is not very often we read or hear of someone who takes full responsibility for his actions and what devolved from them.  It is so rare, it's refreshing.  But more than that, it opens up the possibility of moving on. 

Dion Batt has brain damage resulting from a motorcycle crash which occurred as a result of him fleeing from police pursuit.