Originally Posted by
Logen Ninefingers
I think a referendum is for more democratic and logical than a cabal of politicians, judges, and activists deciding on some arbitrary modern day ‘principles of the Treaty’.
‘The three Treaty of Waitangi principles – partnership, protection, and participation.’
Right out of the blocks, ceding sovereignty - as acknowledged by Sir Apirana Ngata - is no way indicative of a ‘partnership’. There is no way that Queen Victoria would have entered into an equal partnership with a group of people who were becoming her subjects. We have entered the turbulent waters where the activists wish to give authority to an historical document, but also twist its meaning within their preferred contemporary context. They want to have their cake & eat it too. So we now have the Maori elite saying “we never ceded sovereignty to you, we are in an equal partnership with you & will govern the country jointly; say otherwise and there will be fighting in the streets.” This is the mess we are in. Attempts to restore the paramount authority of the government are being labelled as ‘divisive’, which is deeply unfortunate and wrong.