Secret negotiations [Why the hell are they secret????] have left Wellington City Council on the verge of a backdown that will see it abandon its claims to ownership of the disputed Te Raukura waka. Documents obtained by The Dominion Post reveal that the council plans to relinquish all rights of ownership and possession of the waka and abandon High Court proceedings to have it returned to the care of the city.
In return, it will receive $150,000 – which it will spend on building a new waka. [where is the $150,000 coming from? Wouldn’t you have thought the reporter might have addressed this question?????] The deal would result in Te Raukura remaining with Waiwhetu Maori in Lower Hutt and not feature, as intended, in the waterfront’s custom-built wharewaka. The council’s preferred position remains to recover Te Raukura and house it in the wharewaka, and it believes it has the law on its side.
However, the documents say: “While officers are confident that High Court action would favour the council, it is also likely to be very expensive and will not contribute to positive relationships.”
A vote will be held at tonight’s council meeting after the public [the ones paying for all of this] have been excluded from the debating chamber.
The waka has been housed by Maori in Waiwhetu since it was taken there for repairs in 2006 after being badly damaged while in the hands of the council. The council expected it to be returned on Waitangi Day this year for the opening of the wharewaka, but was taken by surprise when Waiwhetu refused. [..] The waka cost Wellington ratepayers about $100,000 to build in 1989. Since then it is understood to have cost the council about $250,000, including $80,000 in legal fees.
Source- Dominion Post
TrueblueNZ 
7 responses to “General Debate 20/04/11”
Fiddle away, Wellington burns. What an abortion, how many hundreds of thousands spent on a boat that will sit in a shed, it’s fucking madness. As for the Maori who think might is right and feel they can take what they wish. Well that sort of shit can work both ways. I’m sure like every other group they apply for council funding for various projects throughout the year. Award them this years grants and put it straight into council coffers and do this till the total value with interest has been repaid in full.
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I fail to see the point in all these “waka’s” anyway. We got museum loads of primitive tools and other motley crap, and it’s exactly the same everywhere, yet treated with a reverence that is utterly over the top. Turns out that much of it is actually produced on demand by a bunch of well subsidized native craftsmen, so there ain’t any historic value in it either. Perhaps we can have a standard set of Maori paraphernalia to be determined by a small committee and have all places that exhibit such stuff put the same stuff on, all in nicely standardized, and therefore cheap, display items. Anything short can be effectively produced in china, such as waka’s and the decorated huts that are typically found in these set-ups. Or am I being culturally insensitive here?
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Great expose of the left’s utter degraded and dishonest amorality-
http://pajamasmedia.com/zombie/2011/04/18/tea-party-vs-us-uncut-a-san-francisco-tax-day-showdown/?singlepage=true
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I cannot grasp the fact that if this waka has caused so much angst then why the hell do they need to build another one.
The council on behalf of the ratepayer has no business building bloody wakas.
Stop the BS now.
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Totally agree with your 11:33 comment and link, Red.
The Left are totally devoid of any principles, integrity or morality. How do these people sleep at night?!
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The primitive Iwi in Wellington is made of cunning thieves and thugs.
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Well this an eye opener.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/4920204/Good-Friday-free-for-all-at-Pak-n-Save
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