What a shame the Ironman New Zealand organisers lack the mettle of their competitors.
What a shame they agreed to bribe the tribe.
What a shame they did not reply to the Tuwharetoa extortion demand of $58,000 thus:
“Dear tribe,
“Get stuffed.
“We refuse to pay you so much as a bent cent to swim in our largest lake.
“And it is our lake. Not your lake. It belongs to us. All of us.
“All the people of New Zealand.
“You claim that Lake Taupo is a taonga. (Let’s face it, you claim anything you can extort money for is a taonga.)
“How very conveniently you use the modern meaning of that word, and not the 1840 meaning.
“And yet surely, if you’re talking Treaty rights, it would be only fair to use the meaning current at the time of the Treaty?
“Of course, we know your tribe did not sign the Treaty.
“But they were happy, were they not, to accept all the wonderful benefits of modern civilisation that flowed from it?
“Just as their descendants are happy to use it to screw money from their fellow citizens.
“But back to the meaning of taonga, circa 1840. You see, we looked it up. And what did we find?
“In the only dictionary current at the time of Te Tiriti, taonga was defined as ‘property procured by the spear’.
“And the man who defined it for Cambridge University was none other than the great Ngapuhi warrior chief Hongi Hika, in England looking for guns.
“You want a second opinion? Then let’s take the next dictionary, published in 1844 — four years after the Treaty.
“Same thing: taonga: ‘property’. Nothing about treasure. Or wind. Or radio waves.
“Or lake waves.
“Taonga to your part-ancestors was their stuff. It was their chattels. The cloaks they dressed in. The hooks they fished with. The tomahawks they butchered their slaves with.
“It most certainly was not their whole ecosystem. It was not their language. It was not everything their great-grandchildren would one day take a shine to.
“You cannot spear a lake.
“So if you want us to bribe you to swim in that lake, you’re out of luck.
“On behalf of all decent New Zealanders, who, unlike you, have a highly developed sense of fair play, we will cancel this event for good rather than submit to your bribery and corruption.
“When the mayor and citizens of Taupo deservedly condemn you for your greed, do not blame anyone but yourselves.
“Let your greed be on your conscience, if you have one.
“Unlike you, we do not believe New Zealanders should have to pay a licence fee for the use of their country.
“Taupo mayor Rick Cooper says your moneygrubbing makes him feel sick.
“He is not alone. All of your fair-minded countrymen are sick and tired of being shafted by two-bit tribal racketeers.”
treatygate.wordpress.com 
May the Ironman organisers hang their heads in shame. They have capitulated to greedy extortionists. What a disgrace they are and what a terrible example they are setting.
They should have either boxed ahead and told the extorionists where to go, or abandoned the swim part of their competition. I vote for the former.
Tuth does matter Helen thanks for sharing your view which I just happen to agree with.
*Truth*
Maori will pay for this for years to come,”do you remember when maori charged ironman to swim in the lake” yep sure do. They have done themselves no favors.
Gary Shaw
I wish you were right, Gary – but I fear that this particular disgrace will just melt away into obscurity, just as many have before it. The attention & memory spans of the public are incredibly short, and their apathy is even worse.
Agree wholeheartedly JA
Well I think it was a cowardly act to pay these radical, money grabbing parasites. If only we could all stand together and tell them to f…..f and get a job if you want money. Our politicians and media are a prime example of cowardice in this country. I haven’t even seen this on the news today. Another news blackout when it shows maori in a negative light no doubt!
Good Lord, when will there be any justice in this currupt country?
I agree with Helen. Taupo Ironman organisers should have cancelled the contest as a result of Tuwharetoa extortion attempt. That would have embarrassed both the tribe and the government, and caused a furore. By paying the money and agreeing to keep the rort confidential, it will quickly be forgotten. All shame on the tribe and the organisers who agreed to keep it quiet.These sports organisers have no guts and no balls – they must be on steroids as they are known to shrink testicles.
J.A.- Excellent article on ‘Twisting the Treaty’ or ‘Bleeding the Nation’.
Totally agree Helen. Good article JA too. I heard some PC bureaucrat on the radio last week saying how that tribe were well known for their reasonableness and he said “whatever the outcome, it would be a win win situation for both parties”. I wondered at the time how that was possible…like it should be an honour to be extorted (if theres such a word) by this tribe of greedy lying thieves. And Key says nothing. For years I thought the McGillygudy Serious party were a waste of time but in the last two elections I would have voted for them due to the appeaser parties that were available. Now Key wants to be “firm” and give $30 million as a way of saying sorry but no 4G spectrum. Key is very very generous with our cash.
John; why don’t you send your posting to the Taupo media? Hoping that the Editor may quote it in an editorial, plus the more of us that write to our own newspaper Letter to the Editor the more this disgraceful behaviour comes to light.
Many people we’ve spoken to in the past have refused to believe that the time will come that scammers will charge us for being non-Maori Kiwis in our own country . . . here it is, the time has come to speak out as sport is highly regarded in NZ and something most people relate to . . . and where we are seen as ‘one country’.
Corporate Maori charges like as we are seeing here will impact on participants who are on a low income.
Might be an idea to write to the Iron Man organisers too . . . if they just ignored the extortion it would have sent a strong message to corporate Maori; an opportunity lost as already stated i know.
<<<Anyone able to find out this address please reply. We are livid!
In fact John; given that you have had a high profile in the media recently, couldn't you start sending press releases to all newspapers? Maybe they'll include your comments as a 'spokesperson from Treatygate' or Treaty Protestor, whatever, but knowledge is power and we need to get knowledge out there to people on the street unaware of these sneaky small steps being taken cause non-Maori to be second-class citizen in our own country where we arrived so soon after Maori.
And don’t give me the crap that non-Maori will learn what it means to be second-class in the new world after the constitution is changed. Maori (generally speaking) are authors of their own destiny just as everyone is. The opportunities have always been there,
it’s just a darn shame that many Maori don’t want to be seen as Tall Poppies or a ‘brown pakeha’ and thus don’t make use of those opportunities. The Maori achievers show that it can be done . . .
Not everyone has the potential to be a high earning professional but those of us that haven’t can still be achievers in our own world not lazy, beneficiaries or whingers. There are Maori and non-Maori in both groups but statistics show Maori are represented in the later group by a greater number population percentage wise.
At the end of the day, it’s how WE react to what life throws at us that counts – i know that first-hand as belonging to a minority group myself seeing how some swim, others paddle whilst others won’t even get into the water.
I’ll bet Cullen had something to do with this tribal extortion. He was a Sinister of Finance with the last Labour Govt. and is now raking it as an agent for Tuwharetoa, and keeping his greasy appeasy finger in the pie as a member of supposedly independent Constitutional Advisory Panel.
Derejk, for a very small group of smirky insiders, this whole Tiriti rort is a win win win situation.
Has anyone heard a word on the radio, TV or in the newspapers about this latest extortion by Tuwharetoa and submission by the weak lily-livered Ironman organisers? The silence seems to be deafening to me. It should attract huge headlines in all the major papers because this is setting a very serious and dangerous precedent and goes against the equality we are striving for in this country.
We all knew it would happen so shouldn’t be surprised but it is still a huge disappointment to think there are actually people in this country who would charge people to go to a place which has always been free for everyone.
I agree with Mary, John, and wonder if you would consider approaching the media etc about the divisive backward step this is and how it is encouraging inequality, when equality is essential if this country is ever to prosper.
I totally agree John
Hi John,
Where did your newest post disappear too? The one about the 4G spectrum? Has it been hacked?
Where is the NZ herald in all this? ,TV1 , TV3 , crickets?
Scum MSM enabelers, are you ever going to do your jobs?
We are the new media , The People will prevail!
Lots of smokescreens which is what the govt likes. While the Black Caps are losing, and other news is going on, and reporters can type out endless drivel that requires almost no research. Controversial topics like this can be silently swept away. Seems in NZ the ‘TRUTH’ is a five letter word that is as objectionable to maori and their PC supporters/reporters as ‘WORK’ is to a career beneficiary. This could have made international headlines but the gutless appeasing triathlon organisers made sure that it hardly caused a ripple even in NZ.
Anyone know why the census results are available to; Govt, councils, business ……and …..iwi ?!!!! Sorry, but for that reason I will be, for Census purposes, a semi illiterate unemployed chain smoking Egyptian communicating by fax and living in a tent.