Ruth Berry: Ahipara ceremony wins hands down

COMMENT

As politicians return to Parliament tomorrow after the tumultuous events of the past couple of weeks, it's a pretty safe bet race relations will be at the top of the agenda.

The type of leadership required to steer the country through the contentious issue will be hotly contested by MPs, many of them pleased to be well away from protesters' megaphones and back in front of their microphones.

The spectre of ugly scenes at Waitangi will linger, especially given National's plans to launch a renewed assault on the foreshore and seabed issue tomorrow.

It's a shame that, apart from several Green MPs, those politicians who went to Waitangi did not extend their trip and attend the Hands Across the Beach day in Ahipara on Saturday.

Organised by Te Rarawa, the day began with the erection of a pouwhenua in the form of the tipuna (ancestor) Poroa - chosen for his peace-making attributes - and ended with the linking of several thousand hands along the foreshore.

On the day of his "rebirth", Poroa may have been heartened to see the tino rangatiratanga flags fluttering above the human chain as far as his eye could see.

Of course, he may well have also felt a sadness, as Joan McDonald, a Pakeha from Auckland, did that the need for such protest was necessary.

It was nevertheless a powerful assertion of mana whenua, which included a community day at the beach with bands, stalls and games.

For those who had been at Te Tii Marae on Friday the event was particularly heartening. As producer Tainui Stephens said at the dawn ceremony, it offered "hope".

Hone Harawira stood alone alongside a huge rangatiratanga flag on the bumper of a Te Hiku o Te Ika (the Far North radio station he runs) jeep that drove up and down the line as the countdown to the hand-holding began. He looked like a general saluting his troops before they went into battle.

A rising Far North leader, he was the man co-ordinating events at Te Tii and who could have, but chose not to, stopped the brawling in which ministers, MPs and officials were pushed, spat at and intimidated.

Many labelled it the "worst" protest since 1995, where Te Kawariki, the group led by Mr Harawira, played a pivotal role. The anger that year was sparked by the National Government's fiscal envelope proposals.

This year it was the foreshore and seabed.

In each case the Governments' handling of the issues has been remarkably similar - weather the storm until it dies down while running consultation hui at which people are assured the proposals are flexible and the door is still open.

The policy is then implemented on the logic that something had to be done while everyone keeps talking past each other.

Aside from the fact that it may jeopardise his ability to chair the select committee that will investigate the foreshore legislation, Labour MP Russell Fairbrother's undiplomatic warnings at Waitangi that there may be little point to more talks if Maori keep responding too "hysterically" signals a frustrated Government, feeling increasingly justified about bunkering down and "moving on".

Like the justice select committee inquiry into the Privy Council, the committee will meet around the country hearing submissions.

The justice committee, on which Mr Fairbrother sits, expressed similar frustrations that Maori submissions were either too big-picture, rhetorical but lacking in detail, or revealed a lack of knowledge about the proposals.

The first two are often deliberate political strategy and frequently used by Opposition parties as well.

Engagements on detail muddies political waters and may signal unwanted acquiescence. But, as is often said about the foreshore and seabed, the devil will be in the detail.

Regardless of other possible flaws, changes to the Resource Management Act and other pieces of legislation will improve the ability of Maori communities to exercise their mana over the coast. How and by how much will partly depend on the strength of the arguments put to the select committee.

Leaders such as Harawira risk losing opportunities to give more power to their people if they refuse to lead this battle.

When it comes to hearts and minds, Ahipara is a winner over Te Tii any time.