Maori economy getting stronger

Mark Dawson, Editor of Wanganui Chronicle

The Great Compromise goes on ... as it must.

The treaty settlement process stopped off at Ranana yesterday for a most significant day for the people of Wanganui, Whanganui Iwi and the Whanganui River.

There will be those among both Maori and Pakeha who feel less celebratory about the river claim signing than the 500-plus who attended the event at Ruaka Marae, but that is always the case. And probably always will be.

But as New Zealand steadily - amid some anxiety and trepidation - plots its way through the complex machinations of post-colonial existence, it seems to be getting it right.

Certainly more so than, say, Australia or the United States.

While the exercise can be painful, fraught with emotion and ignite extreme views, common sense keeps winning.

And is there a viable alternative? Endless hostility and litigation offer no one much future.

Of course, the question remains - is there a post-treaty settlement future? Many academics and commentators suggest that will never be, but one has to be hopeful and note that compromise and common sense have carried the country a long way down the track.

The challenge now is for Whanganui Iwi to make best use of the $80 million financial redress, and utilising such negotiated assets has presented difficulties in the past.

However, Maori are getting much slicker at operating in the modern business world, and the "Maori economy" gets stronger each year.

So, yesterday was a good day to celebrate diplomacy and negotiation and people's ability to find a way forward.