Is Mise, interesting, when Maori talk of the coppers, even today, they refer to them as pirihi mana, which actually means police power. "T" said that the police exercised a lot of power in the past. Police would come and up lift kids from there parents (sounds familiar), because of too much drinking. too much party. There was a belief that the police had the first and last say, and you could not overcome their power, they didn't listen to what Maori people had to say. "T" also is telling me the police were partly right to take the children, but it was hard for the parents as the children were placed in welfare, often without proper documentation. Later on the police had to apply the same procedures to take Maori children as they did for Pakeha children, who were also taken by the police at times.

Hi Paul,

Isn't New Zealand so beautiful ? I remember driving over the hill to Hokianga and bam ! - there it was - such an amazing panorama. I thought, I've got to move here. And the same at Kawhia. And Whitianga. And Matamata. And so many other wonderful places.

We once drove up from Wanganui in a very wet winter, pelting down, I think in 1998, we came up through the middle, through their vast ten-mile 'desert' to Taupo, had a leisurely lunch in Raetihi (I do still remember our incredibly beautiful Maori waitress: once a lech, always a lech; what can I say, she was gorgeous) and little did we know that the road was always being closed behind us about an hour after we had passed through. We saw a truckload of carrots that had overturned on a sharp bend into a creek somewhere in the mountains about half way through there. It's an exciting place, New Zealand.

Our nieces are also Ngapuhi, from west of Whangarei, Nahi. Lovely girls, I'm so proud of them.

So why doesn't our government invade/invite New Zealand and drag it/invite it to come closer to/amalgamate with Australia ?! You know it's only right.

Joe

Hi Joe,
I believe back in the 1880's there was a strong push for NZ to be part of the Commonwealth of Australia, but that failed more or less on the grounds of money and debt.
I find Kiwi's, particularly Maori, very parochial, fiercely proud of who they are, a genuine pride, yet at the same time they see themselves as New Zealanders with a common bond with the rest of the population. Unfortunately I don't see the same traits in many Aboriginal people.

Little known facts.

When Australia became a Commonwealth in 1901 there was Legislation put to New Zeeland to become part of Australia. It was taken to New Zeeland & signed but apparently it needs one more signature.

Hi JayB, It took a bit to get Western Australia to join the rest in federation, only a yes vote supported by a large majority of Kalgoorlie miners got the referendum up. Ned Kelly wanted to form The Republic of North East Victoria in about 1880, I suppose with Ned as its first President. All N.ed got for his trouble was hung.

Hi Paul,

Whenever there is any suggestion in Australia for New Zealand and Australia to be joined up, one can hear a strange whirring sound from the east, as five million Kiwis start paddling like buggery the other way.

But such periodic moments of madness fade away, thankfully.

Cheers,

Joe