Ngai Tahu

NZPundit has beaten me to the Listener's article on Ngai Tahu, focussing on their self-expressed conservatism. The bit that I'd like to point out is this:

"Once you get to the end of the rainbow and you get your pot of gold, what do you do? You get a life. You become like everyone else. The thing about the settlement of the claim is that it makes you like every other New Zealander. You don't have any moral high ground. You're equivalent to everyone else. So you get a life and you get on with it."

That's one vision of where the Treaty process can lead to, and it's a good vision. It does not necessarily mean an end to programs targetting Maori - that is a matter of need, and it may take some time for the need to fade away. But by making the gesture of recompense and restoring (some of) their economic base, Maori will be able to control their own destiny, and have the resources to help themselves.