May 31, 2024
Pugh slight shows tikanga clash
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A Te Whakatohea kaumātua says being censored by assistant speaker Maureen Pugh was a sign to Aotearoa and the world that Parliament still has a long way to go in respecting mana Māori and tikanga.
Te Kahautu Maxwell says Ms Pugh obviously didn’t recognise he was giving a karakia rather than a speech when she ordered him to stop speaking from the gallery.
He says Te Whakatohea has waited 158 years for a resolution of the harm done to it by the Crown, so 10- minutes to acknowledge the journey and thank Parliament do not seem too much to ask.
Ms Pugh’s insult was compounded by Speaker Gerry Brownlee.
“It was spelt out by Brownlee that his responsibility was to maintain tikanga inside the Parliament. And obviously their tikanga has total disregard for our tikanga,” Mr Maxwell says.
The incident means Te Whakatohea’s day in parliament won’t be forgotten as just another treaty settlement.