Aro-Mind

Here is a brilliant TED talk by Nigerian novelist  Chimamanda Adichie  who, among other things, points out how America, through its power and privilege, has many stories about itself. Hence, people’s perception and understanding of America is nuanced and multidimensional. By contrast, Africa has few stories (known in the minds of others) and therefore people’s (that is to say non-African) understanding of Africa is limited and simplistic. This TED talk is well worth viewing.

Iwi throughout the country receive approaches from local and regional authorities to say that a company or a public authority (like a local Council) is proposing to create something that requires the approval of the local authority (ie: they need a resource or some other kind of consent) .  When this happens, the local authority is often required to consult with local iwi/affected Maori, particularly if the proposal is relevant to the Resource Management Act 1991. Example proposals include: A company or a council wishes to build a marina A company wishes to exploit a natural resource The Government wishes to build a new road A company wishes to expand its aquaculture business Unfortunately, when proposals of this kind arise, too often iwi are consulted late in the process (often ‘after the horse has bolted’) which means that their influence can only be minimal. When iwI are consulted in this way, this reflects either that in the minds of the Council and/or proposers, the iwi a...