AE MARIKA! 01 JULY 2014 I got a really good response to last week’s article about forestry safety, including this gem from an old mate - “Back in the early 70s our Maori bush gangers showed you the ropes. You never forgot a thing they said cos if you did you never came back the next day. Too much of the OSH stuff and not enough of the real McCoy way of doing things - trees are the same, chainsaws are more updated, ngahere the same, Maori Pakeha alike they the same, we all learn the same, each person has to have the listening skills to survive in the bush. Treat Tane Mahuta with respect and you will be looked after. I only did 10 years in the bush but they were great years working with experienced men who looked over their shoulders at all times (just) to keep an eye you. When you walked out for your breaks you all walked out together - simple rules but good ones.” Safety in the forest ain’t that simple of course – a decent wage, less pressure, and proper working conditions are also major factors – but the comment above also says a lot about how forestry has changed over the years. And something else that’s changing is iwi insuring their marae, or at least some of them (like Tainui) anyway. It’s a great idea, and one that Aupouri used to do back in the 80’s and the 90’s when I was the CEO and we were covering the insurance for about 6 marae. What used to happen was that every marae committee tried to work out the best option, from which company, and at what rates, and they often ended up paying more than they needed to, and sometimes they forgot to do it, or didn’t have enough to get full cover. This way the iwi negotiates the best package for every marae and gets a way better deal for everyone. The insurance gets paid on time and the committee can focus on running the marae. A great idea, and if your iwi isn’t doing it raise it at your next iwi hui – but don’t say you heard it from me OK! And while I’m talkin’ about spending money wisely, I see that National has again decided to throw more good money after bad, by pouring more into the America’s Cup, the world’s most expensive sporting event. Government has already blown $80 million on two failed campaigns to date, and now they’re going to fund the next one. I mean honestly, we’ve got Kiwis living in cars because they can’t afford market rentals, we’ve got kids going through the rubbish for something to eat because their parents don’t get enough to feed them properly, we’ve got Maori and Pasifika children suffering from third world diseases in one of the most developed countries in the world … and this bloody government is wanting to spend money on the America’s Cup? But to close on a happier note, I went to Waireti Walter’s 80th birthday the other day. Lovely kai, lovely korero, lovely music, and just when you think everything is going sweet, Waireti cracks us all up with this line “back in our day we used to walk to school and we didn’t have any lunch - wonder where MANA was back then …” Hahahaha - Happy birthday whaea!!
Posted on: Tue, 01 Jul 2014 09:10:08 +0000
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