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Des Ratima: Reflections On the Election

November 11, 2010

The call arrived, the result although provisional was final, you were unsuccessful in both counts. POW! The hammer drops and the weight of defeat and a feeling of being ignored descends, down into an abyss of despair and self-sorrow. The taste of defeat so bitter. Perhaps my expectations exceeded my abilities. Or perhaps I could [...]

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Des Ratima: Remove the Fear, Wear the Jersey

August 12, 2010

The descriptions of sports teams are used to unify and enthuse. For example All Blacks. All Whites, Black Sticks, Silver Ferns, Kiwis. I think that I can safely promote that upon hearing any of these descriptors I am warmed by the feeling of unity, patriotism, loyalty and citizenship, of belonging, of being at home. Measure [...]

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Des Ratima: Environmental Issues, The Food of Politicians

May 29, 2010

If I were a budding politician, looking for a range of issues that would attract comment and debate, I would not need to go to far past all things environment. Get the debate right and you could attract wide community support. Get it wrong and you could attract wide condemnation. Maybe that is why many [...]

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Des Ratima: Queen Elizabeth Outfall

April 9, 2010

In the March BayBuzz Digest I am quoted in the Maori Health Underspend and Stinkin’ Pipes articles. I have since spoken to a number of people I respect to test my thoughts against their views. I am not surprised to find that they share the same concerns about the underspend and the use of the [...]

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Des Ratima – Right Thought,Wrong Question

October 11, 2009

Right thought, wrong question. That was my initial response when invited to make a contribution to the question “Who speaks for Maori?” Why is it that the question is posed in the first place? Why is it that there is a common complaint among many organisations and groups when dealing with Maori issues … with [...]

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Des Ratima – Maori, stepping forward and upward

September 19, 2008

Statistics and Central Government rhetoric inform us that the Maori population is increasing, the age of that population is getting younger and we are living longer … all good news for those who feel Maori. However there’s a reverse side of the coin … we are still counted too high among the prison population, we [...]

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