Editorial: Driving down wrong path

OPINION: "These things got taken away from us a long time ago by the white settlers," Diane Ratana said last week. What was she talking about? Land, the foreshore, fishing rights? Nope. The Maori Traveller's Permit. Her comments came after Wiremu Peihopa (also known as Billy Griffith), a member of her group Te Akaimapuhia Maori Incorporation, was arrested by Hamilton police when he passed off his "permit" as his driver's licence.

Police say he was pulled over because the car had no registration plates. He was then arrested for presenting false information to them and could be disqualified from driving. And so he should be.

Mrs Ratana, however, labelled the arrest as harassment, saying: "We should be free to travel on this land because we are Maori." You are free to travel on this land Mrs Ratana – you just need to get a proper licence like everyone else.

She went on to say that she had used her permit as identification when changing the ownership of a vehicle at a NZ Post Shop on Tuesday. NZ Post said that was not the case, and when she was asked for further proof of identity a birth certificate was produced.

Mrs Ratana's group – which believes it is authorised to create laws, statutes, regulations or place limitations on existing laws within its own native districts – has been linked to Gerard Otima, who last year sold fake passports and residency permits to Pacific Islanders for $500 each.

However, she says no money has changed hands for the driving permits and the group solely wants "to pass on our knowledge to the rest of our people". At the moment, that knowledge appears simply to be encouraging people to break the law.

Every couple of years this nonsense crops up. It's all about Maori sovereignty, Mrs Ratana and her acolytes drone, but it's nothing of the sort. It's stupid, self-serving rubbish. What if Mr Peihopa had killed someone while driving? Would the permit cover that? Who would try him and where would he be jailed? Our justice system would be left picking up the pieces.

Sensibly, leading Maori figures have moved quickly to dismiss Mrs Ratana's fanciful ideas. Maori Affairs Minister Pita Sharples warned people against using the permits, saying they would be prosecuted. Meanwhile, United Tribes of New Zealand pirihimana commissioner Rex Ainsley, of Waihi, said they did not have his endorsement. "I'm trying to be lawful," he added.

And there's the rub. The permits are unlikely to catch on in a big way as most New Zealanders, no matter their colour or creed, are law abiding citizens who can understand why things like driver licensing and the issuing of passports are controlled by the state.

While Mrs Ratana may consider it "harassment", it's about protecting the greater good. She is entitled to her opinion and we're fans of free speech. However, what we're not keen on is people breaking the law and putting others at risk for the sake of a bit of grandstanding. And what of the damage she is doing justifiable Maori grievances?

- © Fairfax NZ News