David Seymour & the treaty

[Olive]

I've always felt that Treaty settlements are just that, settlements.  We negotiate with the representatives of the tribe and compensate for past grievances...

New Zealand's purpose in providing the settlements is to draw a line in the sand to be able to say that we have righted the wrongs, in a fair and equitable manner.  In Full and Final Settlement so to speak...

It is not an investment - it is not a redistribution of wealth - it is not a favour or backhander to Maori representatives.  It is a line in the sand...

What happens with the money after that is of no concern to anyone else, other than members of the said tribes...  After settlements are paid it is not our money - we have no claim to it, we have no say over how it is spent, it is not our problem.

IMO they are welcome to do what they like with it - some will invest it wisely, some tribal leaders will be greedy, some won't 'trickle down' settlement money, some tribes will probably end up in court because of fraud or mismanagement. 

But New Zealand has made good on past grievances,  we have drawn the line in the sand and as a society, move on somewhat more united because of it... Of course there will always be those that just feel like this money is a handout for Maori...

Well said, and it needs to be said more often these days.   I am sick and tired of the way that ACT and other far right organisations promote the concept of treaty settlements being a category of social welfare benefit.   Treaty settlements are settlements to redress past wrongs, and once the money is paid over it is up to the recipients to make their own choices about their use of it.