Tuesday 19 February 2013

Twisting the Treaty: A Tribal Grab for Wealth and Power [updated]

Ahem, allow me to recommend a new book—just published!

_TwistingTheTreaty

As you’ll have seen, there are one or two names there that might be familiar.

The book appears at an important time in the country’s constitutional history.  If the Treaty itself arrived just in time to cement in place and reward pre-Treaty genocidal land grabs by the likes of Hongo Hika, Te Rauparaha and others, then the Maori-National party’s “constitutional review” of today arrives at a time when Maori corporations, having been gifted billions by taxpayers for things we haven’t done, seek to have their “special” status as a permanent drain on taxpayers constitutionally protected.

If enough people read this book, it could lead to some much needed changes in the way we are governed.

I suggest that you pass on the book’s information it to all your contacts, along with the appropriate purchase information:

  • A5 paperback, 414 pages plus 16 pages of photos.
  • Price: $40.
  • Available from Paper Plus stores and independent book shops. or direct from the publisher, Tross Publishing, P.O. Box 22 143, Khandallah, Wellington 6441
  • Payment to the publisher can be by cheque, or by Direct Credit to Tross Publishing, Westpac, Wellington 030584-0210107-00. 

23 comments:

twr said...

You'd get the message to a hell of a lot more people if you gave the book away.

Anonymous said...

Will an e-book version be available?

Anonymous said...

I can't for the life of me understand why can't serious author would have their book printed on paper and distributed to all the bookshops to be ignored (because the price is stupidly high) and then flogged off in the remainder bins.

Hasn't this guy heard of Kindle? I mean.... honestly.... it takes about 3 hours and zero cost to publish via Kindle and reach twenty times the readers and make far more profit selling for $7.95.

Dave Mann

Libertyscott said...

Well done, I look forward to acquiring a copy by some means.

To be fair, there remains a whole generation of NZers who wont buy ebooks. However, I don't doubt you've talked about how to progress that.

Sam P said...

Look forward to reading it. Good work.

Anonymous said...

Also, to clarify, I would love to read it too.

I'm in interested in the subject and I know that at least one of the authors (!) is an excellent writer.... but you have chosen the wrong publishing format.

Dave Mann

Dinther said...

Pricey for a single read. Are you sure it is published? Paperplus web-site makes no mention of the book and it can not be found under: "Twisting the Treaty" or "Twi$ting the Treaty"

http://www.paperplus.co.nz/search?q=twisting+the+treaty&t=books

Anonymous said...

Tross Publishing page is virtually blank when I linked to it with the purpose of buying the book
Peter

Anonymous said...

Your book hasn't made it to "Fishpond" either.
(A pity that nowhere {other than say Auckland University and maybe National Library} has Ruth Ross's analysis of the treaty. Requested by 1974 Rowling government - she shreds the treaty. Read a review by another historian criticising her for being factual rather than interpretive.
Peter

Ricky McLeod said...

This is an important book. It deserves to be widely read. New Zealanders do not think critically, this is what this book is asking us to do and make up our minds ! Something is rotten in the way this country is being hoodwinked over the treaty power and wealth grab , and by the way we are accused of racism if we voice our opinions as these courageous writers have done.

Ricky McLeod said...

This is an important book. It deserves to be widely read. New Zealanders do not think critically, this is what this book is asking us to do and make up our minds ! Something is rotten in the way this country is being hoodwinked over the treaty power and wealth grab , and by the way we are accused of racism if we voice our opinions as these courageous writers have done.

Anonymous said...

Brought it, read it then burnt it.....Racist garbage!

Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...
Brought it, read it then burnt it.....Racist garbage!

3/20/2013 07:17:00 pm




It differs to your view so it is racist? Typical! (I seriously doubt that you read it). It's actually a very informative read and could open up mature debate if we were not an immature pc country frightened of expressing views because of constantly being branded racist. Nice work by the authors and good to see the research that was done.

Brian Taylor said...

It is a brilliant expose and its timing impeccable. The "so called" authorised English version of the Treaty and its "supposed principles" has absolutely no place in the proposed constitution. The Maori version of the Treaty signed by 540 Chiefs is the only legitimate agreement.

Anonymous said...

This book was written by a group of people who have tried to pass of their opinions as facts. Yes, they are well respected academics....but that doesn't stop them from being biased. Have any of them actually researched both sides of the story? No.
They accuse maori of being racist while spouting racism left, right and centre!
This book isn't ignored because the price is too high!It's ignored because it's crap!
If it was worth it, people would pay for it!

1stNationz said...

Are you seriously recommending this book? If you are unable to tell just by reading the back cover that this is racist dribble then perhaps you are OK with that fact. eg. Britain's reluctant response... to save Maori from cannibalism and wiping themselves out... a simple transaction.. full sovereignty for Britain's benign empire... lol this is most definitely opinion and a racist one at that just as all the other comments say. If u r ok with this, then just admit that you are racist and that U enjoy reading mis-information which you feel justifies your racist views; but don't pretend to be impartial or even to be concerned about the corporatisation inherent in the Government "iwi" enterprise schemes, or even that you're concerned Maori are a drain on the NZ economy whilst Rio-tinto, Canterbury Finance, Tiwai Point, Warner Brothers etc etc receive Govt-Corporate welfare wildly in excess of Govt. Treaty of Waitangi expenditure to date. But these examples of privatising taxpayer money and assets must be ok with you because white businessmen benefit am I right?

P.S. Hongi Hika (not Hongo) if you can't even get a name right why should anyone care what you recommend to be good "information".

Anonymous said...

There are now a number of good books out there doing the rounds, such as this one, Ian Wishart's The Great Divide and Dr John Robinson's The Corruption of New Zealand Democracy. These books seem very well researched and will be read by those who want to read the truth and be better informed as apposed to the sanitised, untruthful dribble from the academic appeasers. It is time that the smoke, mirrors and BS was exposed as indeed that. I like so many, are tired of hearing the only form of response that we seem to hear, that being The calling of these writters and those who choose to challenge the previous, corrupted and untruthful versions of our short history as racists, seems to be there only weak nonsense arguement they give. I applaud the work that these people are doing in writting these books for the readers to potentially be able to debate and discuss from a position of having been informed

Anonymous said...

Brilliant work. Yes price a little high for my budget but available from libraries - where I got my copy from.

Unknown said...

Its a great book that is well researched and informative. I think yes it needs to be made on e-book availability to to reduce the price so that as many people out there can read the truth. Our country is being turned into an apartheid nation by our own government. Kiwis need to get with the plot, that what is happening is the enrichment of a handful of elite part Maori fat cats that are also ripping off their own people & all NZers.

Ana Palmer said...

I like the idea of open debate surrounding the Treaty without fear of being accused of racism but I don't think the motivation of the writers and the opinions expressed in the book are coming from a genuine place. I deduce this from the choice of language and the general tone. It is so hideously biased, hence why I can never make it past even one page before having to slam the book shut again. How can anyone take this seriously? The insinuating, the implying going on – it’s so apparent and childish to the point where it’s actually funny and that’s why I, in some ways, think this is comedic writing because they just can’t be serious. How could you think this book is informing when it is so obviously built upon a lack of will to understand something from a perspective other than your own world-view, history, situation? Basically, I think the book and its champions focus too much on generalizing Maori as villains to justify every point they make. I would be more inclined to acknowledge a text that doesn’t have to paint Maori in a bad light to create a moving argument.

jh said...

"the treaty was a simple and straight forward agreement"
....
I prefer the explanation suggested in David Slack's Book Bullshit, Backlash and Bleeding Hearts: Maori gambled (I would say believed) the demographics would stay in their favour the British counted on assimilation?

Anonymous said...

Unfortunately this book is being read and unfortunately taken as being the actual account of pre and post Treaty events. Many published works are available on the subject and I would suggest that these be read also so that an unbiased personal view can be made. Whether we like it or not a written understanding or contract exists. Treaty Settlements are researched and can take up to 10 years to complete and after exhaustive and lengthy debates an agreement is made on the content of that settlement. Some of these stories told through these negotiations; whether they be Tuhoe, Ngai Tahu, Tainui etc are horrific and barbaric in the quest for land in that time. No amount of Financial redress will ever compensate the families of today whose ancestors lost so much. Chris Finlayson in his address to the naysayers during the Tuhoe settlement agreement was as follows "read your history books" referencing those who had a problem with this arrangement or settlement. I suggest to anyone to read many authors before you jump to conclusions. In regard to Maori business paying no tax know your facts on this also.

Tania said...

European settlers came here to steal Maorland either way,by killing the people of the land,as European had done around the world. The state of England in those early days were shocking! War, disease ribbled..black death,TB,flu,STDs,starvation. So European by far didn't come here to save anybody full stop,only to steal Maorland either way.