The current system we have has not worked as a deterrent to crime in fact it has seen an increase. Any educated NZer would know that crime is socially constructed and that prisons were built with Maori in mind the British soldiers in the 1840′s were not constructing a law system to imprison themselves.

Maori are saying that these units will address the issues that offenders have that are culture specific. In the 1980′s I worked in prison looking at alternatives to violence. I am in full support of Maori focus units as I personally would like to see less repeat offending I am heartened that John Keys is enlightened and also would like to see a decrease in crime and realizes that Maori imprisonment and offending needs a Maori solution.

As for Jeremy Wells all I have to say to that is my husband taught Jeremy Wells and his brother Jeffrey. Jeremy was expelled from Collegiate School for dope smoking, the rich and privileged easy when you have a rich family and money in the bank. I know Jeremy did not face any convictions as a result if it was a Maori student in a public school they would not have gotten off so lightly.

Yes its is easy for Mr Wells and others to cry reverse racism, Maoris getting the soft options again when the system was not designed with Maori in mind. I suggest you all go to University and do some serious research as to why Maori are so disadvantaged, challenge yourself to look at the reasons why.

I am glad that Key is prepared to look at Maori solutions to reduce re-offending. Crime is socially constructed you all need to empower yourselves with the knowledge to understand the legacy of colonization and racial domination.

Lily

Don’t forget the most dangerous criminals in NZ are rich (e.g,. gangs) and many of them are Maori, there are plently of poor white people.

I did hear reoffending rates went down by 7% with a similar programme, I hope thats not because they’ve been brainwashed into becomes something worse than criminals, namely racist violent revoltionaries! That’s what I’d do if I had to look after criminals of my race, try to direct their aggression somewhere, anywhere, else, far away from me!

This is as straightforward as pouring a bucket of water into a glass and wonder why it’s overflowing – so you try and fix it by pouring another bucket of water.

I recall a profound comment by reid on this blog about a month ago. He stated along the lines of; “you don’t study the weaknesses if your trying to fix something, you study the successes”

I equate that, not on the claimed 7% reduction in reoffending, but on how maori can successfully live away from the NZ climate – as proper members of society. What are they doing different?

I know what you are saying and a big part of me agrees with you, I guess there are two reasons why I think it might be worth “giving a crack”.

One is that I am sick and tired of Maori crime and Maori criminals and the other is my sudden realisation that we already have two classes of justice in NZ.

There is the justice system for the rich and powerful white guy and then there is the justice system that the rest of us honkies, Maori and all other races have to abide by.

Don’t get me wrong, more than most I want to see Maori privilege removed from our land and I concur with your list of things that we have not tried, but if, like me, you are keen to remove Maori privilege then you MUST be consistent and demand that rich and powerful white guy privilege is also done away with.

Simply put mate we do NOT have a justice system that treats all of us the same way, seeing as that is the case then I suppose I can put up with trying something new if it might (granted, it is a fucking BIG “might”) change things.

really? ….
-I don’t believe we’ve tried taking away all the preferential treatment maori get
- I don’t believe we’ve ever demanded maori be raised without the oppressed indigenous victim mentality that’s drummed into their heads from the moment they can hear, and carry’s on as part of our state funded curriculum and continues as part of every day NZ life
- I don’t believe we’ve ever tried taking their fucken benefits off them if they don’t raise their kids properly
- I don’t believe we’ve ever tried to stop making excuses for their every wrong doing
- I don’t believe we’ve ever considered kapa haka may just encourage aggression

The huge number of maori living in Aussie get none of these special privileges – and their crime rate there seems extremely low by comparison

If I had raised my children by giving special privileges to the worst behaved they would have all learnt to be arseholes.

this is just more of the same bullshit road we’ve been heading down since maori crime statistics got out of hand decades ago – coincidence?

Cosgrove is nothing but a knuckle dragging uncivilzed half educated ignoramus and chameleon. As insincere a politician as I have ever seen. Whatever he says, its worthless rubbish

The bros in their holiday camp with Sky TV, smoking joints, drinking beer and listening to Rap music.

Run by Maori wardens that run ant-white history workshops.

Whitie looking crims will be arguing they are Maori, then appealing declines, all on Legal aid.

WTF?

I think a large a part of the whole problem is the idea that there is some special group amongst us that needs special treatment. This is pandering. It is racism. It is counter productive. It is a self perpetuating negative.

Until this idea is rejected, it is my view that we will not see improvement.

Those saying that its worth a go because everything else has not worked are wrong. Treating so called Maori the same as everybody else has not been tried ever as far as I know.

As for the subject idea, I feel it is nothing more than an attempt by Pita Sharples to give his worthless little racist gang some political relevancy. These people, Sharples and Turia and their hangers on, do not represent anyone other than a rag tag group of separatists and a very very small percentage of the NZ electorate. Ninety percent of Maori do not want a bar of them.

It baffles me why Key ever ceded them any respect and why he granted them the authority of being a part of government.

So I reject this proposal on the grounds that it adds to the problem rather than helps, and that it is merely a sop to a gang of non representative minority separatists.

Key and the Nats need to wake up that they’re not here to pander to racists, or the witterings of pseudo liberal ivory tower leftist journalists and New York Times style pseudo liberal editors who mostly vote Labour. (for example the Herald Editorialist) What have Labour ever done but pad the pockets of elitist cronies and / or drive the larger part of Maori further into the desperate chasm of welfarism?

Key et al are there to represent the people who voted for National. A large number of these were Maori, who chose the Nats over the separatist Maori Party. John Key needs to think about this choice, not the racist rubbish of NZ’s left wing mainstream media, or the squeals of minority racists trying to carve a political niche for themselves at the expense of NZ’s racial and social harmony.

It might look ok today — but it is where it leads later that concerns me.

As a Winston Churchill said of the new design of Parliaments debating chamber “we shape our institutions, then they shape us”.

This will not be good for Maori, it will make everyone else resent them and may even move victims of crimes to revenge against Maori if they feel there has been no justice (which will push crime stats back up).

It doesn’t matter if it’s a “wee” change, a virus is small.

http://keepingstock.blogspot.com/2009/04/herald-on-maori-prisons.html

What disgusting racist crap.

National does not owe the Maori Party, who only received the vote of one Maori in ten, anything.

It owes the NZ people good governance.

Could this be that the better part has left and what remains is tends more towards the shallow end of the pool?

“so white guys go to jail and maoris get to go flatting”