you are quite correct, issue was supposed to be about the people involved were talking through the proceedings. Thats what I heard in the news. but once again it highlights the government's bull in a china shop attitude to the more ancient traditions of our country. once they knocked the seating thing on the head they feel they have more or less had free reign. as we see

this quote:
//Move with the times people. Why should culture stagnate? They are allowed to change and evolve otherwise they will die out.//

is interesting
firstly in that; have you taken a look outside and seen the times?
we have media toying with religions and sacred belief all over the show,
unprecedented gaps between rich and poor
and a new zealand gov who grant themselves more and more priviledges than common people

i've got no qualms about culture changing
but who should change our customs and traditions and to what end?
if you have a custom or tradition in your family,
which is of no harm and has evolved over a period of time based on your beliefs,
do you prefer
a) to possess the power to change it
b) the governemnt changes it for you for no reason other than supplanting their own egos into your culture?

don't get me wrong, facists have their place in the world, and good on you for supporting them

here's some quote as to the why:

//But after that it is the men who sit in the front rows of the paepae, the men who make the speeches. "The women retreat to the third or fourth row benches. Even the wife of the leading orator will not sit with him." The men's speeches negate bad influences from the other side. If a woman is sitting in the front, her fertility dould be affected by makutu, says Walker. For the marae is traditionally the domain of Tumatauenga, the 'god of war'. The women must be protected. "People come in peace or war and you have to determine what it is."

Oratory, he says, is the prerogative of males who speak under the mana of their ancestors. They are obliged to always speak the truth. ,"The women, who sit to one side, will correct them if ihey hear any slip-up or mistake - and they will make it loud enough to make the speaker feel ashamed." Although 'they themselves almost never speak, women live longer and they are the keepers of the culture, he says.

i mean sure, remove all maori traditions , if need be, and truly become little england
whitewash everything so nz can be a true drone clone.

[ external link ]

yeah there's variation as to the protocol within the tribes. If they really represented everyone why would they change the policy so ONLY female parliament members have this priviledge, not everyone.

// even the primeminister chastised collins in the media today,
// for her "boorish behaviour"

that's just political points scoring removed from the actual issue at hand, which is sexism during an official state event.

// but i can respect your right to support anti marae protocol

Like I respect your right to support anti-women traditions.

scroll up about 30cm, there's nothing anti woman about it, it's for the good of the tribe

however if she was willing to ingore the protocol of the catholic church i'd fully support her. (perhaps interupting a sermon) gotta movve with the times you know...
what kind of country is this?

i love this post,
i was really moved when i read it
i wsh t could(s) come back
but it's never about coming back
it's about coming forward
with what ever you've got left over
and nver accepting that what you've got is enough
in a mode that spells together
for all time
together

it seemed like a prefereable topic to bring up than 15 teenagers kicking the living shit out of a bus driver