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That there's likely to be such differences in opinion is a sad indictment on the state of NZ's race relations, which is a great shame.

But what's this got to do with IT, computers communications and technology?

Well I could point out that there are fears over the waste of unknown amounts of the many hundreds of millions of dollars that have been poured into the country's largest tertiary institution.

Surely that money would have been better spent gearing our young people to better cope and compete in the 21st century's knowledge-based economy?

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Then there are the tens of millions of dollars being poured into MTS, a broadcaster that has an incredibly small regular audience and which, like Te Wananga o Aotearoa, seems to have been bathed in allegations of nepotism and improper use of funds.

Let me say before I go any further that I have a great deal of sympathy for the way the Maori people have been shafted by successive governments going right back to the signing of the treaty.

There are some genuine grievances here that need to be properly addressed and for which compensation ought to be made.

However, I also think that we've now reached the point where we've gone way over the top in far too many areas. This pandering has reached a level that beggars belief.

For example: if you or I have a company called Watzit Widgets Ltd, it's up to us to go register our trademarks and protect them. If some cybersquatter comes along and registers WatzitWidgets.co.nz then we have to work within existing trademark laws to wrestle that name from them or stop them from attempting to "pass-off".

Did you realise that this is *not* the case with the Maori TV Service?

It seems that Maori get preferential treatment in respect to the registration of any name remotely like Maori TV and that protection is enshrined in section 11.1 of The Maori TV Service Act 2003.

That's right -- if someone cybersquats a domain similar to yours, you've got to go through a slow and possibly expensive process to wrestle control -- but MTS only has to invoke their special law and the offender (perhaps unwitting offender) can be slammed with a $2,500 fine. What's more, all the litigation is paid for by the taxpayer.

Strangely enough, it would seem that the government is far more interested in protecting MTS from cybersquaters than it is in protecting itself -- as the unchallenged existence of this site would appear to demonstrate.

And could the leader of the opposition be in for a stingy smack on the legs as a result of the way the domain MaoriTV.com is configured?

What about MTS.com, will they be receiving an international "cease and desist" letter from Maori TV's lawyers I wonder?

How stupid is this legislation that positively discriminates in favour of a race-based broadcaster??

Am I the only one who thinks that it's about time to call an end to the increasingly divisive attitude that government is taking to the whole issue of biculturalism in New Zealand?

Right the wrongs -- but let's not get bogged down chasing non-existent taniwhas and inflicting the effects of superstitions and customs on those who'd rather keep moving into the 21st century. And let's not get carried away with over-compensating for the legitimate wrongs that have been done in the past.

By all means I agree that key parts of Maori culture and custom ought to be preserved -- but it is largely the responsibility of Maori themselves to provide this protection. No amount of taxpayer money is going to replace a genuine desire to preserve the language and culture of a people so let's not turn the culture-preservation industry into another arm of the welfare system eh?

Yes, I'm sure plenty of folks will be steaming after reading this -- but I honestly believe that in some ways the moves for compensation have gradually become an attempt to promote one culture ahead of another and it's almost as if it's become more important to penalise non-Maori rather than compensate Maori.

Come on folks -- it's a big country and there are only four million of us here. Surely we can realise that the past is the past and the only thing that lays ahead is the future. Let's live *there* and concentrate on moving forward -- not endlessly raking up events of the past and trying to fix them by simply throwing ever-greater amounts of taxpayer money at a small group in an attempt to provide compensation.

Woo hoo... take it to the forums!

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