Its over! Te #Taumata now reaching out to new #British High #Commissioner!
Chris Karamea Insley
Chair ?? Leader ?? and, Influencer ?? Always Innovating and, always Delivering…
The UK flag has been removed from its pole outside the European Parliament in Brussels. Three officials took down the Union flag at exactly 8pm, watched by crowds of journalists and #British expats. Several former assistants to the UK’s MEPs also attended, sporting their commemorative UK/EU scarves.
There was a small cheer as the lowering mechanism got briefly stuck, with one onlooker joking: “It means you have to remain.” The Union flag is due to be placed in the House of #European History in #Brussels, a spokesman for the European Parliament said.
Te Taumata is reaching out to meet with the United Kingdoms new High Commissioner to New Zealand to meet to explore what a post EU trading relationship with Britain might look for Maori businesses, exporters and #whanau.
Historically New Zealand prior to the advent of the European Union has had long standing trade ties with Britain and indeed in my view these trade ties in many ways shaped modern Maori development in New Zealand through the earlier part of the last century off the back of the work especially of Ta #Apirana #Ngata who drove Maori land development creating more than 18,000 new Maori jobs through the post WWII era. These were regarded as the properous times for Maori and whanau in New Zealand.
With the Advent of the European Union, Britain reoriented its supply lines away from New Zealand and Maori towards this new trading ally (Europe). This had a devastating impact on especially Maori communities where whole industries and supply lines for primary products fell apart which saw #Maori whanau and communities torn apart as whanau pursued work elsewhere away from their turangawae (home lands).
Today many of these communities are in a desperate state experiencing some of the worst deprivation in New Zealand. BUT, these same communities are rich in lands and other natural resources. But what is missing, is #markets, development #capital, and leading #technologies.
Some thing ‘the UK has in spades’!