Update from Auckland
We received a wonderful Maori Welcome when we arrived at the airport in Auckland. They had TZM t-shirt and TVP cap on for that! It was great and meant even more when I learned that their ancestors came from Hawaii the same as the people on the island of Tuamotu where Jacque learned a lot concerning many of the values of a resource based economy. One of these guys started TZM in Auckland. They identified with much of the communal sharing in TVP and associated it with their ancestor’s methods.
The last lecture was Wellington NZ and it really went beautifully I think. Jacque was fantastic, I did my new PowerPoint introduction and we both did Q&A. There was a van and three car loads of people who drove 8 hours from Auckland to Wellington to stay with us for the Wellington lecture!
The amount of people we have met who are truly with TVP and TZM, and have worked so hard to bring us to these different locations – have to be priceless. It is so reassuring to see all this support and people who have done a lot of work to learn about this direction. The tour is very important to reinforce them with as much information as possible. Jacque and I have been meeting with TZM almost every night to do this.
More updates soon!
Roxanne Meadows
www.thevenusproject.com
Kia Ora Jacque and Roxanne.
I’m Maori from Aotearoa/NZ also. I was at the lecture you guys gave in Perth. Just want to thank you guys for what you do and for taking the time to visit NZ. There are alot of people there who would benefit with what you have to say.
Aroha nui ki a korua….much love to you both
Rush
Thanks for visiting New Zealand, Jacque and Roxanne! It was wonderful to see you in the flesh. And thanks to those who put in a lot of time and effort to organise the lecture.
I’d like to point out a trivial inaccuracy with regards to the misinformation about where Maori ancestors came from.
They did not come from Hawaii, as some might have told you. The misunderstanding likely arises from the name of the mythical land to which some Polynesian cultures trace their origins.
This land is called ‘Hawaiki’, which is actually completely unrelated to the islands of Hawaii. The name itself most likely does not refer to a geographical place, but rather to the chief-based social structure that pre-colonial Polynesia typically exhibited. ‘Hawaiki’ likely comes from the word ‘hou’eiki’, which means ‘chiefs’ in Tongan.
Even though the origin of the word ‘Hawaiki’ is not fully understood, the name itself does not link Maori to Hawaii geographically whatsoever. DNA, linguistic, botanical, and archaeological evidence shows that Maori (like all Polynesian groups) migrated from the Philippines, island hopping until eventually arriving in New Zealand, most likely from the Cook Islands area. There was not any back-tracking from Hawaii to New Zealand.
I’m not sure why the members of TZMNZ told you this. Perhaps it was a misunderstanding of their own historical origins, or perhaps it was done to create rapport. It is just somewhat disconcerting that a few administrative members of TZMNZ have not only been misrepresenting TZM on the NZ chapter website, but they are also providing misinformation to the core founders of this movement, for either questionable motives or just plain ignorance.
Regardless, the method of sharing that their ancestors engaged in is the real point here, so I’ll leave it at that.
Thanks again Jacque and Roxanne!