Mihaka in no mood to retreat

By Mike Barrington Maori activist Te Ringa Mangu (Dun) Mihaka, best known for his whakapohane (buttocks-baring) to royalty and the Pope, is back in the North with a new line for cover-up protest.
Mr Mihaka, 65, formerly of Te Ahuahu, north-west of Kaikohe, but a Wellington resident in recent years, has returned to Tai Tokerau for the Treaty of Waitangi anniversary commemoration, which he likes to attend annually.
At Waitangi on Tuesday he will be plugging his new Te Ringa Mangu "Black Hand" brand of T-shirts and singlets, each garment bearing a distinctive "Mihaka v Police" signature.
The front of the first run of T-shirts off the screenprinter is emblazoned with "Ohaeawai 1845" and the names of chiefs Kawiti, Ruatara, Heke and others.
Below is written Na ratau `itakahi te kekereru' imohio `ngia he tangata tatau', which Mr Mihaka translated as: "It was they who stamped on that beetle that made us what we are today."
On the back of the T-shirts is "Ngawha 2005 Ohaeawai Maori whareherehere (prison)."
British forces suffered a defeat rare in their military clashes against indigenous people when about 310 soldiers and sailors imprudently stormed a stoutly built pa at Ohaeawai in 1845.
Fewer than 100 Maori in the pa killed about 40 of the British troops and wounded 70 others during the assault. Ngapuhi casualties were fewer than 10.
Mr Mihaka considers the Ohaeawai victory a fine example of Maori "not rolling over" for the British authorities, a creed he has promulgated throughout three decades of encounters with police and courts.
Future Te Ringa Mangu garments will carry newspaper headlines highlighting his protest action, such as "Full moon for Pope visit."
Mr Mihaka paved the way for the introduction of the Maori language into the criminal justice system when he insisted on speaking te reo Maori when appearing in court in 1979 accused of fighting with police.
His stand was followed by the introduction of the Maori Language Act 1987, giving te reo Maori equal status with the English language.
As a result, he has sought compensation from the Waitangi Tribunal for his particular brand of consultation - including jail terms - and travel expenses relating to his promotion of the new law.
The tribunal has queried his right to payment and Mr Mihaka has been responding with critical comments.
He is also claiming $5.5 million from the Attorney-General for what he says was his wrongful detention following a dispute with a Porirua District Court judge in 1999.
This claim, lodged in the Wellington High Court in 2003, is not making much progress, but Mr Mihaka was expecting it to get a hurry-up from Te Tai Tokerau MP Hone Harawira in Parliament soon.
With these two legal claims on the boil and the Te Ringa Mangu clothing project steaming along, the ageing warrior is enjoying life on the superannuation pension.
"When the jury brings in a verdict on my $5.5 million claim I will be the first Maori to become a millionaire as a result of suing the Crown," he said with a grin.