Category: Uncategorized
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Thoughts from the Waitangi Tribunal
The Aramiro marae located between Hamilton and Raglan, New Zealand is a peaceful place. Surrounded by verdant hills, and craggy terrain, the marae structure itself is unprepossessing. In many ways, the humble building mirrors the selfless values of an ancient people that have long struggled to survive. Accordingly, the world seems very far removed here. The drums…
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When Tribes Fail to Govern: Lessons from the Tribal Payday LendingFiasco
My work here in New Zealand sometimes feels far removed from the context of my tribes and family back in America. But every now and then, stories drift across the Pacific from Indian Country that remind me how similar the challenges facing the World’s Indigenous peoples are. In this case, challenges of governance and good…
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Public and Private Life
My wife, Son and I applied for an extension of our visas today. Coincidentally, today is also the four year anniversary of our marriage. If you had told me on our wedding day that four years hence we would be living in a foreign land, with an infant son in tow, I would have promptly…
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Indigenous Governance in the United States and New Zealand
It’s been a long while since I’ve added an update on my work with Indigenous peoples. I had hoped this site would turn into a place where I could share some of the questions that have come about from my work and a place where I could obtain feedback from those interested in similar issues.…
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Book Review: In the City of Bikes
If you’ve followed Pax Plena for any length of time, you probably know that I harbor a long-suffering interest in cycling. In good faith, I can’t call myself an avid cyclist having ridden all of 21 miles since I picked up a road bike here in New Zealand. But it is fair to say that…
Pax Plena 