Bruce Bryant

A long time accountant, who was privileged to be part of the establishment and running of an indigenous peoples' tertiary educational institution, which captured the minds of a very large number of New Zealanders, both Maori and non Maori. The organisation, Te Wananga o Aotearoa (TWOA), grew so big under the government policies of the day, that it became a threat to central government, and not the least, to the traditional universities of the country.

The intrigue, and misuse of information from a very high level within a democratically elected government, with the help of 'commercial mercenaries', was to me, mind boggling.

I know what actually happened and how TWOA grew. All very impressive stuff! I then saw how the state battled for control of the organisation. The tactics used, were patently dishonest, and a re-run in my observations, of how the state justified the confiscation of vast areas of prime agricultural land from Maori in 1863. In view of the knowledge I have of the state's actions in 2004, I believe I have an obligation to put pen to paper to record the events that I see as being a dark part of Aotearoa New Zealand's interactions with its indigenous people.

Hence a doctoral thesis, followed by "A Small Window - Dirty politics 101".