Potential or actual Māori control of significant resources - for example, land, fisheries or money – is portrayed as a threat to non-Māori.

• “TV3 implied that Ngai Tahu were to blame for David and Morgan Saxton being imprisoned for stealing the pounamu.” Press, April 11, 2008.
• “Tribe: Pay us for air rights” New Zealand Herald, October 7, 2004
• “Maori want to charge for use of airspace above Lake Taupo…” Prime News, October 7, 2004.
• “‘Iwi tax’ Tribe sets lakebed fishing levy” headline, The Dominion Post, March 6 2009.
• “Mining proposed for Maori land” headline, 3News, November 9 2010.

• The audience is non-Māori.
• A Pākehā audience should feel threatened by Māori control.
• Māori control of resources is offensive because they don’t deserve it.
• Māori should be grateful for any recompense.
• Limits economic opportunities for non-Māori by iwi unfairly “locking up” resources  
• The resource is wasted on Māori.

• Makes Pākehā control of wealth in Aotearoa invisible; for example, by focussing on Māori-controlled land and ignoring the approximately 80% of land owned by non-Māori.
• Obscures the sales of major assets from non-Māori to foreign interests.
• Demonises Māori who want to develop their own economic base in line with Māori values.
• Undermines Māori efforts toward economic self-determination.
• Justifies state scrutiny of Māori controlled resources.

• Māori concepts of resource management are legitimate and sustaining e.g.  wairua and kaitiakitanga promote conservation and sustainable development.
• It is in Pākehā interests for resources to be in Māori control, because they will be managed with a long term view.
• Treaty settlements and the return of resources are a significant and positive achievement that everyone can be proud of.
• Māori resources are less likely to be sold overseas.
• Māori control and use of resources generates taxes, jobs and services.