There is always something ‘folksy' about Wellington people many of whom seem to have little else to do but collect Government, bureaucratic, tertiary pay cheques for undertaking so-called ‘research' usually with a view to criticising those who live in the real world .
Enough said! On cue out of the woodwork pops Kate MacIntyre, Social Anthropologist, at one-time with Department of Anthropology, Victoria University and more recently a Scoping reporter with the widely discredited Waitangi Tribunal giving her slant on things Maori from the ‘intelligentsia' viewpoint. Her use of words like jurisprudence (law) and normative (setting a standard) to muddy the waters give us a clue on the mindset.
It appears Ms MacIntyre is the author of ‘Distributive Justice and Indigenous Restitution in New Zealand and South Africa, a brief history', I ask what the hell do South Africa and New Zealand have in common, pray, tell? - it is chalk and cheese territory. Ms. MacIntyre, please stick with your cloistered academic clique and leave the commentary on real issues in the real world to real people, free from the cultural PC garbage you and your ilk spew forth.
Go read some of the writings of Sir Peter Buck (Te Rangi Hiroa) a noted anthropologist and in particular his views on the evil of separatism. Oh, yes and while we are at it, the Treaty of Waitangi has never had any constitutional significance and Maori are not indigenous to New Zealand.

R Paterson, Matapihi.