RE: ‘Howls of the housing crisis' (The Weekend Sun).

R Goodall's racist comment that they 'absolutely love the housing crisis” because they imagines there are more ‘Pakeha' (non-Maori) homeless than Maori!

Goodall does not give statistics to support this fatuous statement but statistics show Maori are only 15 per cent of our population - the other 85 per cent being non-Maori. It therefore would not be surprising if there were more non-Maori homeless.

Goodall then tries to compare the present situation with that in 1840 when, after the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, settlers began to arrive.

Maori were delighted to find they could get money from the sale of their land and this they did with gusto, sometimes the same tract several times over. The hundreds of sales are recorded on Victoria University's website.

As for housing, Maori had no idea what a proper house was like until settlers built theirs with running water and toilets. According to Charles Darwin, when he visited New Zealand prior to 1840, Maori lived in ‘filthy hovels'. Goodall shows no gratitude for the way settlers turned barren land into a country with houses, schools, universities, roads - and most of all knowledge and education.

Goodall's gloating over homeless non-Maori is derogatory to say the least.

M Brooks, Tauranga City.