The comment by R Paterson (The Weekend Sun, March 2) that "all race-based hogwash should be consigned to the trash can. It has no place in New Zealand" makes him about 40 years out of date. Ditching race-based policies would return us to a pre-1975 racist past.

Politicians found in 1975 that racist government was very embarrassing when put under the international spotlight. So Since 1975 the Treaty of Waitangi (race-based) has been included in New Zealand law as a partnership agreement between the government and Maori.

Now we are officially a bicultural nation, using race-based policies to support a government-Maori partnership. Letter writers and local councillors who are not under the international spotlight can ignore good race relations and the need for inter-racial goodwill, but parliamentary politicians, including Winston Peters, can no longer afford to do so.

The majority of voters, which R Paterson describes as apathetic, most likely just accept that the government-Maori partnership is actually no threat to anybody, and he is making a fuss about nothing.

P Dey, Welcome Bay.