Last week's The Weekend Sun carried two letters promoting equality as the basis for a more successful New Zealand.

The thread of both letters being the removal of Maori rights.

Don Brash and Richard Prince make the argument that the only way equality can be achieved, is to introduce their interpretation of the Treaty and subsequent Acts of Parliament or remove them completely.

Brash claims that there is no Act of Parliament that gave Maori a "partnership of equals". No reference to "equals" exists because the word is too difficult to quantify.

The treaty is a contract between two vastly different cultures. Contrary to Don Brash's claims, the 1987 Treaty of Waitangi (State Enterprises) Act gave recognition to the unanimous Appeals Court decision that recognised the principles of the treaty

These principals include 1. the right of the crown to govern and the rights of Maori to continue to exercise self determination.

2. On-going partnership with obligations to act reasonably and in good faith.

Don Brash and Richard Prince engage in the type of obfuscation we come to expect from those who seek to upset the tenuous grip we have on race relations.

Complete domination of cultural progress in our nation is unworkable, unnecessary and can only end in tears.

Perhaps a more positive contribution would be to drop the pretence that equality can be achieved through the denial of people's rights, and embrace the simple fact that New Zealand is a unique blend of cultures that has shown the world that diversity has more to offer than the constant bickering of a political minority and perhaps bored retirees, seemingly hell bent on destroying what we have. Warts and all.

Robin Bell, Omanawa,