B Johnson (The Weekend Sun, November 15, pg 37) says that we are a democracy where equal rights should be enjoyed by all. This is only partly true.

In a democracy we all get equal voting rights but there are other rights like property rights not enjoyed equally by all. Maori get tribal (not individual) Treaty of Waitangi rights that Pakeha do not get, because that was the agreement when New Zealand was founded.

In return Pakeha got the right to govern New Zealand.

B Johnson says we are monocultural and the Treaty was signed for all New Zealanders, but the 1975 Treaty of Waitangi Act, passed by Parliament, says that the Treaty was signed with Maori only.

So we are bi-cultural, which just means respecting different cultures, not placing ethnicity above nationality.

B Johnson says the Treaty of Waitangi is not our founding document but the government website, www.nzhistory.govt.nz and Waitangi Day every year say it is.

P Dey, Welcome Bay.