To L Askin (The Weekend Sun, February 7, page 31) who (rightly) asserts Buddy Mikaere's bias (Mission Street 7/2/20), I say – check your own bias at the door and let's examine the facts. Or in this case the mistaken ‘facts' of our letter writer - and common errors they are.

That the TCC ‘should not have used $1.5 million on this fruitless exercise' ignores the fact that after the recent transaction, nothing changes other than a deed of ‘ownership' and a $1 a year lease to the Elms Trust. That a ‘Maori' trust ‘owns' the property rather than a ‘???' trust (The Elms) is at zero cost to the ratepayer. This has been repeatedly pointed out. Critics walk straight past this extremely simple point.

The writer's challenge to B Mikaere to prove ownership could be met by a challenge to provide proof of purchase of the Te Papa block from CMS. We know that a sale didn't occur. Importantly, CMS in London cautioned against sale of this land held in trust. These letters from London are a matter of record. Rather the local CMS ignored the advice and ‘gifted' the land. There's copious information, records, books on these facts. Readers can check library and Google sources without resorting to ‘the victor's story' – check historian Vincent O'Malley for a centre of frame account online.

M Maunder, Otumoetai.