It was so refreshing to read Lana Te Wiata Wright's letter of February 5 (The Weekend Sun, pg 27). She calmly and simply dismissed the 'separatist rhetoric' of the last few years and showed us her own belief in a unified approach to the future.
I would also prefer to tick the ‘New Zealand' box without the ethnic qualification when asked for my nationality as I believe we will always be a multi-national melting pot and the sooner we accept this the sooner we can stop the infighting.
Dan Russell, Tauranga.
3 comments
What is separatist rhetoric and ethnic infighting?
Posted on 27-02-2021 16:17 | By Peter Dey
The people opposed to separatist rhetoric and ethnic infighting do not make it clear what it is that they are opposed to. We are not a nation of one people. Our founding document is The Treaty of Waitangi which establishes that we are two people, Maori and Pakeha. It took many years of protest by Maori but since 1975 the Treaty has been NZ Law. Our government now honours the Treaty but many Pakeha do not. Maybe there would be less infighting if more Pakeha honoured the Treaty.
Honor the treaty?
Posted on 03-03-2021 05:53 | By crazyhorse
Peter Dey talks of honoring the treaty, nowhere in the treaty does it say shared governance/partnership. The fact is, it is constitutionally impossible for the Crown to enter into a partnership with any of it's subjects’ - Article 3 of the treaty gave to Maori the rights of British subjects, which put signatories under political control of the Queen, hence no partnership.
NZ Law recognizes the Treaty as a partnership
Posted on 03-03-2021 08:29 | By Peter Dey
Crazyhorse, you have been told many times, but you choose to pretend that it is not fact, but the NZ Parliament and NZ HighCourts have recognized the Treaty as a partnership. In NZ Law the Treaty is a partnership. That is fact.
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