In response to Peter Dey (The Weekend Sun, March 12, page 24) I see Margaret Murray-Benge, a voice for the silent majority, has been misinterpreted.
The crux is we are one people because our ancestors of both races chose not to remain separate, hence early Maori and European inter-racially mated.
It is what it is yesterday, today and probably tomorrow.
No-one refutes Maori have their separate identity in historical culture, as do European and other New Zealand races. Our inter-racial bonds are unique and beautiful. To try and peddle an open-ended demand of ownership and privilege by piggy-backing on one's Maori ancestry smacks of greed and apartheid. I question the calculated refusal to stop using the Treaty of Waitangi as a crutch. Both races have shaped our nation.
Let's ponder the uniqueness of descendant Maori with European surnames and vice-versa. This serves as a reminder we are a nation aptly called New Zealanders.
To purposefully drive a wedge between races is insidious and divisive. Our genetics undeniably tell the story and no-one can refute that. So let's play fair in the game of privilege and entitlement.
Lana Te Wiata-Wright, Ohauiti.
13 comments
Lana,
Posted on 19-03-2021 12:16 | By R. Bell
what a strange world you seem to live. Are you suggesting that one of your ancestors may have given away all rights to their heritage by choosing to take a different partner? Are you suggesting that such a choice removes their right to compensation for stolen land? Are you suggesting that all those who remain Maori forego their rights to be Maori in their one and only place they call home? Do you ever question the wedge that was driven by former governments when they enacted policies that robbed the Maori people of their heritage? I doubt it, as I doubt you even understand the real issues. Remember idealism can be a cover for racism.
Shadow1
Posted on 20-03-2021 16:05 | By Shadow1
For goodness sake R.Bell, can’t you recognise Lana’s well written and very pertinent letter as an attempt to show NZ that we are one people because we decided to be, years ago. It’s easy for you to wind up the pressure by highlighting the old sores and ignoring the fact that we have pretty well always got on together. Personally, I find her writing refreshing, and I take hope that more people like her will make their feelings shown.
Shadow1
Posted on 20-03-2021 17:25 | By R. Bell
I understand your indignation, however as you support Lana you too ignore the reasons we have arrived where we find ourselves today. The simple fact you ignore is that we are not one people but one nation founded by two very different people and a treaty. If as you suggest we are one people then you condemn the Maori people to the tyranny of the majority and lets all face it, that failed Maori for over a hundred years. In the above letter Lana insults those Maori who she disagrees with. To be honest I think Lana is not what she claims. I guess I'll never know.
Obsessed with compensation
Posted on 21-03-2021 06:15 | By crazyhorse
Robin Bell is obsessed with compensation for something that never happened to him or was taken away from him, fact, where will we be in another 100 years blonde blue eyed and still blaming colonisation and taking no personal responsibility?
Shadow1
Posted on 22-03-2021 14:17 | By Shadow1
Well R.Bell, I can see you’re passionate about your Maori heritage but I imagine you’ll find that if you delve into your own European heritage that you’re arguing with yourself.
Well, well shadow1,
Posted on 22-03-2021 17:40 | By R. Bell
like many others you jump to wrong conclusions. I have no Maori heritage, 100% pakeha I'm afraid. So you see I cant be guilty of the obsession with compensation charge either. My obsession is with justice nothing more nothing less. I simply defend the results of successive governments actions since 1975 which as you well know are under attack from the far right, to which you no doubt belong.
No misinterpretation
Posted on 23-03-2021 15:52 | By Peter Dey
Margaret Murray-Benge makes it clear that she believes that Article 3 of the Treaty makes us all politically equal so that we are one people. However she chooses to deny the fact that the rest of the Treaty makes it clear that Maori have other special treaty rights and that Article 3 is simply an addition to those. Margaret also chooses to ignore that Parliament has put the Treaty partnership into NZ Law, so when she says that the Crown (as government) cannot have a partnership with her subjects, she is writing nonsense, because Parliament has done exactly that which she says they cannot legally do.
Lana seems oblivious to Maori identity
Posted on 24-03-2021 10:52 | By Peter Dey
Lana writes as though separate Maori language and culture do not exist. She seems to have lived a Pakeha life style where people have Maori ancestry but have no active involvement with Maori culture. The Maori community that has ensured the survival of Maori language and culture have a separate identity that makes us two peoples, Maori and Pakeha. Neither Lana nor Margaret Murray-Benge recognize this, and Margaret's argument that Article 3 of the Treaty makes us all one people is nonsense because she completely ignores all the rest of the Treaty which makes us two Treaty partners.
What proof do we have
Posted on 26-03-2021 07:39 | By crazyhorse
They are actually Maori, we have all sorts of Maori-only policies, handouts but no proof the people piggybacking their ancestors are actually Maori, with the money being flung around should there not be some burden of proof, some blood quota?
Crazyhorse, Iwi registration is proof
Posted on 27-03-2021 08:18 | By Peter Dey
Any Treaty benefits go to Iwi first then they are passed on to individuals. Individuals with Maori ancestry are registered to Iwi and have to produce whakapapa to justify their registration. In general people who claim Maori ancestry know their whakapapa.
Crazyhorse, Maori benefits are catchups not extras
Posted on 27-03-2021 12:04 | By Peter Dey
Crazyhorse, you seem to think that Maori are getting extra benefits compared to Pakeha. You obviously know that Maori are behind Pakeha in their standard of living, and that has been caused by discrimination against Maori in the past. Assistance to help Maori catch up takes nothing from Pakeha, so there is no reason that you should complain about it.
Catchups not extras
Posted on 31-03-2021 06:56 | By crazyhorse
How about some self-responsibility? If people are too ' lazy' to use the education system even though they get special scholarships and incentives, too lazy to work, too lazy to take their children or themselves to the doctor that is not the taxpayer's fault!
Crazyhorse, get some self-responsibility yourself
Posted on 31-03-2021 13:26 | By Peter Dey
Crazyhorse, you write as if there has been no historical discrimination against Maori. There are recorded apologies from Parliament and countless other examples of recorded discrimination against Maori that justify catchups for Maori. Claiming lack of self-responsibility is a copout. Get some self-responsibility yourself, and stop ignoring objective facts. Maori had $30 billion of land wrongfully taken and have received $3 billion in compensation. That was injustice not lack of self-responsibility. When you ignore objective facts you are just writing propaganda.
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