Recent letters in your paper suggest that there is considerable pressure for treating one section of our population differently from the rest. This results in a divided nation with two separate populations. Why has this happened? I say 'happened” because in the middle of last century we did not have this politically driven division.
In the 1950's and 60's I lived and worked in two small communities, one in the far north and one in north Taranaki. There were about 50% Maori people in each. But this fact did not enter into the way we regarded each other, and we were all the same in every respect. The children formed groups according to age and interests, Tuhingaia and Marie, one very dark, and one very white, were the greatest of friends as were Hulle and Frank. Mind you no one was out of work, and there were no unemployed young people wandering around with nothing to do. Everyone worked, and everyone got on together.
What has happened since? I would blame ego-centric people of both groups who have exploited the situation in order to gain power and prestige for themselves regardless of the good of the people.
Can we reverse this? Not if some of your correspondents continue on their road to apartheid.
John Mills, Mount Maunganui.
1 comment
Posted on 29-01-2013 17:38 | By [email protected]
Why has our nation become divided. It came divided when the labour Government under Geoffrey Palmer & david lange enacted laws that gave Maori advantages over non Maori. They made our treaty into a Partnership between Maori and the Crown completely writing all New Zealander citizens out of the treaty by using false information and a false treaty document. The Government then dreamt up five Principles that the Crown would used to interpret the Treaty. these principles were never debated by the public and do not reflect the one true principle of the treaty , "He iwi tahi tatou"- We are now one people. Ian Brougham Wanganui
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