I'm beginning to wonder if we are living in the 21st Century or if we are being dragged back into the Dark Ages by submitting to so-called Maori protocols.
Apart from the ridiculous situations, like when roadworks are halted in case the workers upset the taniwha, now we're having a disgraceful occurrence happening in Parliament.
This month it has emerged in the media that senior and respected MPs Annette King and Maryan Street were ordered to vacate their front row seats because a powhiri was going to be performed to welcome a Youth Parliament group.
Parliament's speaker, Mr David Carter, has stated he will hold discussions with Te Awiawa, the Wellington iwi instigators of this law, and that he will modernise Parliamentary protocol.
New Zealand is the first country to allow women the vote; and men and women are equal here, including in Parliament.
The humiliation these two MPs endured is not acceptable, and the sooner we move forward into abolishing archaic protocols, the better.
What must the members of the Youth Parliament have thought of this show of denigration of women?
M Brooks, Tauranga City.
Posted: 11:25am Fri 10 Jan, 2014
Change protocols from the Dark Ages
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COMPETITIONS
3 comments
Posted on 10-01-2014 14:17 | By algail
'Abolishing archaic protocols, the better. ' It wouldn't help. The people behind all this nonsense have been smart enough to see that most Kiwis don't give a stuff about anything that happens outside their front gate or any farther than a few meters from the TV remote. The laid back she'll be right attitude of NZ over the past 200 years is now catching up on us and shows that the stirrers are far smarter than the average Kiwi of any ethnicity. You are all doomed to the path that NZ is on right now and one day your children and your Grand children will be asking ' How did this happen ? '. The only hope we have right now is that 1law4all get a few seats at the next election . Alastair Bethlehem
Mary Brooks and Alastair Bourne
Posted on 11-01-2014 13:21 | By robin bell
bemoan the use of Maori protocols.What traditional protocols (in any culture)are not archaic?The Maori people are legimate partners in the governance of N.Z.Why then should they be denied(the token)use of an occasional protocol?No one suffers.Defending the "fragile" dignity of a couple of Labour MPs is a bit precious Mary.Alastair seems to have a low opinion of his fellow countrymen.Is this arrogance or narrow mindedness?The wonderfull diversity of our culture,is in part due to the unique contribution by Maori that lends its expression to our developing N.Z.culture.The 1law4all party,with its ultra narrow and racist policies,will put N.Z.back 200yrs.Robin Bell.
No Partnership
Posted on 16-01-2014 19:36 | By [email protected]
Robin Bell is wrong There is no mention of a partnership in the official text of the treaty of aitangi Sovereignty was ceded to Britian in exchange for protection. britian then offered the Maoris the same rights as a British subject nothing more- nothing less. It was Geoffrey Palmer who instigated the principles which wrote the majority of New Zealanders out of the treaty and made it into a partnership between Maori and the Crown. There is nothing wrong going back 200 years as there wasn't any apartheid them and everyone was equal them not like it is now. Ian Brougham Wanganui
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