Replying to Sam Nikora's letter The Weekend Sun 6 August 2010.
Just where does he get the notion that Maori were robbed? They have received millions of dollars, making Pakeha the robbed ones!
New Zealand was occupied before they arrived, by the Morioris, originally from the Lapita people who migrated from New Guinea Archipelago about 300-800BC, island hopping on rafts etc. They spread eastwards reaching Cook Islands in AD 500-1000, then on to Tuamotu Archipelago, Marquesas Islands, Tahiti, as Polynesians. From there they branched off to the southwest and discovered, all by accident, NZ in 1200-1300.
From Tuamotu Archipelago, they landed in Easter Island, and further east to reach South America by 1000. They then branched north and discovered Hawaii by 800-1000.
Those intrepid travellers, the Morioris reached NZ in 1250 approximately, 100 years before Maori arrived, so that the Maoris are not by any means the indigenous people!
So Sam, stop bleating about how you folk were robbed, you have been compensated for more than was necessary, and by rights you should have paid compensation to the Morioris.
EM Izett, Tauranga.