Post by Kiwi Frontline on Sept 15, 2016 9:18:45 GMT 12
The Northern Advocate 15/9/16
TREATY CLAIMS
Pita Tipene is confused if he thinks the Treaty of Waitangi supports his promotion of separatist Maori wards in local government ( Advocate, September 1).
Despite the propaganda of the last 30 years, the Treaty was a simple and straightforward agreement wherein 540 tribal chiefs ceded their individual “sovereignty” to the Queen in return for protection, legal ownership of their lands, and the rights and obligations of British subjects. This was a huge benefit to the majority of native peoples, including the thousands of tribal slaves.
It did not, however, create or enshrine any separatist relationships.
With 176 years gone by, we now live, love, work and play together and share many of the same bloodlines. Are those with some Maori ancestry so very different to all other New Zealanders? Do they have such special needs or are they so dysfunctional that they can’t take responsibility for standing on their own feet and operate in the modern world? Well, quite obviously, the answer to that is no.
A quick look around and we see people with Maori blood achieving on their merits and performing brilliantly at the highest level in politics, the arts, the military, diplomacy, business, law, medicine, sports, and so the list goes on.
To suggest someone needs a special entitlement just because of their ancestry (or part of) is just ludicrous in New Zealand.
GEOFF PARKER
Kamo
Wanganui Chronicle 15/9/16
LAND SALES
I write in reply to Potonga Neilson (letters, September 8). He says the original intent of the Maori forebears was to preserve self-determination. In what way did the sale of their land take away their self-determination? They agreed to sell, and they received the money offered. They could have retained their land if they had wished to. Potonga said in his earlier letter that the arrangement was well discussed and "endorsed by all."
I have met Maori of the East Coast, Ngati Porou. They said they do not have the land problems of other iwi because Sir Apirana Ngata taught his people how to use trusts. My informant said: "I don't know whether my piece is that patch of clover or that swamp or that rock on the far hill, but every year I get my share of the profits earned by the farmers we hired to farm that land for us."
T P
Wanganui
Northland Age 15/9/16
NO EXCUSES
Associate Professor Leonie Pihama writes alot of nonsense, claiming that high rates of
child abuse amongst Maori are due to the trauma of colonisation (Stuff, 30/7/16). Her
unfounded accusations do nothing to help the children, but raise serious concerns about
the academic standards of the University of Waikato.
If Pihama were to do some honest research, she would find that colonisation brought
an end to the repetitive trauma of brutal intertribal warfare, along with its associated
cannibalism, slavery and female infanticide.
As Chief Taipari (of Maungatapu pa in Tauranga during the 1830s and 1840s) noted, Maoris were well on the way to exterminating each other.
World history is full of people suffering catastrophic trauma – the likes of which simply can’t be compared with the colonisation of New Zealand.
Consider the misery and destruction caused by Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot, Idi Amin and so many others of their ilk. I’m not aware of any suggested, let alone proven, correlation between their survivors and child abuse.
While nothing can ever be one hundred percent perfect, colonisation helped Maori by introducing systems for law and order, property rights and political representation.
The new lifestyle benefits certainly outweighed the disadvantages with significantly more food, warmer clothing, better housing, medical care, infrastructure and opportunities. As a consequence, Maori life expectancy has risen steadily from about 20 − 25 in precolonial days to around 75 in 2012.
Many Maori have leapt at the opportunities offered by a more enlightened nation – from during the 1800s when tribal leaders insisted that Maori children learn English, and others established trading and export businesses, to our many Maori MPs and Governor General today.
Pihama also denigrates the nuclear family, preferring instead a collective responsibility model. While there are advantages to having ready access to help and support, many adults in one household did nothing to protect the Kahui twins; nor were the children of Auckland’s Centrepoint commune protected against Bert Potter’s proclivity for paedophilia. Instead, the adults protected each other, instead of the children.
According to all statistical research, the nuclear family has a much better record on child health and safety than any other model. Parenting is a hard job. It takes an incredible amount of love, effort, sacrifice and commitment.
This explains why child abuse within New Zealand homes tends to be strongly correlated with unwanted pregnancies, non-biological carers, low educational attainment, past and current exposure to violence, and excessive use drugs and alcohol. Children damaged in such environments grow up and tend to repeat the behaviours they learnt.
Government policies, ineffective social welfare departments, and community excuses for appallingly bad behaviour have facilitated bad parenting. The result is an ever expanding number of abusers and damaged children. Nothing to do with colonisation – just dysfunctional families and basic maths.
Tribal leaders and activists need to be held to account. Their status relies on having ever increasing numbers of disaffected and disadvantaged followers. How else are governments to be guilted into paying them exorbitant settlements, salaries and fees?
Most humans need to be pushed, inspired or challenged. If we are given excuses for our failures and we can blame others, many of us will take the easy way out. After all, any sort of success requires time, effort and long term commitment. So if Maori are going to improve their child abuse statistics, it’s time for Maori to take ownership.
No more excuses! Every parent must be held to account for the decisions they make – male and female. We must expect higher standards for the sake of our kids. Old fashioned, I know, but stop screwing around! If a man and a woman don’t want children, then they should use contraception or get a vasectomy.
Once you have kids, make them top priority. Give up drugs, alcohol and random parties – or seek help if you can’t. And no, you are not entitled to do what you want any more.
Embrace education. Celebrate success – not just on the rugby field – but everywhere − especially in school and in strong, loving relationships. Find good role models – there are many successful Maori to seek advice and support from.
Do it, for the children’s sake! And if your leaders say not to worry, it’s someone else’s responsibility, then they are not worthy of belonging to our wonderful country.
Instead of making excuses, Pihama and other Maori community leaders need to make more of an effort to help change attitudes amongst their people.
There is plenty of support available and much taxpayer money is being spent, but it won’t achieve much until Maori start supporting Maori, helping every individual believe that they can and must take responsibility for improving their own lives. Maybe then, they will be entitled to the precious children they create.
F M
Whangaparaoa
NOTHING OF VALUE
The spit-flecked ravings of Mr Howearth add up to a long, rambling rant in search of a supporting point. Other than showcasing the existence of diversity of opinion, they add little or nothing of value to the topic.
Much of your correspondent's world view appears to rely on moral equivalence. Moral equivalence is the assumption that two or more unrelated wrongs make a right (or at least cancel one another out). Hardly a substantive rebuttal of anything I've said in these pages.
In common with others of his ilk, Mr Howearth peddles the nonsensical post-modernist claim that there are multiple versions of history (Pakeha' history and `Maori' history to name but two) in order to wave away established historical facts that don't accord with his prior.
Perhaps our part-Maori Welshman could tell us what makes him think his version of history is the correct one. He might also let us know what gives him the right to impose it on everyone else. As Daniel Patrick Moynihan reminds us: "Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts."
REUBEN P CHAPPLE
Devonport
TREATY CLAIMS
Pita Tipene is confused if he thinks the Treaty of Waitangi supports his promotion of separatist Maori wards in local government ( Advocate, September 1).
Despite the propaganda of the last 30 years, the Treaty was a simple and straightforward agreement wherein 540 tribal chiefs ceded their individual “sovereignty” to the Queen in return for protection, legal ownership of their lands, and the rights and obligations of British subjects. This was a huge benefit to the majority of native peoples, including the thousands of tribal slaves.
It did not, however, create or enshrine any separatist relationships.
With 176 years gone by, we now live, love, work and play together and share many of the same bloodlines. Are those with some Maori ancestry so very different to all other New Zealanders? Do they have such special needs or are they so dysfunctional that they can’t take responsibility for standing on their own feet and operate in the modern world? Well, quite obviously, the answer to that is no.
A quick look around and we see people with Maori blood achieving on their merits and performing brilliantly at the highest level in politics, the arts, the military, diplomacy, business, law, medicine, sports, and so the list goes on.
To suggest someone needs a special entitlement just because of their ancestry (or part of) is just ludicrous in New Zealand.
GEOFF PARKER
Kamo
Wanganui Chronicle 15/9/16
LAND SALES
I write in reply to Potonga Neilson (letters, September 8). He says the original intent of the Maori forebears was to preserve self-determination. In what way did the sale of their land take away their self-determination? They agreed to sell, and they received the money offered. They could have retained their land if they had wished to. Potonga said in his earlier letter that the arrangement was well discussed and "endorsed by all."
I have met Maori of the East Coast, Ngati Porou. They said they do not have the land problems of other iwi because Sir Apirana Ngata taught his people how to use trusts. My informant said: "I don't know whether my piece is that patch of clover or that swamp or that rock on the far hill, but every year I get my share of the profits earned by the farmers we hired to farm that land for us."
T P
Wanganui
Northland Age 15/9/16
NO EXCUSES
Associate Professor Leonie Pihama writes alot of nonsense, claiming that high rates of
child abuse amongst Maori are due to the trauma of colonisation (Stuff, 30/7/16). Her
unfounded accusations do nothing to help the children, but raise serious concerns about
the academic standards of the University of Waikato.
If Pihama were to do some honest research, she would find that colonisation brought
an end to the repetitive trauma of brutal intertribal warfare, along with its associated
cannibalism, slavery and female infanticide.
As Chief Taipari (of Maungatapu pa in Tauranga during the 1830s and 1840s) noted, Maoris were well on the way to exterminating each other.
World history is full of people suffering catastrophic trauma – the likes of which simply can’t be compared with the colonisation of New Zealand.
Consider the misery and destruction caused by Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot, Idi Amin and so many others of their ilk. I’m not aware of any suggested, let alone proven, correlation between their survivors and child abuse.
While nothing can ever be one hundred percent perfect, colonisation helped Maori by introducing systems for law and order, property rights and political representation.
The new lifestyle benefits certainly outweighed the disadvantages with significantly more food, warmer clothing, better housing, medical care, infrastructure and opportunities. As a consequence, Maori life expectancy has risen steadily from about 20 − 25 in precolonial days to around 75 in 2012.
Many Maori have leapt at the opportunities offered by a more enlightened nation – from during the 1800s when tribal leaders insisted that Maori children learn English, and others established trading and export businesses, to our many Maori MPs and Governor General today.
Pihama also denigrates the nuclear family, preferring instead a collective responsibility model. While there are advantages to having ready access to help and support, many adults in one household did nothing to protect the Kahui twins; nor were the children of Auckland’s Centrepoint commune protected against Bert Potter’s proclivity for paedophilia. Instead, the adults protected each other, instead of the children.
According to all statistical research, the nuclear family has a much better record on child health and safety than any other model. Parenting is a hard job. It takes an incredible amount of love, effort, sacrifice and commitment.
This explains why child abuse within New Zealand homes tends to be strongly correlated with unwanted pregnancies, non-biological carers, low educational attainment, past and current exposure to violence, and excessive use drugs and alcohol. Children damaged in such environments grow up and tend to repeat the behaviours they learnt.
Government policies, ineffective social welfare departments, and community excuses for appallingly bad behaviour have facilitated bad parenting. The result is an ever expanding number of abusers and damaged children. Nothing to do with colonisation – just dysfunctional families and basic maths.
Tribal leaders and activists need to be held to account. Their status relies on having ever increasing numbers of disaffected and disadvantaged followers. How else are governments to be guilted into paying them exorbitant settlements, salaries and fees?
Most humans need to be pushed, inspired or challenged. If we are given excuses for our failures and we can blame others, many of us will take the easy way out. After all, any sort of success requires time, effort and long term commitment. So if Maori are going to improve their child abuse statistics, it’s time for Maori to take ownership.
No more excuses! Every parent must be held to account for the decisions they make – male and female. We must expect higher standards for the sake of our kids. Old fashioned, I know, but stop screwing around! If a man and a woman don’t want children, then they should use contraception or get a vasectomy.
Once you have kids, make them top priority. Give up drugs, alcohol and random parties – or seek help if you can’t. And no, you are not entitled to do what you want any more.
Embrace education. Celebrate success – not just on the rugby field – but everywhere − especially in school and in strong, loving relationships. Find good role models – there are many successful Maori to seek advice and support from.
Do it, for the children’s sake! And if your leaders say not to worry, it’s someone else’s responsibility, then they are not worthy of belonging to our wonderful country.
Instead of making excuses, Pihama and other Maori community leaders need to make more of an effort to help change attitudes amongst their people.
There is plenty of support available and much taxpayer money is being spent, but it won’t achieve much until Maori start supporting Maori, helping every individual believe that they can and must take responsibility for improving their own lives. Maybe then, they will be entitled to the precious children they create.
F M
Whangaparaoa
NOTHING OF VALUE
The spit-flecked ravings of Mr Howearth add up to a long, rambling rant in search of a supporting point. Other than showcasing the existence of diversity of opinion, they add little or nothing of value to the topic.
Much of your correspondent's world view appears to rely on moral equivalence. Moral equivalence is the assumption that two or more unrelated wrongs make a right (or at least cancel one another out). Hardly a substantive rebuttal of anything I've said in these pages.
In common with others of his ilk, Mr Howearth peddles the nonsensical post-modernist claim that there are multiple versions of history (Pakeha' history and `Maori' history to name but two) in order to wave away established historical facts that don't accord with his prior.
Perhaps our part-Maori Welshman could tell us what makes him think his version of history is the correct one. He might also let us know what gives him the right to impose it on everyone else. As Daniel Patrick Moynihan reminds us: "Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts."
REUBEN P CHAPPLE
Devonport