Post by Kiwi Frontline on Sept 18, 2016 9:29:30 GMT 12
Dear Editor (Sent to Bay of Plenty Times & NZ Herald 23/8/16
So a National day commemorating the New Zealand Wars is being proposed. What I find absolutely unbelievable is that the Government is consulting only with Iwi. Roughly one third of the casualties in these Wars were British troops or constabulary. Are their descendants not to be consulted, are their views not be considered.
Who is going to write the history? Maori? If so, are we going to have to accept some of the outrageous claims by so called Maori historians such as, a massacre at the Battle of Rangiaowhia that never happened, and that the warmongering chief Rawiri Puhirake was defending his land rather than just wanting to pick a fight.
The unease is this will be a re-write of history and used to create new grievances which will need to be assuaged with more taxpayer money. This is evidenced by Maori wanting to call them the Land Wars rather than the New Zealand Wars.
I am not totally against the idea but without buy-in from the Pakeha population it will be seen, like Waitangi Day, as little more than a day of ugliness and division.
R P
Welcome Bay
Dear Editor (Sent to the Bay of Plenty Times 23/8/16)
The recently appointed Commissioner Judge Andrew Becroft says he will
not use the English name of the newly announced "Ministry for Vulnerable
Children" ( B O P Times 19th Aug) but will use only the Maori name
Oranga Tamariki.
Judge Becroft says "Oranga Tamariki" it is a much better version than
that of the English name.
He unfortunately claims us New Zealanders fail to recognize that we have
three official languages in New Zealand.
Our learned judge should know better and that New Zealand has only two
official languages Maori and Sign language and English is not official
but used by ninety six percent of the people.
His intention not to follow the name “Ministry For Vulnerable Children”
as decided by the government makes himself also vulnerable.
His energies should be directed and focused on our children at risk
within our society.
The public has been led to believe that the New Zealand’s Government
track record looking after our vulnerable children leaves a lot to be
desired.
Again the desire of the government wants to get it right with the
children and Judge Becroft focus more on name change indicates he may
not be the right person for the position.
M L
Te Puke
Dear Editor, (Sent to the Wanganui Chronicle 22/10/16)
Daniel Harding, in his 'forthright' reply to Ian Brougham, (Chronicle, 18/8/16) suffers many delusions.
Pre-European Maoris had no written language so that the 'correct spelling' of anything was meaningless.
Second, Europeans spelled words as they heard them, the missionaries taking particular care. Thus we have 'wenua' for 'land' in the Treaty of Waitangi not 'whenua', and 'February' transliterated as 'Pepueri". One only has to look at the treaty to see that. Clearly there was no 'wh' as in 'when' nor 'f' as in February in the Ngapuhi dialect.
There were many dialects of Maori, some mutually unintelligible. The placenames 'Wangaloa' in the south, 'Akaroa' and 'Akaloa' in the centre and 'Whangaroa' in the north use the same word. Which is 'right' or 'wrong'? The Maori name for Wellington Harbour is spelt 'Wanganui-a-tara' by librarians at their recent conference. Of all people they will have got it 'right'. The generally accepted Maori spelling of Lyttelton Harbour is 'Whakaraupo'. That makes four alternative spellings for the Maori word 'harbour' and all, I suggest, are equally legitimate.
So how did the tribes of the area actually say the name of the river which became that of your city? Certainly both forms were used but an excellent example is that of Archie Bogle, prince of surveyors in the district who frequently employed local Maoris to assist him? Invariably he used the form he heard and that was 'Wanganui', only noting 'Whanganui' in the index of his book 'Links in the Chain' as an alternative.
Mr Harding, in telling us to 'respect the Maori language' demonstrates only his ignorance of it. In the circumstances perhaps the wishes of the residents should actually be given some weight. 80% of them prefer 'Wanganui' but their wishes have been arrogantly overridden on spurious grounds by ignorant people with the power to do so who hold a clear choice, democratically expressed, in contempt.
BRUCE MOON
Nelson
Dear Editor (Sent to the NZ Herald 22/8/16)
"For a suitable date for the commemoration of the New Zealand Wars, may
I suggest, using the Treaty of Waitangi spelling of the month, the date
of 30th Pepueri"
R. B
Tauranga
Dear Editor, (Sent to the NZ Herald 19/8/16)
Today I read with much surprise the comment by Children's Commissioner Judge Andrew Becroft about the newly announced Ministry for Vulnerable Children.
He prefers the Maori name of Oranga Tamariki but it was his following comment that so surprised me.
He said "Most New Zealanders fail to recognise that we have three official languages, one of which is Maori."
He is wrong! New Zealand has only two official languages - and English is not one of them?
Only Maori and Sign Language are officially recognised in law and surprisingly English is only a de facto national language and has never been legislated into law..
In this day and age, there is nothing we should take for granted particularly as English is the language most New Zealanders use evey day in general conversation, commerce, parliamentary and local government business, education, and court proceedings.
Therefore to correct this oversight I am running a petition to legislate the English language into law - as it should be! Anyone wanting to sign this petition can contact me on petition@inbox.com
I am surprised that a person of the Commissioner/Judge's standing and credentials did not know this fact.
R B
Tauranga
Dear Editor, (Sent to the NZ Herald 16/8/16)
Nowhere does the Treaty of Waitangi mention "tangata whenua" and in 1840, "taonga" meant blankets and cooking pots, not our beautful kereru. So a claim that anybody is entitled to "harvest" them (Herald, 16/8/16) is a blatant falsehood. I weep for these beautiful and innocent birds.
BRUCE MOON
Nelson
Dear Editor, Sent to the Wanganui Chronicle 16/6/16)
I see our government is going to pay the desendants of the Chatham Islands Moriori over the massacre (holocaust) by the Taranaki. Maoris, Why are we going to pay for it, that should be paid out to the Moriori by the Taranakis who did the slaughtering.
The Maori regarded the Moriori dialect as a debased form of their own language spoken by idiots and they forbade its use.
The Moriori offered Maori peace and friendship and an opportunity to share the resources in partnership.
While the Moriori were having a meeting the Maoris held a council of their own. They were expecting the Moriori to return from their meeting preparing to fight when the Moriori returned from their meeting before they were able to deliver their proposals for peace and partnership the Maoris attack them and the Morioris were taken as prisoners, the women and children were bound and many of them together with the men were killed and eaten.
A lot of men, women, and children were laid out on the beach in length over a quarter of a mile touching one another. Some of the women with stakes thrust into them and were left to die in their misery. Morioris heads were removed and thrown to the dogs, the virile membrane (penis) having been cut off, was thrown to the women to eat, this happened about 1836.
This is why the Taranaki Maoris should pay for it and give the Moriori a public apology for the (holocaust) they caused on a peaceful loving people who were against fighting.
I B
Wanganui
So a National day commemorating the New Zealand Wars is being proposed. What I find absolutely unbelievable is that the Government is consulting only with Iwi. Roughly one third of the casualties in these Wars were British troops or constabulary. Are their descendants not to be consulted, are their views not be considered.
Who is going to write the history? Maori? If so, are we going to have to accept some of the outrageous claims by so called Maori historians such as, a massacre at the Battle of Rangiaowhia that never happened, and that the warmongering chief Rawiri Puhirake was defending his land rather than just wanting to pick a fight.
The unease is this will be a re-write of history and used to create new grievances which will need to be assuaged with more taxpayer money. This is evidenced by Maori wanting to call them the Land Wars rather than the New Zealand Wars.
I am not totally against the idea but without buy-in from the Pakeha population it will be seen, like Waitangi Day, as little more than a day of ugliness and division.
R P
Welcome Bay
Dear Editor (Sent to the Bay of Plenty Times 23/8/16)
The recently appointed Commissioner Judge Andrew Becroft says he will
not use the English name of the newly announced "Ministry for Vulnerable
Children" ( B O P Times 19th Aug) but will use only the Maori name
Oranga Tamariki.
Judge Becroft says "Oranga Tamariki" it is a much better version than
that of the English name.
He unfortunately claims us New Zealanders fail to recognize that we have
three official languages in New Zealand.
Our learned judge should know better and that New Zealand has only two
official languages Maori and Sign language and English is not official
but used by ninety six percent of the people.
His intention not to follow the name “Ministry For Vulnerable Children”
as decided by the government makes himself also vulnerable.
His energies should be directed and focused on our children at risk
within our society.
The public has been led to believe that the New Zealand’s Government
track record looking after our vulnerable children leaves a lot to be
desired.
Again the desire of the government wants to get it right with the
children and Judge Becroft focus more on name change indicates he may
not be the right person for the position.
M L
Te Puke
Dear Editor, (Sent to the Wanganui Chronicle 22/10/16)
Daniel Harding, in his 'forthright' reply to Ian Brougham, (Chronicle, 18/8/16) suffers many delusions.
Pre-European Maoris had no written language so that the 'correct spelling' of anything was meaningless.
Second, Europeans spelled words as they heard them, the missionaries taking particular care. Thus we have 'wenua' for 'land' in the Treaty of Waitangi not 'whenua', and 'February' transliterated as 'Pepueri". One only has to look at the treaty to see that. Clearly there was no 'wh' as in 'when' nor 'f' as in February in the Ngapuhi dialect.
There were many dialects of Maori, some mutually unintelligible. The placenames 'Wangaloa' in the south, 'Akaroa' and 'Akaloa' in the centre and 'Whangaroa' in the north use the same word. Which is 'right' or 'wrong'? The Maori name for Wellington Harbour is spelt 'Wanganui-a-tara' by librarians at their recent conference. Of all people they will have got it 'right'. The generally accepted Maori spelling of Lyttelton Harbour is 'Whakaraupo'. That makes four alternative spellings for the Maori word 'harbour' and all, I suggest, are equally legitimate.
So how did the tribes of the area actually say the name of the river which became that of your city? Certainly both forms were used but an excellent example is that of Archie Bogle, prince of surveyors in the district who frequently employed local Maoris to assist him? Invariably he used the form he heard and that was 'Wanganui', only noting 'Whanganui' in the index of his book 'Links in the Chain' as an alternative.
Mr Harding, in telling us to 'respect the Maori language' demonstrates only his ignorance of it. In the circumstances perhaps the wishes of the residents should actually be given some weight. 80% of them prefer 'Wanganui' but their wishes have been arrogantly overridden on spurious grounds by ignorant people with the power to do so who hold a clear choice, democratically expressed, in contempt.
BRUCE MOON
Nelson
Dear Editor (Sent to the NZ Herald 22/8/16)
"For a suitable date for the commemoration of the New Zealand Wars, may
I suggest, using the Treaty of Waitangi spelling of the month, the date
of 30th Pepueri"
R. B
Tauranga
Dear Editor, (Sent to the NZ Herald 19/8/16)
Today I read with much surprise the comment by Children's Commissioner Judge Andrew Becroft about the newly announced Ministry for Vulnerable Children.
He prefers the Maori name of Oranga Tamariki but it was his following comment that so surprised me.
He said "Most New Zealanders fail to recognise that we have three official languages, one of which is Maori."
He is wrong! New Zealand has only two official languages - and English is not one of them?
Only Maori and Sign Language are officially recognised in law and surprisingly English is only a de facto national language and has never been legislated into law..
In this day and age, there is nothing we should take for granted particularly as English is the language most New Zealanders use evey day in general conversation, commerce, parliamentary and local government business, education, and court proceedings.
Therefore to correct this oversight I am running a petition to legislate the English language into law - as it should be! Anyone wanting to sign this petition can contact me on petition@inbox.com
I am surprised that a person of the Commissioner/Judge's standing and credentials did not know this fact.
R B
Tauranga
Dear Editor, (Sent to the NZ Herald 16/8/16)
Nowhere does the Treaty of Waitangi mention "tangata whenua" and in 1840, "taonga" meant blankets and cooking pots, not our beautful kereru. So a claim that anybody is entitled to "harvest" them (Herald, 16/8/16) is a blatant falsehood. I weep for these beautiful and innocent birds.
BRUCE MOON
Nelson
Dear Editor, Sent to the Wanganui Chronicle 16/6/16)
I see our government is going to pay the desendants of the Chatham Islands Moriori over the massacre (holocaust) by the Taranaki. Maoris, Why are we going to pay for it, that should be paid out to the Moriori by the Taranakis who did the slaughtering.
The Maori regarded the Moriori dialect as a debased form of their own language spoken by idiots and they forbade its use.
The Moriori offered Maori peace and friendship and an opportunity to share the resources in partnership.
While the Moriori were having a meeting the Maoris held a council of their own. They were expecting the Moriori to return from their meeting preparing to fight when the Moriori returned from their meeting before they were able to deliver their proposals for peace and partnership the Maoris attack them and the Morioris were taken as prisoners, the women and children were bound and many of them together with the men were killed and eaten.
A lot of men, women, and children were laid out on the beach in length over a quarter of a mile touching one another. Some of the women with stakes thrust into them and were left to die in their misery. Morioris heads were removed and thrown to the dogs, the virile membrane (penis) having been cut off, was thrown to the women to eat, this happened about 1836.
This is why the Taranaki Maoris should pay for it and give the Moriori a public apology for the (holocaust) they caused on a peaceful loving people who were against fighting.
I B
Wanganui