Post by Kiwi Frontline on Mar 19, 2017 5:30:00 GMT 12
Dear Editor, (Sent to the Bay of Plenty Times 11/3/17)
You invite replies to your editorial on 11/3/17. Here is mine.
After the skirmish at Rangiaowhia, the churches were intact – the stained glass in the English church “entire” with two officers using the Catholic church as their billet. The claim that one was burnt with women and children inside, vigorously promulgated by Ngati Apakura today, is a dastardly lie concocted soon afterwards by rebels furious at being completely outwitted by General Cameron.
One whare was burned, not ten as Green claimed. As rebel leader Wiremu Tamihana himself said: “There was only one house burnt; that was the house where the Maoris died. I went there and saw it.”. That would never have happened if foolish old chief Hoani Papita had not shot dead Sergeant McHale when asked to surrender. As it was, a lad, Potatau, and his parents escaped from it unharmed while ten who remained died in the subsequent firefight, including two daughters of Kereopa who swallowed the eyes of missionary Volkner. Elsewhere only two rebels were killed.
Subsequently Potatau himself gave an account of his own experiences which tallies almost exactly with other reports. That, briefly, is the truth.
BRUCE MOON, Nelson
Dear Editor., (Sent to the Otago Daily Times 9/3/17)
In the ODT for 9/3/17, Jeff Leenhoouwers talks of “affirming our commitment as a nation to the Treaty of Waitangi.”
Since in essence, all that was agreed in the treaty was that the chiefs ceded sovereignty completely and for ever, with all Maoris becoming fully-entitled British subjects, one does wonder what is the value in affirming our commitment to it at this late stage.
The treaty indeed affirmed equality for all. There is simply nothing in it to grant any Maori any privilege, concession or advantage, material or otherwise - fishing rights being one example - whichis not shared equally with everybody else. That being so, it is high time for a great array of special privileges from Whanau Ora to Maori seats in Parliament to be swept away, completely and for ever,
BRUCE MOON
Nelson
Dear editor, (Sent to the Whangarei Leader 2/3/17)
Re ‘Kiwis ‘oblivious’ to our own history’ 1/3/17 which raves on about ‘Maori history’ as if it is veritable fact, which it is not, much of this oral history can be easily disputed by written records of people that were living at the time.
What we need taught in our schools is true history warts and all, our young and not so young are being brainwashed that colonisation was evil – and Maori were saints.
Yes approx 2,200 anti government Maori and approx 800 British soldiers, settlers and pro-government Maori lost their lives in skirmishes (could hardly be called a war) over a period of 26 years, that was initially instigated by Maoris infighting over the selling of land in Taranaki.
A prime example of twisted history: General Cameron rode into Rangioawhia, near Te Awamutu, on February 24, 1864, rounded up all the Maori, locked them in a church, set fire to it, and anybody that tried to escape was shot, and up to 144 Maori were burnt to death.
The truth is that for many years afterwards all the churches in the village were still standing!
Total casualties on both sides did not exceed about 20, thus achieving Cameron's objective of minimizing casualties by a surprise attack before dawn. The myth-makers give him no credit for that.
GEOFF PARKER
Kamo
sites.google.com/site/kiwifrontline/letters-submitted-to-newspapers/unpublished-letters
You invite replies to your editorial on 11/3/17. Here is mine.
After the skirmish at Rangiaowhia, the churches were intact – the stained glass in the English church “entire” with two officers using the Catholic church as their billet. The claim that one was burnt with women and children inside, vigorously promulgated by Ngati Apakura today, is a dastardly lie concocted soon afterwards by rebels furious at being completely outwitted by General Cameron.
One whare was burned, not ten as Green claimed. As rebel leader Wiremu Tamihana himself said: “There was only one house burnt; that was the house where the Maoris died. I went there and saw it.”. That would never have happened if foolish old chief Hoani Papita had not shot dead Sergeant McHale when asked to surrender. As it was, a lad, Potatau, and his parents escaped from it unharmed while ten who remained died in the subsequent firefight, including two daughters of Kereopa who swallowed the eyes of missionary Volkner. Elsewhere only two rebels were killed.
Subsequently Potatau himself gave an account of his own experiences which tallies almost exactly with other reports. That, briefly, is the truth.
BRUCE MOON, Nelson
Dear Editor., (Sent to the Otago Daily Times 9/3/17)
In the ODT for 9/3/17, Jeff Leenhoouwers talks of “affirming our commitment as a nation to the Treaty of Waitangi.”
Since in essence, all that was agreed in the treaty was that the chiefs ceded sovereignty completely and for ever, with all Maoris becoming fully-entitled British subjects, one does wonder what is the value in affirming our commitment to it at this late stage.
The treaty indeed affirmed equality for all. There is simply nothing in it to grant any Maori any privilege, concession or advantage, material or otherwise - fishing rights being one example - whichis not shared equally with everybody else. That being so, it is high time for a great array of special privileges from Whanau Ora to Maori seats in Parliament to be swept away, completely and for ever,
BRUCE MOON
Nelson
Dear editor, (Sent to the Whangarei Leader 2/3/17)
Re ‘Kiwis ‘oblivious’ to our own history’ 1/3/17 which raves on about ‘Maori history’ as if it is veritable fact, which it is not, much of this oral history can be easily disputed by written records of people that were living at the time.
What we need taught in our schools is true history warts and all, our young and not so young are being brainwashed that colonisation was evil – and Maori were saints.
Yes approx 2,200 anti government Maori and approx 800 British soldiers, settlers and pro-government Maori lost their lives in skirmishes (could hardly be called a war) over a period of 26 years, that was initially instigated by Maoris infighting over the selling of land in Taranaki.
A prime example of twisted history: General Cameron rode into Rangioawhia, near Te Awamutu, on February 24, 1864, rounded up all the Maori, locked them in a church, set fire to it, and anybody that tried to escape was shot, and up to 144 Maori were burnt to death.
The truth is that for many years afterwards all the churches in the village were still standing!
Total casualties on both sides did not exceed about 20, thus achieving Cameron's objective of minimizing casualties by a surprise attack before dawn. The myth-makers give him no credit for that.
GEOFF PARKER
Kamo
sites.google.com/site/kiwifrontline/letters-submitted-to-newspapers/unpublished-letters