Post by Kiwi Frontline on Nov 13, 2018 3:56:00 GMT 12
Otago Daily Times 13/11/18
CAVE RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS NEED FOR ‘EVIDENCE’
CONGRATULATIONS to Toitu Otago Settlers Museum curator Sean Brosnahan for researching the story of Taranaki Maori prisoners being held captive in a cave in Shore St between 1869 and 1881 (ODT, 6.11.18).
He found nothing to support the cave story and instead some evidence suggested the structure was not even built until the early 20th century.
Local historian Ian Church also came to the same conclusion with his research (ODT, 20.1.12).
‘‘Mr Church said his studies showed the stories of the cave’s use by prisoners lacked one thing — evidence.’’
It shows the inherent danger of accepting oral history without conclusive evidence, and brings doubt to the validity of many similar claims.
The phrase ‘‘once upon a time’’ would probably precede many of these claims, if the rights were not already held by Disney Productions.
Despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, there are still some who clearly do not want the truth to get in the way of a good grievance.
I suspect that given sufficient financial inducement, and with the aid of the Waitangi Tribunal, there are people out there who would have us believe they are also Father Christmas and the Easter Bunny.
MARK MUNRO Port Chalmers
NZ Herald 13/11/18
HAKA NOT RESPECTED
Our Maori haka, as performed by teams representing New Zealand, is held in deep respect by most countries who play the same codes. England showed us no respect by drowning out the All Black’s haka at Twickenham with loud singing. I believe any country displaying this rudeness should not have the opportunity the next time the two sides meet, to see our haka performed. This naturally would not apply to any of our home internationals as we New Zealanders are proud of these performances.
But the haka should only be performed by a New Zealand international team. This would not apply to any part of the Maori culture that demands a haka or any Maori representative teams. I believe the majority of New Zealanders would agree our haka is being grossly overdone.
I. S.THOMAS, Cambridge.
Northland Age 13/11/18
SELECTIVE MEMORY
Historian Professor Alexander Gillespie, of Waikato University, is very selective with reportage of the Land Wars. Some facts he chose not to mention.
Fatalities in the entire period, 4000, were less than 10 per cent of those killed in the Musket Wars, Maori by Maori, and considerably fewer than those of Hongi’s and Te Rauparaha’s violent raids.
Were he aware of colonial history he would realise how inappropriate were his comments on the suitability of the date of the Declaration of Independence for annual remembrance.
The request of the northern tribes, Ngapuhi, for aid from Britain was because of their fear that other tribes, having obtained muskets, might seek utu for the thousands that Hongi Hika had slaughtered in his southern rampages. The Declaration of Independence, apart from appropriating a British mercantile flag as their emblem, came to naught. The subsequent confederation with other tribes never occurred. There were no further meetings.
Michael King, in his Penguin History, called it a ‘contrived ceremony’ with no constitutional significance.
The treaty settlements he claimed as verification of the injustices of the colonial government were simply politically motivated largesse by Christopher Finlayson for the National Party to gratify their Maori parliamentary partners and the rubber stamp approval given by the Waitangi Tribunal to all Maori claims.
BRYAN JOHNSON, Omokoroa
Dominion Post 13/11/18
KEEP IT FLEXIBLE
Dame Claudia Orange reportedly says (Nov 10): "We don't have a constitution. How fragile is our present understanding of rights in our nation without any defined constitution."
If by "defined" she means "written" then it is better we don't hidebound our unwritten constitutional tradition by having a "defined" constitution.
Rather, governments should continue to work through the Treaty of Waitangi settlements by negotiation, as they have done for decades now.
Henry Cooke (What NZ can learn from US midterms, Nov 10) points out Americans aren't naturally more divided or partisan than New Zealanders are, and yet their system has entrenched and encouraged deep divisions in recent years. "Unlike our evolving democracy, they can't fix the issues with their system because it has been solidified in a constitution."
Let's avoid such solidification by continuing in the Westminster tradition of an unwritten constitution, and adapting it where necessary to meet New Zealand needs, as has been done with the MMP system.
LANCE McELDOWNEY, Melrose
sites.google.com/site/kiwifrontline/letters-submitted-to-newspapers
CAVE RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS NEED FOR ‘EVIDENCE’
CONGRATULATIONS to Toitu Otago Settlers Museum curator Sean Brosnahan for researching the story of Taranaki Maori prisoners being held captive in a cave in Shore St between 1869 and 1881 (ODT, 6.11.18).
He found nothing to support the cave story and instead some evidence suggested the structure was not even built until the early 20th century.
Local historian Ian Church also came to the same conclusion with his research (ODT, 20.1.12).
‘‘Mr Church said his studies showed the stories of the cave’s use by prisoners lacked one thing — evidence.’’
It shows the inherent danger of accepting oral history without conclusive evidence, and brings doubt to the validity of many similar claims.
The phrase ‘‘once upon a time’’ would probably precede many of these claims, if the rights were not already held by Disney Productions.
Despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, there are still some who clearly do not want the truth to get in the way of a good grievance.
I suspect that given sufficient financial inducement, and with the aid of the Waitangi Tribunal, there are people out there who would have us believe they are also Father Christmas and the Easter Bunny.
MARK MUNRO Port Chalmers
NZ Herald 13/11/18
HAKA NOT RESPECTED
Our Maori haka, as performed by teams representing New Zealand, is held in deep respect by most countries who play the same codes. England showed us no respect by drowning out the All Black’s haka at Twickenham with loud singing. I believe any country displaying this rudeness should not have the opportunity the next time the two sides meet, to see our haka performed. This naturally would not apply to any of our home internationals as we New Zealanders are proud of these performances.
But the haka should only be performed by a New Zealand international team. This would not apply to any part of the Maori culture that demands a haka or any Maori representative teams. I believe the majority of New Zealanders would agree our haka is being grossly overdone.
I. S.THOMAS, Cambridge.
Northland Age 13/11/18
SELECTIVE MEMORY
Historian Professor Alexander Gillespie, of Waikato University, is very selective with reportage of the Land Wars. Some facts he chose not to mention.
Fatalities in the entire period, 4000, were less than 10 per cent of those killed in the Musket Wars, Maori by Maori, and considerably fewer than those of Hongi’s and Te Rauparaha’s violent raids.
Were he aware of colonial history he would realise how inappropriate were his comments on the suitability of the date of the Declaration of Independence for annual remembrance.
The request of the northern tribes, Ngapuhi, for aid from Britain was because of their fear that other tribes, having obtained muskets, might seek utu for the thousands that Hongi Hika had slaughtered in his southern rampages. The Declaration of Independence, apart from appropriating a British mercantile flag as their emblem, came to naught. The subsequent confederation with other tribes never occurred. There were no further meetings.
Michael King, in his Penguin History, called it a ‘contrived ceremony’ with no constitutional significance.
The treaty settlements he claimed as verification of the injustices of the colonial government were simply politically motivated largesse by Christopher Finlayson for the National Party to gratify their Maori parliamentary partners and the rubber stamp approval given by the Waitangi Tribunal to all Maori claims.
BRYAN JOHNSON, Omokoroa
Dominion Post 13/11/18
KEEP IT FLEXIBLE
Dame Claudia Orange reportedly says (Nov 10): "We don't have a constitution. How fragile is our present understanding of rights in our nation without any defined constitution."
If by "defined" she means "written" then it is better we don't hidebound our unwritten constitutional tradition by having a "defined" constitution.
Rather, governments should continue to work through the Treaty of Waitangi settlements by negotiation, as they have done for decades now.
Henry Cooke (What NZ can learn from US midterms, Nov 10) points out Americans aren't naturally more divided or partisan than New Zealanders are, and yet their system has entrenched and encouraged deep divisions in recent years. "Unlike our evolving democracy, they can't fix the issues with their system because it has been solidified in a constitution."
Let's avoid such solidification by continuing in the Westminster tradition of an unwritten constitution, and adapting it where necessary to meet New Zealand needs, as has been done with the MMP system.
LANCE McELDOWNEY, Melrose
sites.google.com/site/kiwifrontline/letters-submitted-to-newspapers