Post by Kiwi Frontline on May 25, 2019 6:59:46 GMT 12
Otago Daily Times 25/5/19
NOT HAPPY AT REGIONAL COUNCIL CALL ON IWI SEATS
AS a ratepayer to the Otago Regional Council, I am disgusted that all but three members have voted to have two Maori representatives on a committee.
Selective moves without a full referendum of the ratepayers shows the contempt this council has for those it represents.
I applaud the three members who opposed this, Crs Graham Bell, Michael Laws and Sam Neill.
To approve any one person who is unelected shows there is a problem within the organisation. It is obvious that this was a move by a very inexperienced group who have premeditated views.
I hope the members who voted for them pay the wages for the unelected, as noone does something for nothing.
The rate rises have been frequent — I wonder what will happen next. [Abridged]
D. MITCHELL, Alexandra
I’M with Cr Michael Laws regarding his opposition to unelected iwi representatives being appointed to an Otago Regional Council committee.
It is undemocratic and unnecessary.
The Resource Management Act specifically provides for iwi involvement, resulting in virtually every resource consent application made to the ORC and virtually every regional plan being developed having iwi input by way of consultation and submissions. [Abridged]
JOHN MILBURN, Wanaka
Weekend Herald 25/5/19
HISTORY IN SCHOOLS
Lizzie MarveIly's revisionist- lite take on Cook (Weekend Herald. May 18) is revealing in a number of ways. none of which she is likely to have intended
As a secondary-school history teacher of rnore than 16 years. I can assure Marvelly that. in every school that I'm aware of. some aspect of New Zealand history is taught (often at multiple levels) and many schools teach an entire unit on the Treaty outlining Maori perspectives and often emphasising injustices. Maori resistance. and modern attempts to deal with legitimate grievances. I have personally taught a full -year. 19th-century New Zealand history course at Level 3 for many years.
I grant that the attitude towards learning this history is sometimes negative, which perhaps speaks to some more fundamental issues about race relations, but many (if not most) history teachers are committed to teaching the subject in an engaging nuanced manner. We must also accept that many students find New Zealand local history uninteresting and prefer global/foreign/ancient history topics. Marvelly’s statement that the education system should compel students to learn their own history is telling.
Her concerns about Cook's whitewashing are even more misplaced when you consider that just this year a significant TV documentary. Uncharted, aired on Prime. Marvelly could also check out Damn Anne Saimond's Trial of he Cannlbal Dog (2004). Revisionism is now mainstream and most teachers are teaching exactly what she laments as absent from classrooms.
ADRIAN MCCORMACK, Sandringham.
TWO ARTICLES
Two articles last week were poles apart. The first is the story of Robert Gillies. last surviving member of 28 Maori Battalion, who participated in the 76th commemorations of the battle of Monte Casino in which he risked his life and saw many mates die in defence of the freedoms we enjoy today. To Robert and all those he represents, I again express my profound gratitude for their sacrifice.
The second article Is by Lizzle Marvelly ( Weekend Herald. May18) in which she describes Cook's first lancing as a 'murderous invasion's.
We live in one of the most open and free countries. We champion the rights of the individual, freedom of expression, rule of law, right to education and healthcare for all and the right to enter into relationships of our choosing regardless of ethnicity, religion or sexual orientation
The rights and freedoms we enjoy in New Zealand society derive from Cooks landing. the colonial era — for all its faults — and the sacrifices of people like Robert Gillies
MICHAEL WILLIAMS, Papamoa
sites.google.com/site/kiwifrontline/letters-submitted-to-newspapers
NOT HAPPY AT REGIONAL COUNCIL CALL ON IWI SEATS
AS a ratepayer to the Otago Regional Council, I am disgusted that all but three members have voted to have two Maori representatives on a committee.
Selective moves without a full referendum of the ratepayers shows the contempt this council has for those it represents.
I applaud the three members who opposed this, Crs Graham Bell, Michael Laws and Sam Neill.
To approve any one person who is unelected shows there is a problem within the organisation. It is obvious that this was a move by a very inexperienced group who have premeditated views.
I hope the members who voted for them pay the wages for the unelected, as noone does something for nothing.
The rate rises have been frequent — I wonder what will happen next. [Abridged]
D. MITCHELL, Alexandra
I’M with Cr Michael Laws regarding his opposition to unelected iwi representatives being appointed to an Otago Regional Council committee.
It is undemocratic and unnecessary.
The Resource Management Act specifically provides for iwi involvement, resulting in virtually every resource consent application made to the ORC and virtually every regional plan being developed having iwi input by way of consultation and submissions. [Abridged]
JOHN MILBURN, Wanaka
Weekend Herald 25/5/19
HISTORY IN SCHOOLS
Lizzie MarveIly's revisionist- lite take on Cook (Weekend Herald. May 18) is revealing in a number of ways. none of which she is likely to have intended
As a secondary-school history teacher of rnore than 16 years. I can assure Marvelly that. in every school that I'm aware of. some aspect of New Zealand history is taught (often at multiple levels) and many schools teach an entire unit on the Treaty outlining Maori perspectives and often emphasising injustices. Maori resistance. and modern attempts to deal with legitimate grievances. I have personally taught a full -year. 19th-century New Zealand history course at Level 3 for many years.
I grant that the attitude towards learning this history is sometimes negative, which perhaps speaks to some more fundamental issues about race relations, but many (if not most) history teachers are committed to teaching the subject in an engaging nuanced manner. We must also accept that many students find New Zealand local history uninteresting and prefer global/foreign/ancient history topics. Marvelly’s statement that the education system should compel students to learn their own history is telling.
Her concerns about Cook's whitewashing are even more misplaced when you consider that just this year a significant TV documentary. Uncharted, aired on Prime. Marvelly could also check out Damn Anne Saimond's Trial of he Cannlbal Dog (2004). Revisionism is now mainstream and most teachers are teaching exactly what she laments as absent from classrooms.
ADRIAN MCCORMACK, Sandringham.
TWO ARTICLES
Two articles last week were poles apart. The first is the story of Robert Gillies. last surviving member of 28 Maori Battalion, who participated in the 76th commemorations of the battle of Monte Casino in which he risked his life and saw many mates die in defence of the freedoms we enjoy today. To Robert and all those he represents, I again express my profound gratitude for their sacrifice.
The second article Is by Lizzle Marvelly ( Weekend Herald. May18) in which she describes Cook's first lancing as a 'murderous invasion's.
We live in one of the most open and free countries. We champion the rights of the individual, freedom of expression, rule of law, right to education and healthcare for all and the right to enter into relationships of our choosing regardless of ethnicity, religion or sexual orientation
The rights and freedoms we enjoy in New Zealand society derive from Cooks landing. the colonial era — for all its faults — and the sacrifices of people like Robert Gillies
MICHAEL WILLIAMS, Papamoa
sites.google.com/site/kiwifrontline/letters-submitted-to-newspapers