Post by Kiwi Frontline on Nov 6, 2019 5:07:44 GMT 12
Northern Advocate 6/11/19
COMPARISONS WITH HITLER DON’T STACK UP
GM Tinker comparing the quelling of Waikato tribes’ 1860s rebellions with Hitler’s invasion of Poland (Advocate, October 19) is about as dirty as it gets. His wild opinions in this regard should be treated by all with the contempt that they deserve.
About 400 anti-government Maori were killed in fighting in the Waikato from 1863 to 1864, up to 6 million Poles lost their lives in the Poland invasion. Is that a fair comparison?
Waikato did not merely “dare to disagree”, nor was it “on the strength of rumours that the kingitanga movement was actually planning to overrun Auckland” – but of compelling evidence of such plans. Such attacks did indeed happen: a Ngaiterangi raiding party (from Tauranga) was intercepted and driven back in 1863 in the Hunua Ranges when they were moving to attack Auckland near Clevedon. The Victoria University site states that their aim was to “sweep the Pakeha to the sea” and “the proposal was to execute a grand coup by attacking Auckland by night-time or early in the morning”.
In March 1863, Kingites obstructed the building of a police station near Meremere. Also around that time armed warriors raided resident magistrate John Gorst’s property at Te Awamutu and seized his printing press, thus forcing Governor Grey to recall Gorst to the safety of Auckland.
In short, the Kingites were in active rebellion with Ngapuhi and Arawa supporting Governor Grey in saying they would fight for him to beat the Waikato rebels.
Moreover, since the whole of New Zealand was British sovereign territory, to speak of government moves to reclaim any held by rebels as an “invasion” is further abuse of words.
GEOFF PARKER, Kamo
Otago Daily Times 4/11/19
NEW ZEALAND HISTORY
I READ that the Prime Minister received a ‘‘fierce’’ welcome at the commemorations of the New Zealand Wars in Waitara at Labour Weekend (ODT, 29.10.19).
The Prime Minister urged that New Zealand history be put into the school curriculum, including the facts around the New Zealand Wars.
While scholar James Cowan put the total dead during these wars at just under 3000, it is a lesser known fact that during the socalled New Zealand Musket Wars between 1818 and 1840, the total estimated number of dead in these intertribal wars varied from 20,000 to double that number.
During these wars, which ranged over the entire country, including the Chatham Islands, cannibalism, slavery and torture were common.
If those designing the proposed review of the New Zealand school curriculum wish to learn of this period of New Zealand history, I can recommend a number of learned books including The Musket Wars by R. Crosby and Maori Wars of the Nineteenth Century by S. P. Smith.
RUSSELL GARBUTT, Clyde
sites.google.com/site/kiwifrontline/letters-submitted-to-newspapers
COMPARISONS WITH HITLER DON’T STACK UP
GM Tinker comparing the quelling of Waikato tribes’ 1860s rebellions with Hitler’s invasion of Poland (Advocate, October 19) is about as dirty as it gets. His wild opinions in this regard should be treated by all with the contempt that they deserve.
About 400 anti-government Maori were killed in fighting in the Waikato from 1863 to 1864, up to 6 million Poles lost their lives in the Poland invasion. Is that a fair comparison?
Waikato did not merely “dare to disagree”, nor was it “on the strength of rumours that the kingitanga movement was actually planning to overrun Auckland” – but of compelling evidence of such plans. Such attacks did indeed happen: a Ngaiterangi raiding party (from Tauranga) was intercepted and driven back in 1863 in the Hunua Ranges when they were moving to attack Auckland near Clevedon. The Victoria University site states that their aim was to “sweep the Pakeha to the sea” and “the proposal was to execute a grand coup by attacking Auckland by night-time or early in the morning”.
In March 1863, Kingites obstructed the building of a police station near Meremere. Also around that time armed warriors raided resident magistrate John Gorst’s property at Te Awamutu and seized his printing press, thus forcing Governor Grey to recall Gorst to the safety of Auckland.
In short, the Kingites were in active rebellion with Ngapuhi and Arawa supporting Governor Grey in saying they would fight for him to beat the Waikato rebels.
Moreover, since the whole of New Zealand was British sovereign territory, to speak of government moves to reclaim any held by rebels as an “invasion” is further abuse of words.
GEOFF PARKER, Kamo
Otago Daily Times 4/11/19
NEW ZEALAND HISTORY
I READ that the Prime Minister received a ‘‘fierce’’ welcome at the commemorations of the New Zealand Wars in Waitara at Labour Weekend (ODT, 29.10.19).
The Prime Minister urged that New Zealand history be put into the school curriculum, including the facts around the New Zealand Wars.
While scholar James Cowan put the total dead during these wars at just under 3000, it is a lesser known fact that during the socalled New Zealand Musket Wars between 1818 and 1840, the total estimated number of dead in these intertribal wars varied from 20,000 to double that number.
During these wars, which ranged over the entire country, including the Chatham Islands, cannibalism, slavery and torture were common.
If those designing the proposed review of the New Zealand school curriculum wish to learn of this period of New Zealand history, I can recommend a number of learned books including The Musket Wars by R. Crosby and Maori Wars of the Nineteenth Century by S. P. Smith.
RUSSELL GARBUTT, Clyde
sites.google.com/site/kiwifrontline/letters-submitted-to-newspapers