Post by Kiwi Frontline on Jan 31, 2016 10:44:00 GMT 12
Wanganui Chronicle 30/1/16
MOVING FORWARDS
My relationship with Wanganui began in the late 1950s and culminated in my retirement here three years ago. I am now wondering if it is time to move on. Like army towns, Wanganui has a larger than normal Maori population and appears to be morphing into a town of pro-Maori bigots. I use that term in its purest form and in retaliation for the comments by Steve Baron in the Chronicle on January 21, as the word applies both ways.
I have always had the greatest respect for Maori as a race, despite my occasional comments about bloodlines. However, that respect is slowly being eroded by do-gooders, self-serving activists, political point-scorers (both local body and parliamentary) and media outlets that seem to endorse the theory that Maori would have been better off if the European had never arrived in NZ.
Yep, I can imagine a civilisation similar to that found in the highlands of Papua New Guinea, with paramount chief Iti at the helm! Since the honkey arrived both races have committed all sorts of misdemeanours, but surely it is time to move on. The Treaty of Waitangi is one of the worst documents in history and can be assigned any meaning or intention. A favourite loophole (for those that can't find one to suit) is the fact that not every chief signed.
Is it not time to bury the Treaty and move forward instead of backwards? The involvement of iwi in many decision-making processes now extends beyond any reasonable expectation. For example, is it reasonable for the discovery of a finger bone on a building site to stop work even though there is no proof that the finger belonged to a Maori? Too much discretionary power in too many hands.
Finally, I have to challenge the Chronicle about its seemingly partisan approach to reporting. Was the front-page headline on January 12, "Iwi top priority", justified by the story that followed, or was it deliberately meant to be provocative? If the latter, it certainly achieved its purpose and drove the wedge between Maori and non-Maori a bit deeper.
D P
Wanganui
MOVING FORWARDS
My relationship with Wanganui began in the late 1950s and culminated in my retirement here three years ago. I am now wondering if it is time to move on. Like army towns, Wanganui has a larger than normal Maori population and appears to be morphing into a town of pro-Maori bigots. I use that term in its purest form and in retaliation for the comments by Steve Baron in the Chronicle on January 21, as the word applies both ways.
I have always had the greatest respect for Maori as a race, despite my occasional comments about bloodlines. However, that respect is slowly being eroded by do-gooders, self-serving activists, political point-scorers (both local body and parliamentary) and media outlets that seem to endorse the theory that Maori would have been better off if the European had never arrived in NZ.
Yep, I can imagine a civilisation similar to that found in the highlands of Papua New Guinea, with paramount chief Iti at the helm! Since the honkey arrived both races have committed all sorts of misdemeanours, but surely it is time to move on. The Treaty of Waitangi is one of the worst documents in history and can be assigned any meaning or intention. A favourite loophole (for those that can't find one to suit) is the fact that not every chief signed.
Is it not time to bury the Treaty and move forward instead of backwards? The involvement of iwi in many decision-making processes now extends beyond any reasonable expectation. For example, is it reasonable for the discovery of a finger bone on a building site to stop work even though there is no proof that the finger belonged to a Maori? Too much discretionary power in too many hands.
Finally, I have to challenge the Chronicle about its seemingly partisan approach to reporting. Was the front-page headline on January 12, "Iwi top priority", justified by the story that followed, or was it deliberately meant to be provocative? If the latter, it certainly achieved its purpose and drove the wedge between Maori and non-Maori a bit deeper.
D P
Wanganui