Michael Tarboton

History tells me that on this day in 1840 a peace treaty was signed between the British settlers and the resident Māori tribes, which brought to an end ongoing conflict between the two parties.   To celebrate this achievement a national holiday was declared and celebrations centre on the site where this treaty was signed.

Why has New Zealand allowed this day to become a day of conflict between descendants of the two parties to the treaty?  If I were a politician, I would also be reluctant to attend a function where I was likely to be challenged and insulted for being there.

Come on New Zealand, wake up and stop being so childish. Let’s revive the spirit of the treaty instead of using the day to try and score points against each other.

Over 20 years ago members of my family moved here from South Africa, which had shown such promise for the future under the leadership of Nelson Mandela.  Whilst initially he was jailed for leading towards war, – after 27 years in jail he emerged without a shred of bitterness in his heart and gave the world a shining example of how peace could be achieved under very difficult circumstances.

Maybe we could all benefit from a little time on our own, to enable us to think things through.