Dave S

I note with some sadness the writings of Micheal Tarboton in Friday’s Beacon. As he said, not a native person, but seems to be up to date with the politics of Aotearoa, so he needs to re-read Te Tiriti o Waitangi .

But first he needs to understand the Declaration of Independence signed by many of the tribes, then reread Te Tiriti.

If he were to immerse himself in the document, he may discover that it is by no means a peace treaty as at the time there was no war between the Māori and the Crown, and the treaty was primarily a way to stop other countries’ infiltration and takeover of this great country.

He needs to understand that he has come to a country where the original inhabitants (tangata whenua) were never invaded and suppressed as many have been in South Africa by successive invaders, but we latecomers (tangata tiriti) were invited here, we did not invade or conquer.

What we are going through at present has been brought about by exactly this invasion state of mind persisting in leftover colonial thinking.

What happened after the signing has been, in many cases, a travesty of justice and is why there is need for the Waitangi Tribunal. Many late comers still seem to think this land was conquered, but history shows that is not the case. Unfortunately, letters to this paper seem to show much ignorance at times.

While Mr Tarboton uses Nelson Mandela as an example, he seems to forget that the man was imprisoned by his native country for daring to speak up, so not a good example.  Many Māori who are my friends or I have worked with and spoken to over the years do not hold any bitterness but just want equal treatment.