Brash speech

Don Brash willingly accepts an invitation to speak at Te Tii Marae, although he may have expected a hostile reception at the place where he was once hit in the face with mud by angry protestors.

His address is given amid catcalls and accusations of racism and then the event organisers cut him off midway through his speech to introduce another speaker, who starts off ‘‘I used to feel the same way about Ma¯ ori as Brash’’.

This new speaker described himself as a ‘‘recovering racist, having gone on a journey of challenging the Don Brash within’’.

On Thursday you published the thoughts of five Ma¯ ori thinkers, with a sub-heading comment: ‘‘never mind Don Brash’s views on Ma¯ oridom’’.

Well, it would have been useful to have had the opportunity to understand his views, which may have been possible if he had been permitted to finish his address.

P¯ erhaps you could obtain and publish the transcript of his full speech so that we can make our own judgment.

Michael Bolland, Oriental Bay