Māori and racism - responses

Hello Mr Farrell. I read your editorial response to Billie Stevens’ letter in the March issue of Lizard News and I wanted to thank you for writing “Better outcomes for all”. It’s disheartening and infuriating to read letters like Ms/Mr Stevens’ one, which shows a complete lack of respect for anything other than good ol’ white nationalism. You addressed that letter very eloquently and expressed an opinion that I do hope the majority of New Zealanders would support: one of inclusiveness. It also helped to lower my blood pressure by a few significant points. Thank you again. We need more people like you. Kind regards,

Lucia Vallely, Katikati.

I am saddened by the letter written by Billie Stevens on Māori and racism. Yes, we are all New Zealanders with many races making up our population. All have cultural differences which we should embrace and celebrate.

Māori are the indigenous people of New Zealand who signed a legal document called the Treaty of Waitangi which requires Māori culture and interests to be enshrined in law. Māori is an official language in this country and as such should be given equal exposure to English where possible. I am proud that our National Anthem now has a Te Reo Māori verse and that our enlightened media make a real effort to include it supported by the NZ Media Council.

Many of the younger generation and enlightened older people are making a real effort to support Te Reo and Tikanga Māori by attending classes to learn more and assimilating Te Reo Māori words such as whānau, kai, Kia Ora, māna, kapai into everyday language. I regularly see young Māori on TV who are achieving remarkable outcomes for their lives and their people through education and knowledge of themselves through cultural input. The future looks promising.

I look forward to the day when all New Zealanders accept the wide range of cultures in our country and realise we are one people with different cultural heritages to celebrate.

Ralph Allen, Plummers Point.

Pertinent issues relating to Māori were raised by Stevens (Lizard News, March 2021).

Māori are the indigenous people of Aotearoa and, importantly, the other partner to the Treaty of Waitangi, 1840. Historically Māori have not been treated as equals or with the ‘dignity’, ‘respect’ and ‘compassion’ stated by Stevens. (See, for example: “No Māori Allowed” by Robert E. Bartholomew, 2020.)

Māori not only had their sources of well-being wrongly taken from them but their protesting voice and pain for over a hundred and fifty years was largely ignored.

However, past injustices and resultant harm to Māori have been acknowledged by the Crown which sought to honour its responsibility to help recover te reo, by declaring Māori an official language of New Zealand in 1987.

Values such as Manaakitanga and Kaitiakitanga (caring and protecting) are best transmitted through the Māori language, hence its inclusion in Aotearoa/New Zealand. It is my belief that if Māori’s holistic valuing of Papatūānuku (Earth Mother) and Ranginui (Sky Father) had been respected, all New Zealanders today would be experiencing a greater sense of care and well-being of themselves and of their environment.

To have the opportunity to learn this beautiful language is to be enriched and it is our generation’s responsibility to nurture what is a heritage for all New Zealanders and beyond.

Avril Manley, Katikati.