National MPS disagree with Goldsmith views
Several National MPS say they disagree with comments from their education spokesman Paul Goldsmith that colonisation “on balance” had been a good thing for Ma¯ori.
Goldsmith has been taking aim at the proposed New Zealand history curriculum which has a focus on teaching colonisation and its impacts, particularly on Ma¯ori, and topics such as white privilege.
In a Newshub interview over the weekend when asked if the good had outweighed the bad for Ma¯ori through colonisation, Goldsmith said “on balance it has, yes”.
National leader Judith Collins said she recognised how Ma¯ ori, and “most colonised people”, didn’t feel it had worked well for them.
“But I think that when we look at the Treaty of Waitangi, it’s a very unusual thing to have in terms of colonisation where there was actually an agreement between two peoples.
“When I think about it in context, am I proud of the work National has done in addressing the injustices? Yes I am. Am I proud of many of the achievements that New Zealand together has been able to achieve? Yes I am. But I’m also very aware that there were massive injustices, particularly breaches of the Treaty.”
Former National leader Todd Muller said yesterday that he had “a different view” to Goldsmith. “Would I prefer to be alive today or 1840? For me, absolutely today, but I think certainly from my perspective, on balance, it was a very brutal time for Ma¯ori in this country.”
Botany MP Christopher Luxon also said he disagreed with Goldsmith. “It wasn’t good for Ma¯ori. There’s no doubt about it — colonisation was not good for Ma¯ori as we saw with breaches in the Treaty and we saw with the New Zealand Land Wars. Colonisation was bad for Ma¯ori.”
National had worked “incredibly hard” to right those wrongs on Treaty settlements, he said.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said simply: “That’s not an argument you’ll hear me making”. Whanau Ora Minister Peeni Henare said Goldsmith’s comments were “ignorant” and set back the country.
Goldsmith said he wouldn’t apologise for the comments.