Thanks for Treaty

In his January 19 letter to the editor, Sam Russell could give a bit more thought to his views on unjustified Ma¯ ori privilege.

We are very fortunate in this country to have our relations between indigenous and colonisers guided by the Treaty of Waitangi. Whatever faults it may have in today’s arena, it sets the basis for co-operation and partnership between two peoples.

His comments about the Ma¯ ori All Blacks gives a good starting point.

The New Zealand Rugby Union is a private entity and, I guess, can create whatever teams it chooses.

We already have sports teams chosen on the basis of age, gender and disability, so I struggle to see the point.

He distorts the figures behind the Ma¯ ori seats in Parliament.

There are seven seats among the 120 MPs in Parliament. That is 5.8 per cent of all seats, which, it would seem to me, is a fair representation of the 6 per cent that Sam Russell suggests for our Ma¯ ori population.

The fact that the seven Ma¯ ori MPs support Labour is a matter of democracy, not proportion.

I am not aware of any New Zealand university where students with acceptable grades are turned away because they are not Ma¯ ori.

Is he confusing financial support with entry? Perhaps some university authority could comment.

Martin Luther King did indeed have a dream.

It has come closer to fruition in New Zealand than in most.

In my opinion, we should make the most of it.

KEN WILSON

Wellington