Dear Editor
Spare my days. The long-suffering listeners of RNZ are just recovering from the endless Tuia 250 series of programmes and interviews. These belittled the achievement of Captain Cook in finding New Zealand in 1769 and his reporting of it to the post stone-age world.
As if the associated entourage of 21st Century sham waka and their vaunted supposed historic navigation ability did not distract enough, Cook’s guest passenger Tupia was credited with guiding Cook here. Now yet another denigrating apologist has devised yet another series called “Land of the Long White Cloud.” This is to examine in seven tedious parts the colonial guilt allegedly felt by “pakeha” New Zealanders. The author also does not seem to realise that the PC attitude now artfully established in NZ prevents anyone in employment or business from being seen to make any observations not in accord with the current fashion. The true attitude of the majority of non-Maori therefore cannot be established.
Sure by modern standards, some Maori were hard done by. Extensive land, mostly unused, was cheaply acquired. But they also had a helluva lot to be thankful for. More or less an end to their precarious existence forever preyed upon by other tribes and with many cannibalised or enslaved. If not colonised by Britain an invasion by others less sympathetic would have been inevitable. No one else would likely have been muggins enough to offer a Treaty.
Hitler was not noted for respecting Treaties. Under him, the lot of Maori would likely have been much bleaker than that of citizens descended from Anglo Saxon settlers. There was enormous effort and ingenuity applied by early settlers and by many present day pakeha to create the wealth which supports today’s very high standard of living and welfare for all. A great many “pakeha” are not ridden with guilt and nor should they be.
Robert Arthur
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