A beacon to learn from

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

Opinion

There has been too much reference to “them and us” lately.

We Kiwis have stood together in international wars, at work and on the sporting fields, against apartheid and nuclear proliferation, for women’s rights, to eradicate Covid-19 from Aotearoa shores, etc.

We have also embraced inter-racial marriage since our pioneering days, which is evident in our whakapapa.

History is just that — it cannot be changed and is full of good and bad. It is, however, a beacon for us to learn from. We should also acknowledge the recent effort to address many issues from our past by successive governments and agencies etc.

There are those who wish to dwell on the negative past, which is not always helpful. We all know and have experienced racism, so let’s call it out and move on.

The Endeavour replicas (why two of them?) need to be sited at the museum where our history is kept. If you want to view it there, that’s fine. It could also be a tourist attraction.

Kiwis are generally held in high esteem as leaders in many fields.

So let’s cease this sniping and the “them and us” attitude, and move forward together as proud Kiwis, because our shared history shows we are better than that.

Kia Kaha