Importing overseas injustices
Winston Peters is right, protesters trying to import overseas cases of injustice into New Zealand over something that happened centuries ago are not living in the real world.
There is not a people or race on earth who at some time in the distant past that have not been conquered or ill-treated by some other race.
There is not a damned thing we can do to alter what happened back then nor make amends by making continual cash handouts to the supposed wronged. Otherwise, where would it end? Māori are no exception and did practice genocide against the original people who were here. I personally found an article in a 1917 paper showing skeletons of a northern people who were wiped out by the Māori and seeing as they were not their "people" they left the bodies to lie and rot where they were killed. The Chatham Islanders are an example but is now hushed up and denied. Ten of Captain Cook's crew were killed and eaten.
Shall I go on as there is more? But what is the point as no Māori alive today had anything to do with it so why put the guilt on them?
These present-day protestors are threatening to use terror tactics to erase our past and quite frankly if the Government gives into mob rule, then democracy will be dead in this country.
A. J. MacKenzie, Rotorua.
To the statue smashers/iconoclasts and your new puritanism. There is talk of getting rid of statues or memorials of people like Jefferson or Washington. To erase people for their views that they held 100, 200 or 300 years ago is an error. You will not go back in history and find people compliant with all the norms of today.
Note, St Paul did not oppose slavery, neither did Muhammad. History will be wiped out completely. We are a mixed bag - all the main religions recognise this. My problem with all this wokeness is that there is no element of forgiveness contained within this ideology. If you look at a great stack of scientists would their views perfectly be in alignment with our current sensibilities?
An uncomfortable truth is that our history is built on the backs of flawed characters (Is this true for all of us?). We are learning, going backwards, sometimes making mistakes, we are human. Islam recognises that Christianity recognises that. This current ideology is missing two important ingredients forgiveness and sacrifice. A quote from George Orwell is apt in this current hysteria we find ourselves in. "Every book has been rewritten every picture has been repainted, every statue and street and building has been renamed every date has been altered and that process is continuing day by day and minute by minute. History has been stopped." 1984.
John O'Brien, Qatar.
Critical approach
Saturday's Herald was a good read with numerous interesting articles. I particularly appreciated the constructive piece about our economy and the effects of the wage subsidy. Kirk Hope, Business NZ CEO, made very valid and positive points. Then Simon Wilson presented a brilliant summary of options available post-Covid in his piece entitled 'What's the big idea?' Topical and right on the button.
A pity then that Fran O'Sullivan has still not seen the light and retains her biased and unfairly critical approach seemingly more intent on political mischief making than useful contribution.
Bill Mathews, Auckland.
Calm debate
Black Lives Matter and destruction of history is mainly fuelled by the younger generations who have never been taught any NZ history, (good, bad or ugly) and are obtaining much misinformation via online. There is no doubt that racism is alive and well in NZ but violence and destruction is only going to worsen the situation and split communities further apart. While we cannot change history, what is needed is calm debate listening to all points of view, and education making everyone think more about unconscious racial bias and stop talking past each other.
Marie Kaire, Ngararatunua.
Speaking out
At the risk of offending some people, I feel I need to speak out for the vulnerable, for those who don't have a voice.
On May 25, in Minneapolis, George Floyd died while being apprehended by police. The media coverage throughout the world was immense, there were riots, looting, and protest marches throughout the world, including New Zealand.
In 1999, 4-year-old James Whakaruru was killed. He was beaten so badly that the only part of his small body that was not bruised were the soles of his feet.
n 2007, 3-year-old Nia Glassie was subject to extensive physical abuse for weeks, possibly even months, before being admitted to hospital and dying of brain injuries.
In 2016, Moko Rangitoheriri was bashed to death, he was 3 years old. A post-mortem examination was carried out and established that the Tokoroa toddler died as a result of "multiple blunt force traumas".
New Zealand has one of the worst records of child abuse in the "developed world", There are 14,000 substantiated findings of child abuse every year. Police respond to a domestic call-out every seven minutes. A child is killed every five weeks, putting us high on the list of world's worst offenders.
Very little media coverage, no riots, no looting, no protest marches throughout the world, or New Zealand. No prominent, politicians, celebrities, actors, singers, sportspeople etc speaking out about these killings!
Sometimes even family members close ranks and refuse to cooperate with police!
Who, in the words of Simon and Garfunkel, is going to disturb the silence?
"And no one dare, disturb the sound of silence, silence like a cancer grows!"
Evidently their little lives don't matter?
Glen Hunt, Whakatane.
Reliable rail
Why would KiwiRail pass over the Fletcher/Downer tender for rail electrification when the Government is encouraging the public to buy Kiwi-made? We all know this decision is made purely on cost and that you get what you pay for. In the case of 66 railway engines from China, nearly 100 per cent were faulty. And substandard steel for the Waterview tunnel as well as false certification could have proved fatal if it had gone undetected. Since Fletcher/Downer won on capability, how is it they were rejected? Reliable rail is our future but it needs to be in "conscionable" hands.
Mary Tallon, Auckland.
Rethink on history
Perhaps we need to rethink the teaching of history. We need to reflect on the fact that people lived in very different circumstances than we do today. They had different challenges. They brought different values and understanding.
With all due respect to those who see historical acts from a different perspective, we cannot know exactly what lead the historical figures to perform the acts for which they are now being challenged.
What was considered acceptable behaviour in the past cannot be judged by today's standards? Thankfully we have moved on and learned from those mistakes. So instead of tearing down works of art, why not teach people about those times and why we no longer behave in such barbaric ways; using those very statues to explain the development of social behaviour in our country and lead the world into a new way of thinking and behaving towards our fellow men.
Jan Beaumont, Whangamatā.
Short & sweet
On rugby
I'm sitting in my lounge watching the Blues/Hurricanes. The Blues are the most scruffy bunch of players I've seen for years! Pink hair, bleached hair, ponytail, mop hair. The Hurricanes look almost American boy normal. Susan Lawrence, Kohimarama.
What a letdown — good rugby ruined by over-zealous referees. Reg Dempster, Albany.
What a woeful start to the rugby season. Robertson making a political speech before the game on Saturday night. A J Petersen, Kawerau.
On Covid-19
People advocating opening the Tasman bubble should realise that Australia gets new Covid-19 cases every day. Do we want to spoil our virus-free status? Even the Australian states still have closed borders. Better for us to have a Pacific Island bubble. B. Sullivan, St Heliers.
On protests
I don't wholly agree with the BLM slogan it should be ALL Lives Matter. There have been faults on all sides in all countries. Dennis Manson, North Shore.
