Letters: The next abuse apology will be for Gloriavale; Treaty Principles Bill is proving an unnecessary disruption

"Many concerned citizens have joined the hīkoi at various stages." Photo / Ben Fraser

Letters to the Editor

What about the abuse at Gloriavale?

The Government’s recent Abuse in Care apology rings hollow to those in Gloriavale who continue to live under a regime that enforces misogyny, deliberately entraps its young in the remote central West Coast, miseducates its people and is facing a crisis among its young, with few – if any – life partners for those under 18.

Gloriavale is an anachronism that cries out for government intervention.

The plight of particularly the women and children within Gloriavale has been documented for over three decades, yet in all that time nothing meaningful has been done by either bureaucrats or politicians to prevent the ongoing harm.

Instead of empty rhetoric, the Government needs to take action – now.

I foresee another apology by the Prime Minister of the time in 30 years to the people of Gloriavale.

But in the meantime they, including more than 300 children, continue to suffer needlessly.

D.J. Gates, Cambridge.

Unnecessary disruption

As the hīkoi makes its way to Parliament, fine advice comes from our past Prime Minister, Dame Jenny Shipley, who decries the presentation of the Treaty Principles Bill (NZ Herald, Nov 18).

Disruption and disunity can result within our wider community and the Treaty, created in peace and with the purpose of unification, will be dismembered and disrespected. The Māori Queen has also called for peace and unity in our basically bicultural society.

Many concerned citizens have joined the hīkoi at various stages; let’s hope and trust that the spirit of unity is preserved; that the tangled thinking of the Act Party can be unravelled, and the work of the coalition Government can proceed without further unnecessary disruption.

Diana Burslem, Epsom.

Change the system

Your front page titled “Movement of a people” (NZ Herald, November 18) displays a powerful and rather magnificent show of togetherness, which is more than we can see in this Government as it sets itself up to make a move distasteful to our country.

Ex-Prime Minister Dame Jenny Shipley fears civil war but, it seems, most people here support rather than deny Māori their rights. Who would aid such destruction to our first people of our land? Britain’s Guardian refers to this move to change our Treaty as coming from a “quirk of New Zealand’s political system that allows tiny parties to negotiate outsized influence for their agendas”.

We don’t need war against our people, we need to change our political format to represent all our people. A mainly white male combination of powerbrokers with unbelievable self-belief, while unanswerable to the people, is a combination we got rid of years ago.

Emma Mackintosh, Birkenhead.

Breakdown of democracy

Green MP Julie Anne Genter’s threatening and abusive behaviour towards Matt Doocey in Parliament was rightly condemned and required an apology. The Green Party leader confirmed that such behaviour was unacceptable. Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke’s haka and threatening behaviour, supported by others from Te Pāti Māori, brought the House into a dangerous situation, causing its suspension.

Te Pāti Māori explained that this behaviour is part of their culture. However, this implies there are two sets of rules and that such threatening behaviour is acceptable – or is it just a sense of entitlement? Bad behaviour is bad behaviour. Condoning this sort of thing leads to a breakdown of democracy. It needs to stop.

Ian MacGregor, Greenhithe.

Flying the flag

Brian Tamaki’s fuss about flying only the New Zealand/Aotearoa flag makes no sense. I remember Ukrainian flags flying outside houses in support of Ukraine’s war with Russia. What about American flags flying on the Fourth of July around our country? There were more Tongan flags flying outside vehicles than people inside in Auckland recently when Tonga played against the Kiwis in a rugby league test.

People fly flags because they are proud of their country and heritage. In a democracy, flag-flying from any country should be allowed and encouraged.

Steve Horne, Raglan.

Good outcome

Not so very long ago, letters to the editor were full of complaints about such things as government departments being given unintelligible Māori names, co-governance of water and even changing the name of the country, all in the name of “honouring the Treaty”. This was one of the major reasons the Māori-heavy, Labour-led majority Government was sent into Opposition at the election.

Act’s Treaty Principles Bill is designed to determine if these issues and other similar matters are indeed covered by the Treaty. What’s wrong with that? I am disappointed that National does not support it, but suspect in the end it will support the principles, but will explain it was the suggested referendum process that it didn’t like. Fair enough. That would be a good outcome.

Richard Brown, Manly.