On Friday I drove through my local town of Marton. There I saw the statue of James Cook, all boarded up. It sickened me and made me sad. What on Earth is happening? Why is anyone in this lovely land getting involved with left-wingactivists like Antifa? Why on Earth is Captain Cook now being looked upon by some as a brutal, racist, white-supremacist thug?
I am quite certain that when Cook first visited these shores he wanted to make friends with the Māori residents. He had to. They could stop him taking on water or finding food.
The Treaty of Waitangi was, I believe, well-intentioned by both parties. Yes, there were violations and we have been bending over backward to remedy them.
I think we need to tell the BLM and Antifa fascists to stay in America where the patriots will know how to deal with them. They are just trying to destroy President Trump. How stupid they are. The Black Americans know Trump is their saviour. He is bringing back jobs to the rust belt. Better still, Trump does not look on the black Americans as "the Basket of Deplorables" - Hillary Clinton's term for working-class middle America.
No Mr D. Partner (Letters, June 11), it's not about Māori standing as equals with non-Māori, Pākehā, or any other breed.
You have to be a bit weird to want to go to that place. It is, after all, the Westminster system imported from medieval England in all its glory. It has not worked very well over there. And it's been a total disaster for Māori.
They came preaching the 10 commandments, law and order and claimed to have dominion over nature. Yeah, right!
It all sounds like white supremacy to me. Did they think our Māori ancestors had no morals, laws or common sense?
Samuel Marsden called the Māori culture an abomination because of their respect for nature. But now they are telling us what our forebears already knew.
Well I reckon I could have bluffed my way into NZ Parliament if I wanted to. But you couldn't pay me enough to go and sit in that place.
Perhaps the majority of Māori are too intelligent to go and waste their time in government. Life is too short. And since our Treaty settlement, the tribal meetings have become more of the same. Damned boring. Nah, I'd rather go fishing.
POTONGA NEILSON Castlecliff
Travel guide
Inside my Whanganui Chronicle this morning, I found a Travel magazine and thought this could be a fun dream-read.
It is WAY beyond my dreams and most New Zealanders'.
We're in - and recovering from - a national crisis and the people with the sorts of money your travel suggestions cost - are the sort of people that don't need a newsprint guide to where they'll go.
What would be really great is a guide titled something like "low-cost family getaways", including walkways, tracks, beautiful scenery, bicycle hire, nice play areas or petting farms, and accommodation prices at around $100/night.
It's insulting and crazy to act as though people have a lot of money right now.
Please represent New Zealand better.
CHANNA MIRIAM KNUCKEY Gonville
Editor's note: This week's Travel magazine, focusing on luxury getaways, is one of a series of special editions this month focusing on a range of great travel options for all budgets.
