Letters to the editor: Information fed for referenda is heavily biased

There a two referendum included in the upcoming election. Photo / File

The reality of the point Jan Stevenson made (Letters, August 8) hit home with a jolt recently.

In conversation with a young person just old enough to vote for the first time, it was apparent that person's mind regarding the two upcoming referenda was made up based on the bias presented by the media and government propaganda.

When I presented the other side of the argument it was something of a revelation.

It seems so wrong that voters are asked to make an informed choice on such important issues when the only information we are fed is so heavily biased.

Ian Young
Pāpāmoa

Faith

Thank you for Rob Rattenbury's column on faith (Opinion, 17 Aug).

It contained some interesting and seldom heard points.

I am particularly pleased that he recognises that ''people who profess no faith also have a strong faith in that belief''.

Many people who claim to have no faith actually do. It is an escape from facing that we all have faith about ''religious'' matters; life, death, purpose, correct living.

That they do not subscribe to a creed, or religious organisation is not an escape from owning every person has faith in these matters.

I am fascinated that a man with a lifetime of being with people in crisis observes people ''with a (religious) faith, however lapsed or broken it may be ... has something to fall back on''.

That there have been wars between denominations in Christendom, almost always, have been over matters other than denomination matters, or, one or both forces have not acted in the way their faith has directed.

G Keith Overend
Bellevue

Not democracy

Māori leaders are criticising the voting procedure for Māori on election day.

It is fairly straight forward. You are either on the general roll or on the Māori roll.

The Electoral Commission (Te Kaitiaki Take Kowhiri) has advice of which Māori should be aware.

Under the Māori Electoral Option as a New Zealand Māori, or a descendant of a New Zealand Māori, you have the choice of enrolling on the Māori electoral roll or the general electoral roll.

On election day you can select the political party you want.

Additionally if you have chosen to go on the Māori roll you may only vote for the candidates in your Māori electorate.

You cannot vote for Māori candidates or any other candidates on the general roll even should you want to.

It is important to note that you cannot get off the Māori roll until 2024. So you need to carefully consider your options when you initially enrol to vote.

As an aside, in my opinion that it is not democracy for Māori to be forced to vote in a certain way and that it is unconstitutional for New Zealand to have separate Māori seats - in effect creating parliamentary free seats when there is already a legal election process in place.

In my view, this is not what the Treaty intended.

R E Stephens
Pāpāmoa

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