It is unfortunate that at the time we commemorate the sacrifice made by our soldiers in WWI we read of the Whangarei District Council's decision to appoint non-elected people to Standing Committees. The decision shows a lack of respect for the democracy our soldiers fought for.
Those who make decisionsover us should be accountable to us.
Equality of status before our governing bodies, regardless of race, is another fundamental human right disregarded by the council.
For the mayor to lament that there is no one who can "whakapapa back to our community partners" indicates she believes Maori are not part of the same community we all live in, they are only partners to it.
In truth our community has many ethnicities, Maori being one, and not all are represented in council; nor do they need to be because representation is not about identity. It is just as wrong to assume that a man cannot be represented by a woman or that a woman automatically represents all women, as it is to assume that only Maori can represent Maori. If this were the case where are the Chinese or Indian representatives?
Identity politics is a way of thinking with ancient roots in mankind's tribal history, it is an ugly mindset that lies behind such obscenities as collective punishment and clan feuding. Civilised modern societies have moved on from it.
The mayor also believes that Treaty obligations require Maori to be singled out for special treatment, which is also wrong. The Treaty gave all New Zealanders the same rights as British subjects, no one superior. The mayor and her council's decision is in fact in contradiction of the right to equal citizenship guaranteed to us all in the Treaty of Waitangi.
