Letters: Many 'small' voices support racial equality

Every individual has the same rights, and indeed has the same responsibilities under New Zealand law, says a reader. Photo / 123RF

Well, what a lengthy rant from Wally Hicks (Democracy is broken, letters June 14).

Mr Hicks accuses the Northland Age of being biased and yielding space to Dr Muriel Newman, when week after week for at least the last two years readers have been subjected to Anahera Herbert-Graves' anti-colonist propaganda, and contributions from other pro-Māori or Marxist contributors.

The Northland Age is one of the few newspapers that publish views from all quarters of a debate, and full marks to the editor in doing so.

Kiwi Frontline has compiled the results of 32 public polls in relation to Māori issues, which clearly show that his 'small voices' of the population are in fact around 75 per cent of New Zealanders that support democracy, racial equality and one law for all.

Yes, British muskets were used in the musket wars.

The tribes traded gifts, land, etc, to obtain these weapons, then they loaded, aimed and pulled the trigger on fellow Māori — it was not the Brits that caused the mayhem and destruction.

Does Mr Hicks think that the Brits should have supplied more guns and ammunition instead of drafting a treaty and consulting with chiefs, because in this way the tribes would have annihilated themselves and the Brits could have walked into a vacant land?

Most fair-minded New Zealanders do not live in constant fear hatred of Māori renaissance. They unashamedly advocate for democracy and oppose all forms of racism in New Zealand and the fake history of our country on which so much of it is based.

Democracy is based on the simple principle that all citizens must be treated the same under the law.

Every individual has the same rights, and indeed has the same responsibilities under the law. In this way citizens that affiliate to minority groups have the same voice as the next person. The summation of the majority is not a tyranny of the majority as Hicks harps on about, but is actually wisdom of the masses.

That some constituents chose not to vote in the Māori ward referendums does not detract from the end result of an overwhelming majority voting 'No' to installing separatist Māori wards in the five councils involved.

In closing, I challenge Mr Hicks to produce evidence of Dr Muriel Newman or Hobson's Pledge ever having used the term 'daughter slaughter'.

GEOFF PARKER
Whangarei