Have your say: Maori getting politics right

Tuku Morgan - walking a political minefield

I never thought the day would come when I would agree with Terry OConnor and Garth Scown, but they are on the money.

Tuku Morgan is a walking a political minefield as chairman of the Maori Party, though there would be some people in Maoridom who would consider themselves blessed to have the guy leading their party.

How wrong are they. The fact that he can convince some people to back his party is not spectacular stuff. It shows that some of the people he convinced are not the sharpest knives in the drawer.

Telling the National Government that reinstating rail on provincial lines at about $300 million (because we own the land the lines are on) was going to be part of the cost of their support.

Maori need to be congratulated for going back to their political family - it shows the majority of them understand mainstream politics.

Why feed the ego of a few political has-beens who, frankly, are racists and separators.

Mana and the Maori Party have caused distrust and anger among New Zealand taxpayers.

The sooner Winston kicks the Maori seats into touch the better - he had the guts to stand on a normal seat with colleagues Ron Mark and Shane Jones. Okay, they got beaten but they had the guts to put their names out there.

Maoridom has MPs with a proven track record like Kelvin Davis and Winston Peters, and it would be great to see these guys link up to form an alliance.

BOB WALKER, St Johns Hill

Neglecting health

Deborah Adesonya has just served on a Mercy hospital ship in Africa, and she put her finger on what makes our health system expensive - entitlement.

Her patients in Africa did not have a sense of entitlement, but obviously we do.

With our heavily subsidised health system, people dont worry about their health or the cost. Its a bit like saying the government will pay to fix what goes wrong with your car, so - whoopty-do - dont change the oil, dont worry about scratches, it wont cost us.

Thats what people do with their bodies - neglect because someone else has to foot the bill, mostly your neighbour.

G R SCOWN, Whanganui

Keep day sacred

I am not in favour of Easter Sunday trading.

Along with Christmas Day and Good Friday, Easter Sunday should be respected as a sacred day for many.

Workers deserve to have this special day with their families, and none of us need to be able to shop every day.

MARGARET ROWLEY, Whanganui

Protecting life

On Classic Radio the other morning, descriptions were given of discussions between the parties to form a government, one of them that New Zealand First wished to curtail immigration to a smaller number.

National responded by saying this was a factor that would be financially detrimental to our present economy.

Do you realise what this means?

The children we have aborted by the tens of thousands since this sorry event in our history began died for nothing.

Died when they could have been policemen, teachers, journalists, better ministers of government, having grown up in a world protecting life.

Look around to find people who have been fighting against this scourge for a long time and you shall find them law-abiding persons, who shall open their arms to you who have been silent for too long.

F HALPIN, Whanganui

Costly schemes

Of course, have a $12.5 million velodrome, a $40m wastewater system and the thousands of dollars that have been spent on the art gallery over the years - it will bring people all over the country if not the world is a favourite saying of whoever is running these organisations.

At least we are free of river obligations as Whanganui River now belongs to Maori, so one less for ratepayers to pay for.

Napier pulled out of their covered velodrome as it was far too expensive and they did not have the population to support it.

Seeing Napier has a population of 62,000 and neighbouring Hastings 131,000.

But, oh no, not Whanganui with its ageing population of 40,000.

Come on council, get real - we cant afford such a hair-brained scheme when our ageing population is paying one of the highest rates in the region.

Get the wastewater plant out of the way, then turn your fairytale wishes to smaller things that need fixing like our footpaths.

MARGARET HADDON, Castlecliff

Wrong name

Margi Keys, you are right - in modern times Aotearoa has been used for New Zealand.

But if George Gray used it once or twice it is of no significance. Im going back in time when it was never used, like when a banished people from Scotland arrived.

To use the word Aotearoa in the name of our country is another falsity, it does not appear in the Treaty and was never used at the time.

According to the Waitaha and Moriori people, New Zealand was only called Aotea not Aotearoa. Aotearoa betrays the history and origins of New Zealand and should be rigorously eliminated.

Our country has been New Zealand for about 370 years.

IAN BROUGHAM, Tawhero

Time to rest

I am not in favour of Easter Sunday becoming just another trading day. I do not believe it is a necessity as the shopping public have plenty of days when trading can take place.

Easter Sunday, like Christmas Day and Good Friday, are special Christian celebrations - sacred days - and they deserve our respect.

To use these days for trading means many people are required to work.

These are also family days, when mum or dad is required to work, time together as a family is not possible.

RITA CAHILL, Whanganui