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Ben Waimata's avatar

This article infers the existence of two separate entities, Tangata Tiriti and Tangata Whenua. In reality many of us share ancestry from both sides of this alleged divide, and many of believe this differentiation exists purely in the minds of the identity-obsessed extremists, not in any reality.

Very few NZ citizens (of any genetic background) want a civil war, nor do we want any one race or identity group to be given disproportionate control over our nation. Trotter's suggestion of possible appeasement of racial extremism while we prepare for civil war is both obscene and absurd. What is required is for our nation to drop the identity obsession and appreciate our common humanity. No one alive today had any part in the ToW process and the suggestion that any descendent of immigrants who arrived since that time should have different political rights is fraught with such potential for violence that the idea should be rejected out of hand.

The only future for this nation is finding common ground, not separatism. Interbreeding has resulted in a situation where many of the radical Maori activists have less Maori DNA than ordinary NZ citizens who do not consider their identity grouping as the dominant element of their existence. A civil war based on self-allocated identity groupings is beyond ridiculous, and something that the vast majority of us have zero interest in. Not to mention the very real possibility of siblings etc finding themselves on opposite sides of the conflict.

But it also must be said, if a grouping consisting of less than 15% of the population attempts to overthrow the political rights of the other 85% they should seriously consider the possible repercussions first.

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Chris Trotter's avatar

Indeed, there is no point, Andrew, if you are working from the premise that the Maori chieftains gathered at Waitangi in February 1840 drew up the Treaty themselves, from first principles, and then presented it to the British visitors for their signature. The Treaty had its birth in London - not the Bay of Islands. You are living in an alternative historical reality.

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