National MP Todd Muller is showing his true worth as a
leader of the Party. In a speech at the Te Puna Rugby Club on the
weekend he has added his thoughts to the debate about the removal of the
Captain Hamilton statue.
That statue of course was removed at the initiative of
Hamilton's first term Mayor, Paula Southgate, after a Maori sovereignty
activist threatened to deface it. Presumably the Black Lives Matter protests
presented the perfect opportunity for him to do so again, having already
defaced it in 2018.
Here's what Mr Muller is reported to have said: "It's
not for a leader of a political party to say what statue goes or stays…One of
the strengths of our country is we are able to have the capacity for
conversations like this."
Great to have that cleared up!
Former Prime Minister Jim Bolger, was more decisive. He said
he had "very clear views" on what should happen to the Captain
Hamilton statue. Unfortunately it is not clear what those clear views are
because he did not want to say anything that might contradict the views of Mr
Muller! That response is even more remarkable
in that it's hard to decipher what Mr Muller's views actually are.
Presumably the entire National party caucus is likewise
silent on this view lest they say something that differs from the view of their
leader. From this one can take it that the National Party do not place a great
deal of value on personal opinion. Are National Party members not allowed to
have differing views?
The Hamilton Mayor's actions were understandable. Weak, but
understandable if someone fears conflict and is easily intimidated. The
challenge the Mayor has is how to resolve the issue to the satisfaction of the
majority of her constituents. Apart from trying to hold onto a 3000 vote
margin, the problem she now has is that the "Hamilton" issue is
already moving on to the name of the city itself, and a call to change the name
to Kirikiriroa. Changing place names is of course is the next step on
the rung for activists who want Maori regain
control of Aotearoa.
The way forward for the Mayor is actually quite simple,
although it does require some courage. The statue of Hamilton is owned by the
people of Hamilton and it is they who should decide whether it remains on
public display. They also have a vested interest in the name of their city -
for many it will be part of their cultural identity. Both those questions should
be put to a binding referendum. On the latter, I have no doubt a landslide
majority will want to stay with Hamilton as the name of their city. The future
of the statue of someone who is said to have never set foot in the region is more tenuous.
Frank
Newman, a writer and investment analyst, is a former local body councillor.
8 comments:
Not so long ago there was an attempt to rename Hamilton with the transliteration Hamutana. It was even displayed as the name of Hamilton's airport. What happened to that ?
It beggars belief that people who I would have thought were sane and rational are so taken in and intimidated by the thugs who are threatening and perpetuating the removal of out historical monuments and memorabilia.
History cannot be changed, but needs to be learnt from and we need to move along and improve our lives and living standards by using history as a yardstick.
The thugs (for that is what they are) who perpetuate this need to have the full force of the law brought down upon them and the gutless politicians and bureaucrats who kowtow to this nonsense need to be removed from their positions of authority.
What about referring to our country as NEW ZEALAND instead of Aotearoa.
Bill R.
The City was not built by the Maoris. The people who built it should retain the naming rights.
The early surveyors took great care to seek and record the original names of the country's natural and cultural features, and most of these have been preserved as place names. But the overlying European names are part of our culture as well.
Bruce Stern
Registered Surveyor
I quite agree, having weak leaders poses all sorts of problems. The Hamilton mayor has shown she is easily swayed by threats of violence and destruction. Why on earth did she not pass the threats on to police? Maorification of the nation is slowly taking over all forms of media both visual and oral. I'm afraid the activists have a foot hold here and will only get stronger if nothing done soon to halt their progress.
Further to earlier comments. It's hard to imagine the spot Hamilton was of much interest to Maori. No mountains or serious hills to erect fortifications. Did I miss something?
Its simple enough, just send a voting form out with every rates notice and follow the results.
Those who pay the piper call the tune.
"What about referring to our country as NEW ZEALAND instead of Aotearoa." - I totally endorse this factual sentiment - New Zealander and New Zealand - use it or lose it!
Post a Comment