The State-owned Broadcaster has just announced, "Every high school in NZ is set to receive a copy of a new book about the Treaty of Waitangi following a surprise donation by an [anonymous] Auckland couple". One News says the book, "Understanding Te Tiriti", is "a guide to NZ’s founding document". Except that's not the book's title. Its "Understanding Te Tiriti: A Handbook of Basic Facts about Te Tiriti o Waitangi". That is no small difference. What some people call "Facts" are not what others call "Facts". Our schools teach there's a difference between "fact" and "opinion". This book self-identifies as Factual. That's merely an opinion of its author.
The difficulties posed in finding "Facts" have resulted not only in journalists rejecting "objectivity" as an illusion, but also in legal opinions declaring objectivity impossible. One person's version of the truth invariably differs from another's. What's more, schools haven't bought the book thanks to a clean "donation", as declared by One News. Its not a monetary donation, leaving them free to spend the funds how they wish, in which case they may prefer buying another book. The anonymous donor's money was paid, as I understand the deal, to the book's author. Then the books went to the schools.
"Understanding Te Tiriti" is a political book by a political activist. It influences children how to think, and vote, regards one of the most politically charged issues in NZ. Its by Roimata Smail, a lawyer. In her words, "She represented lead claimants in the Waitangi Tribunal Hauora Inquiry that led to the establishment of a Māori Health Authority". National abolished it, so Smail is no Nat. She says, "The Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi Bill is trying to create three new principles that don't match what was agreed in Te Tiriti o Waitangi .. Its important NZ'ers tell the Government its not OK to undermine our country’s founding agreement, by passing a law that makes up new principles". Seems she knows the facts of the agreement, even though the nation doesn't. She's no ACT voter. One News reports "Te Kura Kaupapa Māori O Te Raki Paewhenua in Auckland was the first to receive their copies and it was already resonating with students. One said, "In Article II of the Māori text, Māori retain their absolute authority over their homes, treasures, and all of their land .. But in the English text, it says 'Māori yielded sovereignty' or 'Māori ceded'. It's wrong - most Māori signed the Māori text." That issue is our most contentious, causing great division. Large numbers of folks don't agree with this student's view, including Deputy PM Peters. He asked in Parliament, "Is it a fact that, 102 years ago in a major thesis, Sir Apirana Ngata set out the very circumstances of the Treaty and said Māori ceded sovereignty". This Blog takes no view on the matter, other than that school children should be presented with all sides to the debate in the name of freedom of expression - and afforded the basic human right to make up their own minds - without coercion.
I run a Maths Charitable Trust. It supports Maths Competitions in South & West Auckland to improve Maths education, especially amongst Māori & Pasifika. That scheme is brilliantly run by Josephina Tamatoa & Katalina Ma. We award valuable maths prizes to teachers, since the nation has a shortage of them. However, the Charity can't fund a maths text book to be put into schools for teaching purposes (even though we've financially supported the writing of a culturally sensitive one to better inspire Māori & Pasifika children to get into the subject). Our education bureaucrats won't have a bar of it. Being an economist, I'd also happily pay for a book like Milton Friedman's "Capitalism & Freedom" to be put into our schools and taught. He's a pro-free market, libertarian. At the same time, children should read opposing view-points, and I'd happily pay for those types of books, but cannot. I'd be accused of brainwashing. So why was this political donation of a partisan Treaty book accepted? Has it been structured in a tricky way, like as a library gift? Will Sir Apirana's "major thesis" also be given to children? How dare the donor shove "A Handbook of Basic Facts about Te Tiriti o Waitangi" into the faces of under-age children, thinking they can remain anonymous - above the political fray - whilst using their wealth to try driving ACT and NZ First from power, swing elections, and achieve influence far greater than gifting to a political party. Those gifts are subject to disclosure laws - why not this one?
Sources: https://www.1news.co.nz/2024/11/29/every-high-school-in-nz-to-receive-copy-of-new-treaty-of-waitangi-book/
https://waiakobooks.com/pages/template-submission-opposing-treaty-principles-bill
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/kahu/anonymous-donor-gifts-understanding-te-tiriti-to-all-new-zealand-high-schools/DBBUPPLVP5FSJJNMNXWSD6PFAI/
"Understanding Te Tiriti" is a political book by a political activist. It influences children how to think, and vote, regards one of the most politically charged issues in NZ. Its by Roimata Smail, a lawyer. In her words, "She represented lead claimants in the Waitangi Tribunal Hauora Inquiry that led to the establishment of a Māori Health Authority". National abolished it, so Smail is no Nat. She says, "The Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi Bill is trying to create three new principles that don't match what was agreed in Te Tiriti o Waitangi .. Its important NZ'ers tell the Government its not OK to undermine our country’s founding agreement, by passing a law that makes up new principles". Seems she knows the facts of the agreement, even though the nation doesn't. She's no ACT voter. One News reports "Te Kura Kaupapa Māori O Te Raki Paewhenua in Auckland was the first to receive their copies and it was already resonating with students. One said, "In Article II of the Māori text, Māori retain their absolute authority over their homes, treasures, and all of their land .. But in the English text, it says 'Māori yielded sovereignty' or 'Māori ceded'. It's wrong - most Māori signed the Māori text." That issue is our most contentious, causing great division. Large numbers of folks don't agree with this student's view, including Deputy PM Peters. He asked in Parliament, "Is it a fact that, 102 years ago in a major thesis, Sir Apirana Ngata set out the very circumstances of the Treaty and said Māori ceded sovereignty". This Blog takes no view on the matter, other than that school children should be presented with all sides to the debate in the name of freedom of expression - and afforded the basic human right to make up their own minds - without coercion.
I run a Maths Charitable Trust. It supports Maths Competitions in South & West Auckland to improve Maths education, especially amongst Māori & Pasifika. That scheme is brilliantly run by Josephina Tamatoa & Katalina Ma. We award valuable maths prizes to teachers, since the nation has a shortage of them. However, the Charity can't fund a maths text book to be put into schools for teaching purposes (even though we've financially supported the writing of a culturally sensitive one to better inspire Māori & Pasifika children to get into the subject). Our education bureaucrats won't have a bar of it. Being an economist, I'd also happily pay for a book like Milton Friedman's "Capitalism & Freedom" to be put into our schools and taught. He's a pro-free market, libertarian. At the same time, children should read opposing view-points, and I'd happily pay for those types of books, but cannot. I'd be accused of brainwashing. So why was this political donation of a partisan Treaty book accepted? Has it been structured in a tricky way, like as a library gift? Will Sir Apirana's "major thesis" also be given to children? How dare the donor shove "A Handbook of Basic Facts about Te Tiriti o Waitangi" into the faces of under-age children, thinking they can remain anonymous - above the political fray - whilst using their wealth to try driving ACT and NZ First from power, swing elections, and achieve influence far greater than gifting to a political party. Those gifts are subject to disclosure laws - why not this one?
Sources: https://www.1news.co.nz/2024/11/29/every-high-school-in-nz-to-receive-copy-of-new-treaty-of-waitangi-book/
https://waiakobooks.com/pages/template-submission-opposing-treaty-principles-bill
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/kahu/anonymous-donor-gifts-understanding-te-tiriti-to-all-new-zealand-high-schools/DBBUPPLVP5FSJJNMNXWSD6PFAI/
Professor Robert MacCulloch holds the Matthew S. Abel Chair of Macroeconomics at Auckland University. He has previously worked at the Reserve Bank, Oxford University, and the London School of Economics. He runs the blog Down to Earth Kiwi from where this article was sourced.
10 comments:
It will be interesting to know whether any principal of a school receiving this book has the moral fibre to refuse the 'donation' to their school.
It really comes down to what faith we have(or don't have) in the people who have charge of the nation's children every day. And in the parents who just 'leave it all' to the teachers to form their opinions, rather than, themselves, discuss important issues with their children. I do not respect the scholarship or the motives of the people who have gifted these books, but they have the right to do it. In the end the responsibility for truth lies with all of us.
Who paid for the booklet's production?" TVNZ - (the author is on its Board) - on tax payer money?
Isn’t it amazing how many interpretations and opinions there are of what was a simply worded treaty? Oh, and there were other treaties which followed, yet they attract little attention. I wonder why that is?
I've been reading how the rewriting of history is also going on in other parts of the world, particularly India, China and Russia. It also happened in Nazi Germany and earlier with the Spanish inquisition. Generally people consider it wrong for people to take things that don't belong to them. What dictators and invaders do is to rewrite history to make followers believe that what's being taken belonged to them in the first place. Recovering is portrayed as not only being right but a sacred duty. The aggressors are portrayed as victims. People then believe what they want to believe.
This is the justification for China's and Russia's expansion and the atrocities of WW II. It is also what Maori radicals are doing in NZ. It isn't a matter of partnership. As Tamiti Kruger, the Tuhoe chairman said, that is just the first step. They won't stop until they have complete rule as they did before Europeans first arrived here.
yes, I do think that is their intention, but they are not very competent or logical - if they did not have the idiotic 'fellow travelers' amongst the woke, they would not succeed.
Any charitable trusts involved in the donation?
Agree with all the comments.
It will also be interesting to see how many schools do accept the donation and the book. I assume school boards will have to approve it but will they seek parents' views too about such a blatantly biased coercion being forced upon their children?
I also note the author runs classes on the Treaty and on her website she has a downloadable submission form that is against the Treaty Principles Bill. I rest my case.
And when the principals of this blog site (NZCPR) organised and paid for the distribution of what Sir Apirana Ngata had to say on the Treaty, what happened? Certain officials had the publication removed from public centres (like libraries), that had received free copies for the public to view. Oh, the woke, corrupt world we now live in!
Post a Comment