Counterpoint.
Sep. 29th, 2006 12:47 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
drcuriosityBack in 2004, Dr. Don Brash, leader of the NZ National Party, made a speech at the Orewa Rotary Club [speech text][Wikipedia summary], which sparked a whole bunch of argument about race relations and nationhood in New Zealand politics. It attracted a lot of media coverage, and was referred to for years afterwards.
On Wednesday, Dr. Pita Sharples, co-leader of the NZ Maori Party, made a speech at the Orewa Rotary Club [speech text][mainstream press article referencing some parts of it], which is unfortunately likely to be ignored and sink without a trace from the public consciousness. He's well-spoken, and has some very salient points about both Maori and Pakeha (non-Maori) cultural identities in this country - and how you don't need to deny one "part" of what you are/where you come from in order to embrace any other "part".
I think the latter speech is well worth a read, and I'd have liked to see it getting more attention - but it seems to have been largely ignored in favour of National and Labour's current leadership/personal integrity spat. That's journalism in New Zealand for you.
(Thanks to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
mal3ficent for the link to Sharples' speech.)
On Wednesday, Dr. Pita Sharples, co-leader of the NZ Maori Party, made a speech at the Orewa Rotary Club [speech text][mainstream press article referencing some parts of it], which is unfortunately likely to be ignored and sink without a trace from the public consciousness. He's well-spoken, and has some very salient points about both Maori and Pakeha (non-Maori) cultural identities in this country - and how you don't need to deny one "part" of what you are/where you come from in order to embrace any other "part".
I think the latter speech is well worth a read, and I'd have liked to see it getting more attention - but it seems to have been largely ignored in favour of National and Labour's current leadership/personal integrity spat. That's journalism in New Zealand for you.
(Thanks to
mal3ficent for the link to Sharples' speech.)
