<$BlogRSDURL$>

Friday, June 11, 2004

And it was bad... 


As No Right Turn has, correctly, observed - State of the Nation last night was an ambitious attempt at delving into the realm that is race relations in this country. Unfortunately though, my fears in my last post were well founded. The show was too simplistic and to 'user friendly' to be taken seriously - or to contribute much more to the debate than a brief history lesson (not a bad thing) and some harmless slagging off of each other.

To say that Anita McNaught managed to keep a lid on things would be an understatement; the show went out of its way to ensure that the audience could not really engage each other. The staccato nature of the 'debate' was disappointing. So were the contributions of many of the participants. Almost all seamed to have fairly strong views on the Treaty and it's place in New Zealand's history and present, but not enough of the discussion focused on its place in our future.

Of the simple questions I wanted asked and answered (and assumed they would be included - so foolishly didn't send them in...) were:

  • Will there ever be a time when all New Zealander's are equal?
  • Will Maori ever establish a unified voice that represents all Maori with a view to discussing a potential constitution with 'other' New Zealander's? (along the lines of the Treaty Tribes approach to the Seabed and Foreshore)
  • If Maori desire a fully independent Maori nation - would Maori consider going it alone and do you honestly think that is viable?
  • If the answer to the last question is yes, would that not turn New Zealand into a country with two big gangs?
  • Should a fifth generation New Zealander feel like a guest in this country - Maori, Pakeha, Asian, Indian or otherwise?
  • Of the Maori audience members - how many of you here are happy with the likes of Tama Iti and the Harawhira's being treated like the voice of Maoridom (and do you wish the media would stop giving them as much press as they do)?
  • Do urban Maori with no tribal affiliations have the same rights as other Maori?

    I think a few of the simplistic questions above could have been the catalyst for some conversations that revealed some of the genuine angst out there on both sides and it would have been interesting if a conversation had been allowed to develop. That could also have avoided some of the more petty one line point scoring.

    So come on people - comments or emails please.

    // posted by Frit @ Friday, June 11, 2004

    • This page is powered by Blogger. Isn't yours?

    Weblog Commenting by HaloScan.com