Monday, April 19, 2004

Choosy Maori Choose...

"Tamihere has a point - just as Maori shouldn’t be forced to assimilate, they shouldn’t have to give up their rights to inherited land claims if they choose to assimilate. The rights of any minority should include opting out of that minority without penalty, and maintaining a traditional identity is a personal choice that the government should neither discourage nor encourage."

The above statement was posted by Jonathon at The Head Heeb. Tamihere, who is referenced in the beginning of the quote, is Associate Maori Affairs Minister John Tamihere, who is urging caution in regards to collecting and disseminating personal voter information on Maoris.  An excerpt from Tamihere’s view.

"We’ve also got to have some reason in the debate, because tens of thousands of Maori have moved on and they need to be acknowledged as well, as we move forward as a country. So there are big questions being asked, not just about your tribal background or your iwi background, and therefore whether you’re ethnically a Maori, but also what that means on the road to nationhood, asking if one day there will be a belief that we are all Kiwi, regardless of whether you’ve got Croatian, Dutch, French, British or Maori backgrounds."

Via Gene Expression.

Posted by John Venlet on 04/19 at 04:18 AM
(0) Comments • (0) Trackbacks • Permalink
Page 1 of 1 pages