Our Truth, Ta Matou Pono: The Truth about Aotearoa
Dear Sir,
I have just received my Franklin County News and was surprised to read Carmen Parahi’s take on New Zealand’s history. There were always good and bad happenings throughout history. But looking at New Zealand history in particular, good and bad are there too.
Looking on the good side: just start by reading any contemporary report of nineteenth-century New Zealand. For example, John Bidwell’s book, ‘Rambles in New Zealand’. This was published in 1840 and describes a journey taken around part of the North Island in 1839. Very relevant and balanced. Also, read about some of the work of nineteenth-century missionaries, and it’s remarkable the respect the missionaries had for Maori and the kindness and honourable behaviour extended. The teaching and generosity that extended in both directions is heart-warming.
Looking at the dark side: we are all absolutely appalled at some of the dreadful happenings and if we use common moral standards of today as benchmarks by which to judge past behaviour, then everyone alive today has a grudge against someone for something that was done to one’s ancestors.
We can’t really live like this – carrying a grudge against our ancestors; we have to let go and move on. It’s not to do with skin colour, race or religion, it’s to do with standards and socially acceptable mores. And we know that morality changes constantly, so that we in our turn will be judged by future generations for we know not what. We just do our best today and hope we’re doing good.
Knowing and acknowledging that there was good and bad on both sides in the past, as there always is in any situation, maybe you could represent this in your publication and in particular in your history pieces. No one alive today did those shameful deeds and no decent person approves of them, but we need to move on from finger-pointing, blaming and shaming. And we need to present the good along with the bad.
Regards,
Dee
stuff.co.nz/pou-tiaki/our-truth/300218724/our-truth-t-mtou-pono-the-truth-about-aotearoa
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