Regarding the term “Elite Māori”, Ms Gates says “The term Elite Māori is a derogatory term used to describe Māori leaders or those that speak up for Te Tiriti and Māori rights.”
While open to interpretation without asking the king directly, I can’t imagine that the king was applying that definition to the term when he said it.
It really doesn’t matter what Julian Batchelor said before Willie Jackson. Two wrongs never add up to one right. And actually, threats are a crime in New Zealand: Threatening to kill/do grievous bodily harm (Section 306 Crimes Act 1961).
Regarding the Boyd Massacre, killing and eating 70 human beings (take a moment and try to picture that horrific event in your mind’s eye) is justified in the name of upholding “prestige, authority, control, power, influence, status, spiritual power, charisma” because a young son of a local chief was “mistreated”? No context required. That punishment wasn’t proportional as the son of the chief wasn’t killed and eaten.
Back to the Treaty Principles Act. The Act website lists the principles as:
1. The New Zealand Government has the right to govern New Zealand.
2. The New Zealand Government will protect all New Zealanders’ authority over their land and other property.
3. All New Zealanders are equal under the law, with the same rights and duties.
What’s there to be afraid of? It doesn’t look like anyone would be getting any more or any less than anyone else since it would be clearly stated in law that everyone is treated the same.
One final note: A key component of a democracy is that everyone gets to have a say, most recently demonstrated at the last general election.
There are a whole lot of New Zealanders, myself included, who want a say on the Treaty Principles Act. Whether it’s voted up or down, at least we all have our say and we all must accept the result.
That’s democracy in action and is never too much to expect when one is living in a democracy.
