Ongoing Debate

Why is this topic creating so much controversy? What are people afraid of? Well I am going to say this is the real root of the matter: fear, fear to lose power/mana. For Maori people; fear to lose ownership of a land that slowly has been snap away from their ancestors and legacy, for the Pakeha; fear to lose the freedom that they have enjoyed until now of moving around New Zealand without any restrictions.

When Marlborough Maori corporate interests wanted to claim their share of fisheries rights, this exposed the hypocritical stance of many New Zealanders in that if you are Pakeha, you wouldn't care who was casting a line on the coast for commercial reasons but if you are Maori, oh no, don't go there, it's discrimination!

Some New Zealanders would have encountered the 'no trespass' sign near privately owned coastal foreshore properties over the years. I would imagine that, in this case, if they were Pakeha, they would have grumbled a bit and walked away for fear of attracting the owner's criticism. On the other hand, if the landowners happened to be Maori iwi or hapu (as a small minority happen to be), then if they were Pakeha, they might have ignored the trespass sign by saying "These bloody Maoris won't tell me what to do! I'll go on the beach if and when I want to. We're all New Zealanders, you know!" I just would imagine.... for me this would be the typical scenario.

Is this racism, selfishness or New Zealanders (Maori and Pakeha) really feared for the well being of New Zealand and its people?