Apparently some Maori schoolkids wrote to the mayor of Wanganui, asking him to support the renaming of the town to "Whanganui" as per the traditional Maori spelling.
He was less than impressed:
Michael Laws told the Maori children, aged 11 and 12: "There are so many deficiencies of both fact and logic in your letters that I barely know where to start."There is something refreshing about adults telling kids the stark truth without pandering to their feelings. This chap may be an absolute bigot, but the societal issues amongst the Maori are well documented.
He suggested that they sack their teacher and said that he would only take their views seriously when they began addressing the "real issues" affecting New Zealand's indigenous people, "particularly the appalling rate of child abuse and child murder within Maori society".
It is normally a tightrope to bring up issues pertaining to one racial group without coming across as racist, especially in these hypersensitive times, so I guess he just comes out and says it:
Two years ago, Mr Laws also caused controversy when he offended the country's Tongan population by refusing to lower the municipal flag after the death of the King of Tonga, Taufa'ahau Tupou IV, whom he called a "bloated brown slug".
He sounds like my granddad.
6 comments:
Yes but a Wh in Maori is pronounced F
So from Wanganui to Fanganui
You tell me?
Is that right?
That's my lesson for the day.
Why not tell the kids that if they raise the 100,000 dollars to rename the town, they he'll put it to the vote.
Until then ...well, pretty much what he said, actually
He sounds like a bit of a drama queen to me.
Having said that, verbally bitch-slapping kids has its place in certain situations.
He is quite right, and over here the hand wringing left have been chastened by his straight talking.
He writes a weekly column in one of our Sunday papers...worth a read...
http://www.stuff.co.nz/sunday-star-times/opinion/2838155/Do-you-want-to-be-in-my-gang
Thanks for that, Ayrdale.
Will take a peek.
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