Worst Waitangi Day Column 2015?

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I get that Lee Suckling is the NZ Herald Life and Style columnist and so shouldn’t be too harsh on him for drifting vacuously into the race relations minefield that is Waitangi Day, but his Shelley Bridgeman like ignorance on issues of cultural importance helps us understand how privilege blinds mainstream media voices.

Longing  for a day where pride in ones country can occur minus all that unpleasant Maori protest stuff is akin to demanding everyone sits down and has a nice Christmas Dinner with abusive parents. The history of Maori losing 90% of their economic base in less than a century and the grossly inadequate compensation paid for confiscated land  on top of the near extinction of the Maori race seems to upset Suckling’s desire to stay positive and have a gluten free BBQ party with child friendly yoga classes.

If we want to have pride in our National Day, then it needs to start with Justice for the Treaty and a discussion of how we share power. Then we would have a reason to celebrate, wanting to sweep the past under a rug so we can all enjoy some positive vibes is naive at best.