We have to remember

Embedded content: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PE7c0ZmZDo

"We can't forget what, what happened to the indigenous people of these islands."

Speakers

Hone Mihaka, Hon Justice Matthew Palmer, QC, Miria Pomare, Dr Vincent O'Malley, Moana Jackson, Te Radar and Rt Hon Sir Geoffrey Palmer.

Transcript

Hone Mihaka: We can't forget what, what happened to the indigenous people of these islands. We have to remember, I mean you don't have to know where you are going to into the future, you have to know where you've come from.

Hon Justice Matthew Palmer, QC: It's very difficult to understand, all of this difficult social tensions about where, for example, Māori have grievances that derive from the past, without understanding the past, without understanding why they may feel as, as they do.

Miria Pomare: I think the history isn't pleasant, I think there are aspects of our history as a country, as a nation that, you know, that the government and certain sectors of our society, don't want to focus on. but I don't think it needs, we need to fear it.

Dr Vincent O'Malley: There are these unpleasant aspects of our past but the ones that we need to acknowledge and learn about and understand because if the Treaty relationship is about a dialogue between two peoples, if one of them is not listening to the other, then that's a problem.

Moana Jackson: There is a sense that when you can talk to people, then you begin that process where history changes in the hearts of people. It would be helpful if it occurred in the schools.

Te Radar: What is the responsibility of the state, to educate people. And we saw the other day, when they said, we are not going to make the history of the New Zealand wars compulsory in high school. Why not, is it too complicated, well that's the nature of human life, you know, people are going to leave school and have to deal with very complicated life situations.

Rt Hon Sir Geoffrey Palmer: I think a lot of the trouble with the Treaty in New Zealand flows from a lack of understanding of the people who live here, about what the history is, about what happened, about the manifold injustices that were visitied upon Māori and the failure to do anything about them, and you have to say that that is a stain on our reputation as a nation.

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