June 10, 2020
Maori Party takes aim at colonial monuments
The Māori Party wants to see the end of statues, monuments and names that hark back to the colonial era.
Co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer says Black Lives Matter protests around the world have highlighted the role of such symbols in maintaining racism and oppression.
She wants the Government to establish a Māori-led inquiry to identify racist memorials, such as the street names in Taranaki names after Parihaka invasion leader John Bryce.
"We’re calling for an inquiry to follow through that we as Aotearoa once and for all get rid of those racist and oppressive figures within our history who have raped and murdered our tamariki at Parihaka, there's a host of them and we are basically calling on the Government to work alongside the hapū and iwi, alongside our Māori communities to identify who shouldn't be here, who should go," she says.
Debbie Ngarewa-Packer says it’s also time for the education system to stop presenting colonial oppressors as heroes.
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