Hide Gives Joris de Bres Chance To Redeem Himself

Monday 17 Nov 2003 Rodney Hide Press Releases -- Other

ACT New Zealand Finance Spokesman Rodney Hide today said that he was giving Race Relations Conciliator Joris de Bres a chance to redeem himself.

"Mr de Bres got off to a shaky start as Race Relations Conciliator likening the European settlers of New Zealand to Taleban vandals," Mr Hide said.

"But I have today laid a complaint with him that will enable him to redeem himself and show he is even-handed. My complaint is against Dr Paparangi Reid, Mana News and National Radio.

"Dr Paparangi Reid stated on National Radio's Mana News this morning that non-Maori have stolen Maori people's life expectancy. She called non-Maori greedy for doing so. Of course, this is false information. It is also highly inflammatory.

"The Human Rights Act makes it an offence to broadcast words which are `threatening, abusive, or insulting' which are `likely to excite hostility against or bring into contempt any group of persons in or who may be coming to New Zealand on the ground of the colour, race, or ethnic or national origins of that group of persons'.

"I consider it to be abusive and threatening and certainly likely to excite racial hostility and contempt when a medical researcher such as Dr Paparangi Reid declares that non-Maori have stolen life expectancy from Maori. It simply isn't true. Her claims are highly inflammatory. Her claims are racist rot.

"The Race Relations Commissioner is a complete waste of space. But let's see if he can at least show some consistency," Mr Hide said.

Here is the transcript of Dr Paparangi Reid's comments on Mana News, National Radio 6:40 am:

"First of all we have to refrain what is actually happening here. We are living in a situation where Pakeha people are being privileged. The WHO is very interested in New Zealand because there has been this big increase in our life expectancy - 6 or 7 or 8 years. But the issue is all that increase in life expectancy has been appropriated by Pakeha - none of it has come to us. Well, I think that is very, very greedy. I think that is a breach of -- well, we don't even need to go to the Treaty or Indigenous Rights, I think it is just plainly very greedy. And not equitable. And if it had been the other way around there would be hell to pay."

"What we have to recognise now is that there has been a misappropriation of our resource, which is ours as of right, a citizenship right in this country. And it has been stolen. We don't need to talk about foreshore and seabed. We need to talk about health being stolen. `Years life' being stolen".

ENDS

For more information visit ACT online at http://www.act.org.nz or contact the ACT Parliamentary Office at act@parliament.govt.nz.

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