Te Tii Marae more open to free speech than Massey University
The Press editorial:
We could all do with talking less and listening more. That is a good rule in life generally, but it is especially true in politics and the noisy subset of political thought and activism that occurs online.
It is of course fiercely ironic that Brash is permitted to relate views that some see as anti-Māori on a marae at Waitangi but was not allowed to speak to students at a New Zealand university, which should be a site for open discussion.
The most encouraging thing that former National Party leader Don Brash said during an interview with RNZ’s Guyon Espiner on Monday was that he was going to Waitangi to listen. Espiner was of course talking to Brash about his decision to speak at Te Tii Marae at Waitangi on Tuesday.
Brash was invited by Ngāpuhi member Reuben Taipari, who explained that Brash will be one of a group of speakers at a forum. You could expect that most of the speakers will have quite different views on Māori and the Treaty of Waitangi to Brash, whose infamous visit to Waitangi in 2004 led to mudslinging when protesters hurled dirt at him. …
Good on Ngapuhi for being open to debate. Talking to each other about our different views is far better for society than deplatforming people because snowflakes claim views they disagree with make them unsafe.