Doug Woolerton Email endorsing the Littlewood Treaty

Doug Woolerton (a NZ First MP)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doug_Woolerton

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From: doug.woolerton@thelobbyist.co.nz
To: atacama9@hotmail.com
Subject: RE: Attn: Doug Woolerton re: Littlewood Treaty & Treaty of Waitangi
Date: Mon, 3 Sep 2012 19:41:14 +1200

Dear  Serenity

Thank you for your email. I have read the discussion on the trade me message board and the Don Brash piece which I do not disagree with.

The reason that my Bill was rejected is simply political as is everything surrounding this issue. I/We argued that because the principles of the treaty were not defined then all the legislation being passed with “according to the principles of the treaty” etc etc and all the many variations of that, were simply a nonsense. We were drawing people’s attention to the fact that the treaty was a document, or a message, of good intentions rather than a prescriptive document.  Therefore to apply it to airwaves or ironsands and suchlike was a nonsense. ( That is not to say that settlements to Maori are wrong) This is still the case today and has become an artform.

Incidentally as an illustration ….the Bible is the same because it tells stories that we know cannot be literally true but the message is one worth listening to and abiding by. If one were to take it literally we would have a lot of people trying to walk on water or attempting to part the sea.

Have fun.

Kind Regards

Dr. Don Brash Email endorsing Littlewood Document

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From: don.brash@xtra.co.nz
To: atacama9@hotmail.com
Subject: RE: Attn: Don Brash re: Littlewood Treaty & Treaty of Waitangi
Date: Mon, 3 Sep 2012 13:25:56 +1200

Serenity, thanks for drawing this thread to my attention.  Contrary to at least one of the comments on the thread, I have very strong views on this issue – that the Treaty of Waitangi, in whatever version you care to use, made it abundantly clear that all New Zealanders should have the “rights and privileges of British subjects”, with no preference for any one race.   Yes, there are some differences between the “official” Treaty and the Littlewood Treaty, but they are relatively trivial compared with what they agree on, namely that all New Zealanders must be equal under the law.  I have made that clear at every opportunity, not just in my January 2004 Orewa speech but many times since, including in a speech I gave last November when I was leader of the ACT Party (copy attached).  Having said that, some of the comments in the thread seem a long way removed from the Treaty, as for example the comments about ownership of SOEs, foreign investment, etc.  I favour the sale of SOEs, and I favour foreign investment – and neither of those positions is in any way contrary to any version of the Treaty.

Best wishes.

Don Brash

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(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Brash)