NZCPD Forum

Alan Duff has been described as a novelist, newspaper columnist, polemicist and cultural phenomenon. (NZ Book Council.)

His works include: Once Were Warriors, One Night Out Stealing, State Ward, What Becomes of the Broken Hearted?, Out of the Mist and the Steam, Szabad, and Jake's Long Shadow.

About Alan Duff - Entry from NZ Book Council >>>

Opinion Pieces

Contact us if you would like to submit an opinion piece. We are seeking commentators on a range of topics, including: RMA, crime and justice, environmental issues, Maori issues, a NZ constitution and governance. Contact NZCPD.

Skip to make comment | Skip to read comments | Send to a friend

NZCPR Guest Forum
Alan Duff
Author
27 January 07
Education only way out for Maori

Printer friendly version (PDF) View >>>

What’s as disturbing as the murders we’re seeing in increasing numbers and with increasing brutality is the level of family support the alleged offenders get, and the self-justification of both offenders and their family members and advocates. Nathan Fenton, whose frenzied hour and a half murderous attack on his partner is suggested as being down to P is self-justification gone mad. Sure, he no doubt took P before the attack. But note he had a clear enough head to warn witnesses they’d better not say anything or he’d come after them. A man who has truly “lost it” doesn’t give such self-preservation a thought. This evil monster knew exactly what he was doing and let us hope the sentencing judge sets a precedent and tells him, you’re not coming out except in a coffin. Though he won’t, you can bet on that. Liberal judges are part of the problem, but in no way are they any of the cause.

The alleged teenage killer of a North Shore woman pensioner who has relatives call out in court, “Kia kaha, bro. Be strong” says as much about the family as the alleged killer. Why on earth would they be wanting him to be strong when it is a fundamental character flaw that has him commit, the police claim, murder? How about telling him, “Say sorry. And be sorry.”?

“We love you, bro” is tantamount to saying “we don’t think it’s such a big deal you might have murdered an innocent little old lady. In our eyes, bro, you’re more than okay. We love you and want you to be staunch, bro, and we’ll be staunch with you.” No apologies or expressions of deep sympathy with what the victim’s family are going through. No thought of what the poor victim had to endure. Just, “Kia kaha, bro.”

Sticking with filth who murder like this does no family supporter any favours and to hell with his age. Until Maori society right across the board condemns crime and criminals like this, we’ll keep our complete domination of the murder and violence statistics. His family should have been in court letting the boy know he can hang his head in shame and he’ll never be forgiven, not until he’s served years and years inside, and can demonstrate he’s redeemed himself and is no longer a danger to society. Take note Parole Board. Nor must society be bullied by liberals into believing that everyone can be redeemed. Nonsense. Many are born beyond helping.

Pita Sharples and June Jackson appeared on TV1 some nights ago and bravely agreed Maori are “in dire straits.” I emphasise this does not mean all. But boy, the percentage of killers being of Maori extraction would alarm a blind man.

Nathan Fenton is only too typical of that tragic statistic. Not that most of us Maoris want scum like him within a thousand kilometers of us. (Chances are he’ll get to hear of this and write me a letter from prison promising he’ll come looking for me because that’s what his type do: they hate and they brood and they live lives of utter destruction. Funny thing, there’s actually a serving prison inmate doing life for murder who probably has it fixed in his stupid head he’ll come looking to avenge me punching him on the jaw after he threatened my family. No amount of reasoning works with this type so if they ever did turn up I’d not be thinking of trying to reason.) A disproportionate number of us Maori appear to lack a gene that gives self-control; it seems too many of us have an extra gene that justifies our horrendous acts of violence against, almost invariably, women and girls. Females in other words. Smaller, weaker, more vulnerable. Woman-haters in other words. Girl-haters.

You know why? Because you can’t tell a warrior anything, he’s all ego and no self-reflection. In these modern liberal times his every excess is excused, so he does not have the restraints old Maori society imposed on its warriors. You so much as touch that ego and he feels justified in giving it to you – “the bash” I mean. Sometimes bashing until the person is dead. This warrior-posturing, prideful, dangerous time bomb is a danger to society. He doesn’t listen because he’s been taught he doesn’t need to listen. He lacks completely any sense of personal responsibility and has no moral base. When he hears advice and kind words from a woman, he takes it as threat to his manhood, to his masculinity, and he feels justified in “giving her the bash.” That’s our term, used by a current Maori Member of Parliament some years ago in justifying visitors to Waitangi marae being assaulted.

Too many Maoris think The Bash is a perfectly acceptable concept, a right and proper way to behave, to keep women – read bitches – in line. Yes, yes, a lot of Pakehas and Russians and Iraqis and Brits and Negroes, the whole wide world has men with attitudes like this. But Maoris more so. It must be so for the statistics keep saying it loud and achingly clear. And we have to change it before we can’t.

Never mind Parekura Horomia’s chest thumping claims his Close The Gaps idiocy has contributed greatly to Maori income levels rising significantly. Look behind his egotistical politician’s puffery and see a race with too many Jake The Muss types and not enough Gentle Georges. If anything deserves the credit for Maori economic advances it’s education, greater numbers realizing education is the only way out. So let’s educate ourselves on making violence totally unacceptable. And I’m talking as a man with a violent past who has had to learn it is not the way to behave. But learn I did.