Comments by Judge ‘offensive’
PA Wellington A Maori studies youth group, Te .Huinga Rangafahi, has described remarks made by a judge in the. District Court at Lower Hutt as ill-informed and offensive. The group has demanded that Judge J. K. Patterson withdraw the comments he made when he told a Maori man, appearing on a charge of obscene language, to swear in his native tongue next time.
“. . . Swear in Maori and no-one will know the difference,” Judge Patterson is reported to have said. The president of Te Huinga Rangatahi (Ms A. Green) said more than 150,000 people in New Zealand understood Maori fluently. “His statement that nobody will know the difference is therefore incorrect. We also dispute the Judge’s inference that swearing in Maori is not an offence, because people have been convicted for this,” Ms Green said.
“Most importantly, however, these statements reveal an attitude to Maori lanae that is typical of offiom. The Judge says that Maori is a suitable language for swearing. “At the same time nobody has the right to use Maori in court or for conducting business. The attitudes demean the language and insult everyone who values it.”
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Press, 11 August 1980, Page 13
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193Comments by Judge ‘offensive’ Press, 11 August 1980, Page 13
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