White Rightists to visit marae

Press, 10 September 1984, Page 4

White Rightists to visit marae

PA - Wellington The “white rights" Nationalist Workers’ Party is keen to take up an invitation to visit a marae to discuss the policies outlined in its banned pamphlets, its spokesman, Mr Bastian Zandbergen. has said.

He said the marae meeting, suggested by a Mana Motuhake spokesman and Wellington Teachers’ College lecturer, Mr Amster Reedy, was a constructive "It might bury a lot of fears about where we stand regarding Maori people,” Mr Zandbergen said. Mr Reedy had said he disagreed with police confiscation of the pamphlets because the public should be allowed to make up their own minds.

He said there was nothing to fear if the group represented only a tiny minority but he believed they were just expressing openly views held by many others. Mr Zandbergen said Mr Reedy had hit the nail on the head.

“The majority of people do sympathise with us,” he said.

The party bad overwhelming support in Auckland and a radio talkback show had been flooded with calls from listeners who agreed with its policies. The party believed New Zealand policies were heavily and unfairly weighted in favour of ethnic minorities and it would provide financial incentives for Pacific Island people to return to the Islands, Mr Zandbergen said.