Rugby tour

Press, 18 June 1986, Page 18

Rugby tour

Sir,—l support the efforts of the Anglican Church in protesting against the reinstatement of a rebel rugby player, John Mills, as a teacher at Christ’s College. It is really encouraging to see the Anglican Church take a stand on racism, whether it be in South Africa or in New Zealand. Black South Africans enjoy no rights in their own country and every day they face the violence of an oppressive system. Therefore, it is important that all New Zealanders, not only members of the Anglican Church, show solidarity with black South Africans. J. G. Henderson (June 13) fails to recognise that Maori and other ethnic groups suffer more in our economic, political and social systems and it is time that we pakehas look at how the colour of our skin confers privileges on us in all areas of life. This is evident from health, housing, employment statistics and research.—Yours, etc.,

RUTH GRAY. June 15, 1986.

Sir,—As Anglican clergy who protested outside Christ’s College on Monday, June 9, we are glad to respond to J. G. Henderson’s letter (June 10) which asks why we are not concerned about apartheid in this country. We are, but J. G. Henderson is wrong to suppose that it is non-Maori people who suffer. A subtle form of apartheid justified the sacking of Bastion Point, and Parihaka was attacked a century before under racist laws which closely match those of modern South Africa. In 1984, when the General Synod of the Anglican Church declared apartheid to be a heresy, South African apartheid was seen as one example of something which can be found elsewhere. As white colonists, we have written racism into law from our earliest days in this country. For example, only 12 years after the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi the Constitution Act was passed, denying

Maori people the vote. —Yours, etc., ROB RITCHIE, ROBYN GREENSLADE. June 13, 1986.