GRAHAM HANSEN AGAINST NZ HERALD

Graham Hansen complained about a story published by the NZ Herald on May 17 which listed the tribal connections of Hūhana Lyndon, the co-chair of Whangaroa Ngaiotonga Trust.

He said this paper and others continue to practice racism and discrimination by only naming the Maori ancestry of New Zealanders of Maori descent quoted in articles and when that ancestry no matter how small, can trump all other ancestry no matter how large. If ancestry is listed then all of a person’s ancestry should be listed.

The trust mentioned in the Herald story administers a block of Maori freehold land on behalf over 1200 beneficial owners. In this context the tribal connections are no doubt relevant for an office holder representing the interests of many land owners.

Other ethnic or ancestral links are probably irrelevant in this context.  Tribal affiliations are important, especially when land issues are under discussion, in the same way that lineage can be crucial in any community or society when it comes to issues of inheritance. Recognising iwi affiliation is also part of the partnership obligations under the Treaty of Waitangi.

There are insufficient grounds for this complaint to proceed.