In 1893 every woman and every man in New Zealand had the right to vote.

Māori wars over; England taking all our meat, cheese and butter; we were developing and progressing towards nationhood.

We have fought in world wars, celebrated our diversity, become global players in sport, science and economics. We have learnt to sell to the world in order to buy what we cannot produce at home.

We were once all equal, but now some are more equal than others because of their ancestry. It defies logic. We all work together, play sport together, marry together, have children together. All ethnicities, all backgrounds.

This Government is moving quickly, but sorting out the Treaty Principles Bill should be top priority. There is too much corruption and anyone doing anything has to consult with iwi, with money required in order to get approval to do anything.

We are all one people, and we need to debate the Treaty Principles Bill for the divided path we are on serves no one well, not even the MPs who did a war dance instead of participating in debate. The hikoi is a sad indictment in 2024 as it fosters division.

Margaret Murray-Benge, Bethlehem