We have seen some bloody stupid thoughtless actions from time to time but this one takes the cake. Michael Laws gets a letter from Te Kura o Tuatahi o Otaki. It is a proud school with a good reputation and its total immersion te reo Maori . Immersion schools are the breeding ground of the new Maori intelligentsia. Exposure to two languages is well proven to increase academic attainment.
Anyway as the language is important to these kids it's no surprise that any language issues are of interest to them. A number of 11 and 12 year olds decided to write a letter to Michael Laws about their concerns, indeed annoyance, at his stance over the Whanganui spelling issue.
We like that in kids. Passion and action.
Well we think that Laws reply will stagger you. It is undoubtedly racist.
We want everyone who reads this to send it to as many people as they can.
We feel sad that someone could say the sorts of things he has said to the fine young children of a very good school.
He really has shown himself to be a bitter, twisted bully. Not fit to be a Mayor.
Michael Laws 2.9.09
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9 comments:
Perhaps Mr Laws should look up an article published by the Wanganui Historical Society in 1938 which basically says the name is wrong and should be changed. Gee, that's only six decades ago
I agree with you busted blonde, Micheal Laws is a complete dick head, although I'm not suprised by his answer to children, can you imagine him arriving here with Capt Cook in his little wig and short pants, shame we stopped eating them!.
laws is right very right.............
Te Kura o Tuatahi o Otaki. It is a proud school with a good reputation and its total immersion te reo Maori . Immersion schools are the breeding ground of the new Maori intelligentsia.
Ah-ha! Ah-ha! Ah ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!
"Immersion schools are the breeding ground of the new Maori intelligentsia.'
Insert Tui ad here..
Indeed, it would appear as if there is a lot of which you are unaware Roar prawn, or alternatvely choose not to see.
Errrr ... was maori not an oral (as opposed to written language) and does this not make such differentiation somewhat 'new age' and 'precious?'
But then, it is in this direction that you have been moving for some time now, albeit by wee increments.
When they are old enough to vote
they can have their say. When they
have been working and paying tax
they can bother their heads about
this tripe. Right now concentrating
on learning worthwhile things like
math english comprehension history
logic etc. is where their heads need to be. Not on hateful garbage
drilled into them by politically motivated teachers.
Jon.
Looks like Mojo was unaware Maori language has evolved quite significantly in last 200 years or so. Maori have been aggresive in evolving the language, including information technology. KG laughs at immersion schools as producing the new generation of Maori intellegentsia. There is a huge body of international scholarship showing the benefits of bilingualism and BB is right, the emerging generation of young Maori leaders confident and fluent in both worlds is something to watch out for. Myself and my siblings were all educated in Maori immersion schools and have all got MA's and are achieving well in a range of professional careers.
Michael Laws and similar red neck dick heads reflect the thinking of the past. Everyone is entitled to their views but picking on kids and lumping that kind of shit on them is disgusting.
The dates on these letters raise suspicions that this is just another successful attempt by Laws to increase his notoriety during the NZ radio ratings survey period ie Though the kids wrote to him early April, his reply is dated August 27th. And the arrival of nicely scanned copies of the council translated letters plus his reply on this blog makes it look like he sent it - just like he put Woman's Day up to running a story on his family in the same week and for the same reason. Can you confirm that he sent this stuff to Roarprawn - or tell us who did?
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