Letters to the editor: September 29

The maorification of New Zealand

Critics argue that globalism subverts national sovereignty by promoting mass immigration and suppressing free speech.

While evident across the West, in New Zealand this project takes the form of “Maorification,” seldom discussed in mainstream media but outlined by the New Zealand Centre for Political Research and openly championed by Te Pāti Māori.

Although Māori comprise only 20% of the population, their influence has expanded since 1990 through state institutions such as the Office of Māori–Crown Relations.

Mātauranga Māori (Māori ways of knowing) now shapes health, education, law, and public policy. Rooted in 1970s activism by Donna Huata and Ripeka Evans, who studied revolutionary tactics in Cuba, this ideology has become embedded in curricula, where resistance is denounced as racism.Te Pāti Māori’s programme includes forcing the Crown to return land, restricting foreign land ownership to leasehold, and requiring official names to be in Māori.

State institutions, media, sport and the private sector increasingly reflect this influence, with policies likened to South Africa’s B-BBEE – here described as Meliorating Māori Economic Empowerment (MMEE). Land transfers to Māori tribal corporations are already under way, echoing expropriation without compensation in South Africa.

Opponents argue that race-based victimhood is a globalist tool to weaken nations and entrench compliant governments. In New Zealand, Labour and the Greens support this agenda.

The result, critics contend, is minority rule imposed under the guise of justice, advancing not democracy but the consolidation of power by a global oligarchy. | DR DUNCAN DU BOIS Bluff

Strange-but-true: Our new normal

How academic these last few years have been! Events once confined to the realm of the “scary American” shows – The Twilight Zone, Tales of the Unexpected and Ripley’s Believe It or Not – now play out daily on the 140mm reality screen, in full technicolor, and even on the giant screens in the homes and bathrooms of the ultra-wealthy of Westville.

John Donne’s claim that “Death should not be proud” is mocked before our eyes. Day after day, thousands of children, women and youth in Gaza lose arms, legs, and ultimately, their lives. We have become immune.

The guilt and pain that gripped us after October 2023 has faded. Believe it or not – nobody cares.

Strange-but-true marvels abound.

Benjamin Netanyahu, wanted and arrestable in most countries, walks with full impunity into the gathering of the eagles – the UN headquarters – shielded by the UN Security Council. He refutes, with a straight face and forked tongue, any notion of genocide in Gaza while the IDF accelerates its bombardment.Outside, Donald Trump reassures journalists that “peace is just round the next corner.”

Ironically, that “corner” is at 575 Lexington Avenue, New York – once home to the publishers of Superman, Batman and other fiction.

Iran, meanwhile, faces more sanctions after China and Russia were outvoted. Yet the irony is clear: none of the countries that voted for sanctions face any threat from a nuclear-armed Iran. The only country that does – no prize for guessing – is Israel. And Iran’s hostility stems solely from the Palestine question.

Finally, the Palestinian Prime Minister is labelled a “terrorist” and denied a US visa, while his Ambassador sits undisturbed in the UN Assembly.

These are not tales of the unexpected anymore. They are tales we have come to expect – and they may yet drag us all into a neutron-filled graveyard. | Ebrahim Essa Durban

Debunking myths on migrants and crime

I share Karen Lloyd’s concerns about illegal immigration, but two claims require correction.

First, the assertion that undocumented migrants “receive free accommodation in

upmarket hotels, a free phone, airtime, WiFi, medical care, a weekly allowance and more” is false. Hotels are used to house documented asylum seekers, and the presence of undocumented individuals in any location is illegal.Second, contrary to her implication, only 131 Indian nationals had been deported from the UK as of August 1, 2025.

Their illegal status typically involved overstaying visas or entering the country without permission. India and the UK signed agreements in 2018 on returning illegal migrants and sharing criminal intelligence, ensuring those who break the law can be sent home. Wealthy Indian criminals, such as Vijay Mallya, are not offered sanctuary.It is also important to remember that not all “brown people” in Britain are Indian.

Of the 4.2 million South Asians, 1.9m are Indian, 1.5m Pakistani, over 644 000 Bangladeshi, and around 170 000 Sri Lankan. Hindus, roughly 2% of the population, have an exceptionally low presence in prison and continue to contribute positively across all sectors.

Even Nigel Farage has noted the community’s high levels of education, hard work, and family stability.

Migrant contributions are critical to the UK economy. Indian, Filipino, and African professionals dominate the NHS and care sectors, foreign students pay higher tuition fees than British students, and skilled migrants in IT, finance, and healthcare create jobs and pay substantial taxes. Many well-off Indians also use private services, adding to economic diversity rather than burdening public resources.

If a spokesperson genuinely wants all Indians removed, it raises a broader question: should Britain then repay the $64.82 trillion extracted from colonial India between 1765 and 1900, along with reparations for slavery, educational destruction, and the brutalities of empire?

The facts are clear: Indians in Britain are law-abiding, hardworking, and indispensable to our society. Misrepresentations serve only to inflame prejudice rather than inform public debate. | Kamini Prakash Umhlanga

Trump’s ‘USA first’ is everyone else last

At the 80th UN General Assembly, US President Donald Trump gave a speech filled with aggressive nationalism and misleading claims.

Under the slogan “America First,” he showed open disrespect for migrants, describing them as threats rather than people escaping war, poverty, and climate disasters.

This kind of language spreads fear, xenophobia and racism, instead of building empathy.

Trump also ignored the occupation of Palestine, the suffering of Palestinians, and the ongoing genocide in Gaza, where starvation is being used as a cruel military tactic. His silence on this disaster, while openly supporting the Israeli regime, speaks volumes about his leadership, especially as the head of a country often called the “leader of the free world”.

Even worse, he dismissed climate change as “the greatest con job ever”, rejecting scientific facts and the urgent need to protect our planet.Trump’s criticism of the UN may sound valid, but it’s hypocritical.

The real problem is not just bureaucracy, it is the power of countries like the US, whose veto makes the UN unable to take action.If we want a better world, we cannot wait for powerful governments to fix it. People around the world must stand together for peace, and real democracy.

We need a global system that defends human rights and social justice for everyone, and takes action against war, climate destruction, and injustice. | MOHAMED SAEED Pietermaritzburg