This week's winner is T.M. Keyes, of Invercargill, for his letter on Maori water right claims. He receives a copy of Elemental (Godwit), Central Otago poems by Brian Turner. The letter was published Friday.
Plight of impoverished Maori overshadowed
Some of my close friends are Maori - they are a caring people. I worry because their leaders seem more concerned with water rights than the plight of the Maori poor.
Sir Tipene O'Regan stated recently that of Maoris born in 1976, 22% were in prison by the age of 20. Over all, 52% of the prison population are Maori.
Incidentally, it was reported recently that the Government awarded a multimillion contract to a private firm to build a 900-bed prison in Wiri. No-one complained, in spite of the fact, a year or two ago, the same Government doubled the number of bunks in a number of prison cells, including Milton prison. All this despite the knowledge for some years we have had the second-highest rate of imprisonment in the Western world.
Wouldn't it be more appropriate if both the Government and Maori leaders sat down together to try to understand and remedy this tragic and costly attrition of the Maori race, than worry about water rights.
T.M. Keyes
Invercargill
