At Large
God Save New Zealand From the Cannibals
Its military is certainly no longer up to the task.
(Page 3 of 3)
Quite late in the piece, in 1835, a group of New Zealand Maoris stole a couple of European sailing ships, got to the Chatham Islands, promptly ate most of the unarmed and unresisting pacifist Moriori and enslaved the rest.
One of the very few Moriori survivors recalled: “The Maoris commenced to kill us like sheep….[We] were terrified, fled to the bush, concealed ourselves in holes underground, and in any place to escape our enemies. It was of no avail; we were discovered and killed — men, women and children.”
A Maori explained: “We took possession in accordance with our customs and we caught all the people. Not one escaped.”
THE SCENERY IS magnificent and the people are the friendliest I have ever met.
Pity about the Air Force.
About the Author
Hal G.P. Colebatch’s “Immram,” Counterstrike, is being published by Australian publisher Imaginites.
Letter to the Editor View all comments (3) | Leave a comment
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Simon| 11.14.08 @ 3:51AM
A little research might've helped here and made you look less silly. Firstly the Air Base you went to was Woodbourne... http://www.airforce.mil.nz/about-us/hq-and-bases/woodbourne.htm ...it is a support base and has no aircraft resident and hasn't for years. Surely you checked before you ranted.
Secondly the 'far left' government you talk of has spent far more on military capital and hardware improvement than any government since the 1960s. The strike aircraft , Vietnam era A-4ks, were well past their sellby date, even with hardware and avioncs upgrades and rather than take up the dubious offer of very old A model F-16s, already paid for by Pakistan but seized, the military felt the money was better spent elsewhere. Most senior military figures agreed with the decision..but hey, what would they know?
Thirdly, the anti nukes legislation was a) passed in 1984, b) has been supported across political lines without any real question or though of overturning it as it's immensely popular and and attempt to overturn is seem as political suicide. But don't let the will of the people get in the war of your rant
Fourthly, your brief history of NZ politics and the left is both resoundingly ignorant and absolutely incorrect. Do a little research and have a rough idea of what you are talking about before you write about NZ next time please.
Fifth..ANZUS has not been disbanded
Sixth...the new Centre-Right government (and unless you are some sort of obsessed crazy, you'd be likely to regard Clark's goverment as centre-left rather than some 'far-left' regime, is pretty likely to carry on with the Labour policies as they exist with regard to Foreign policy and defence. They too I think would perhaps look at your piece and opine that it has at best a slender grasp on anything beyond that of an ill informed rant.
You don't seem to have put a large amount of conscious thought into this piece and have written something that was both clouded by agenda and at odds with those who know somewhat better than you. It is, and lets be generous, drivel.
Sorry.
Michael| 11.18.08 @ 7:02AM
Hal, could you please name one time the NZAF Strike Force has ever been used in anything other than an excercise?
The answer is, no, it never has.
Your ignorance but none the less sense of self assurance does make me think you've been talking to Dr Wayne Mapp http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayne_Mapp
A similarly educated fool to yourself, he was given the honour of being the Political Correctness Eradicator. A position he effectively made his own and has secured himself a place of obsurity and derision.
Michael| 11.18.08 @ 7:09AM
A few points.
Fiji has a larger Army than NZ.
Q -How did Singapores defenses hold up again?
A-No too good.
Q-What is Singapores first act when threatened? A-Invade Malaysia and secure power & water. Why they have a strike force and Medium Artillary. (They train here).