Letter to the Editor

Waitaha claims shaky
The claims of the "Waitaha", a so-called white race coming to New Zealand before Maori did, are pure myth. Maori occupation is well recorded in the archaeological record. These stories generated by the pseudo-historians are little more than just that – stories. Nothing more.

Some years ago a pou was found by a camper at Poutu. It was immediately declared to be of "Waitaha" origin because supposedly Maori did not carve figures with five fingers. The figure was put on display at the Dargaville Museum with that provenance. It was an issue that was raised later by Dr Scott Hamilton of Auckland University back in 2009 through his blog Reading the Maps. Dargaville Museum later removed the Waitaha reference completely. The object is still on display without the Waitaha claims attached to it

Mr Hilliam is a local historian. He is however not an archaeologist. He has made a number of claims in the past including attributing the wreck of the Midge at Midge Bay as being a so called "Portuguese vessel" then later seems to have changed his mind and then attributed it to an alleged Dutch wreck. The Midge is clearly marked with GPS on the Australian shipwrecks database.

Kevan should have done his research first regarding the claims he has made about the Waipoua reports.

(Abridged)

Liz Clark

Maungaturoto