Readers react Karl du Fresne opinion piece on how NZ is being transformed

Readers react to last week’s column by former NZ newspaper editor and now well known blogger and columnist Karl du Fresne who lamented where New Zealand is heading.

The article on the opinion page is just so, so correct in what Karl du Fresne has put in front of us to read. What a good read without the bleeding hearts around to say it is not PC to put this down on paper without ducking for cover by using a false front. It will be interesting to see the response that is received. Good on the The Star for putting the opinion out there. – John Stapleton

The article by Karl du Frense is brilliant, and should be compulsory reading for most thinking New Zealanders. It totally describes where New Zealand is heading under “Comrade Ardern” and her Government’s socialist ideals.What is even more distressing and worrying is that it is dividing New Zealand, and sending it backwards down a very slippery slope. – N W Holmes

This would have to be the most well written, well balanced and lucid assessment of the current state of play in this country that I have seen. Karl du Fresne needs to be congratulated as does the The Star  for publishing it. I represent one of the great unwashed and proud Kiwis mentioned in the final paragraph of the column and fear for what society will have to offer my grandchildren. The views represented by the column are those of many of my friends and family. A group of loyal citizens, reticent about speaking out in fear of being labelled racist and loath to be on the receiving end of attacks from the left wing loony “cancel culture” brigade. The true test of the prime minister’s political allegiances and her agenda will become evident when the extent of this countries participation in the great “reset” is known. – Greg Ward

Totally agree with Karl’s column on NZ being transformed. It is quite scary with people’s opinions not being allowed if it does not conform to ideologies of the government. Free speech is becoming a thing from the past. You are even told how you should think. – Karin Millner

Well done that man. Karl du Fresne has the determination to speak about some of many matters which faceless officialdom has foisted upon the public. That public widely finds the imposition of decisions and regulations which largely run contrary to common sense and rational opinion to leave us feeling we are in a state of controlling over rule. Many of us are afraid to express our opinions and beliefs in case of being accused of hate speech or racism. – G Thompson

It was a very well-informed and thoughtful commentary, pointing out so much that is worrying under our present regime. Let us hear more from such columnists and hope that New Zealanders wake up to the tidal wave of adverse propaganda that is sweeping over us. – Hilary Anderson

Both yourself and Mr du Fresne deserve congratulations for the article on the subject of the transformation of NZ under the present government –yourself for the courage to print what has become unpopular material, and Mr du Fresne for the quality of his research and accuracy of his conclusions. The large number of people who voted for the Marxist party line that we are now seeing must surely wake up to what they did, but by then the damage will have been done. – Bruce and Jan Carpenter

Of all the opinion pieces in the world, you chose to publish ‘NZ is being transformed – and not in a good way’ last week. One can only surmise what the motivation was for selecting that piece for the dump of your paper in Christchurch readers letterboxes. – David Woodings

Thank you for having the courage to print a counter to the overwhelmingly hard left opinions of a vociferous socialist/communist that often dominate mainstream media. – Mark Laslett

Glad to see there are still some columnists prepared to write common sense articles and not kowtow to the pretentious sycophantic pro-lib main stream media that has been able to indoctrinate large numbers of New Zealand people through a indefatigable bombardment and inculcation of their ideological views.
May Mr du Fresne’s column become a regular and much needed tonic for our browbeaten and wearied community. – B Frame

Karl du Fresne writes an interesting column about New Zealand being transformed. He mentions the education bureaucrats with their neo Marxist identity politics which he fears will influence teaching. To me this opinion is nothing new nor is the influence new. I had been thinking the same way for at least the 40 years and, reading British and American commentators from the 1940s onward as I often do, I see that New Zealand has been going that way for as long as I can remember. – Gary Chisholm

I thought his column was accurate and summed up nicely the current political landscape in NZ. He stated very eloquently what myself and my workmates have been saying amongst ourselves lately, that we are undergoing ideological change under the current Government that most of us don’t want a bar of, and I suspect most NZ voters did not vote for. We hardly ever see such commentary in the media either as most of the NZ media seem to be cheerleaders for the current crowd and their ideology. – Grant Purser

I agree with everything Karl has written he is spot on NZ will waken up when it is too late. – Cath Lyall

I was buoyed by this article. While I see that it was initially published by The Spectator, thanks to The Star for having the guts to republish it, something that Karl suggests the woke leftist media (print, TV and radio) in this country would be reluctant to do. At last print media is prepared to address a topic which, I would suggest, the majority of this country’s population is unaware of the impact such actions by the Government will have on them. With regard to Maori Wards, the Government is prepared to ignore the overwhelming response of ratepayers against their introduction in numerous referenda. We are on track to end up with a separatist society. – Tony Fleete

After reading Karl’s opinion piece in The Star, it completely sums up my feelings on the direction NZ is heading. The Maorisation and the leftist woke in NZ has got to the point where nobody dare stand up and speak the truth or even hold an opinion that is not in accordance with woke assertions. – Jeff Mcilroy

All praise to The Star for the article. I am completely is support of all matters the former newspaper editor espouses in this article. Currently we are being conditioned accept (brainwashed) changes to our way of life we currently enjoy. I will expand on one subject only and that is horticulture, farming and forestry. We are a horticulture, farming and forestry country where we produce food and other produces for ourselves but for numerous countries world wide with the income derived from these industries to benefit for all New Zealanders. These industries provide employment for many New Zealanders to enable them a very good lifestyle. From what appears in the newsprint the new draconian new rules for farming will be disheartening to those in farming and will be disincentive to new entrants in this work place. What will these industries look like say in 10 years time when all these newly ordained rules are in place. I ask the question where will New Zealand income come from. – Cyril Smith

Karl’s article is expressing the view that many New Zealanders are feeling, but do not have the courage to speak out for fear of being called racists. We need more journalists to be willing to be critical of some aspects of the media’s presentation of Maori affairs. This is not racism but democracy in a multicultural society, not a bicultural one. – John Packer

Karl du Fresne and I share a lot in common. We are both ageing males of European descent. Our most fundamental disagreement is not about New Zealand being transformed (again) but the benefit of the transformation. I argue that the transformations are in general good. The fact that they do not benefit my white male privilege is neither here nor there. The fact that my freedom and rights are limited by their impact on other people’s freedoms and rights is not new. In the New Zealand I was raised we were always reminded to think about others. The perpendicular pronoun “I” didn’t stand for much in a world in which “we” mattered more. While it was not nirvana, there was a modicum of personal responsibility that tempered our sense of entitlement and rights. Maori were disadvantaged then as they are now after being deprived of their cultural and economic base to benefit privileged, mainly British, landowners. But then the descendants of indentured labourers, landless migrants and most the Catholic Irish did not fare as well though their ethnicity and mainly Protestant Christian faith opened doors for limited social and economic mobility and privilege. Suddenly, and much too late, most New Zealanders woke up to find the tolerant and moderately fair-minded society they grew up in had irrevocably changed. The “we” society had transformed to the “me” society. Rights and freedom trumped responsibilities. Private property rights trumped all. Suddenly greed became good and money was king and debt the essential economic lubricant. Any criticism of the new neo-liberal world order was met by the shrill cries of “socialist” or from those masquerading as public intellectuals “Marxist”. Hate speech was reborn from of a lack of respect for cultural differences and people of different, non-Christian, faiths. If teaching history truthfully and frankly rather than just reciting the victor’s story is Marxist, then Karl and I must have been reading different works of Marx. I celebrate the current transformation and Karl does not, just as, I suspect, Karl celebrated the Douglas and Richardson reforms and I did not. I wonder who will be on the right side of history this time around. – David Marra

One wonders what the Star hopes to achieve by publishing Karl du Fresne's ill-informed article in February 18th edition, and first published in the Spectator Australia. His views are out dated, deliberately provocative, ignorant of history and divisive. Not content with trying to undermine the growing appreciation of the contribution Maori experience and knowledge are making to building a harmonious, and healthy democracy, du Fresne paints the climate change emergency as an attack on farmers. When he turns his attention to the changes in the history curriculum, which he describes as ideological, he reveals his ignorance of the events in the 19th and 20th century which shaped our development as a nation. We cannot build a strong and healthy society without a clear understanding of the past 200 years. Fortunately the years  from 1835  to the present day are well documented. There is no excuse for misinformation. Du Fresne even has a go at the press who he contends have been captured by the left. He makes no secret of his dislike of the political left and Jacinda Ardern but then turns on the current National Party, presumably his political home. The old establishment is clearly crumbling. One thing he has got right, New Zealand is changing but not because of an ideological tsunami as du Fresne claims. The views he expresses here may once have been mainstream, but Aotearoa now celebrates its diversity. Maori, Pakeha, (men of every creed and race), women, rainbow people, and people with disabilities, are gradually feeling more secure, supported by a Human Rights Commission which du Fresne describes as ideologically driven and given to inflammatory rhetoric. Your newspaper would be well advised to publish articles which address the crises we face as a nation, climate change, environmental destruction and growing inequality. Why not invite contributions which are constructive and based on academic research, not on ill-informed social media propaganda. – Patricia Scott

What a refreshing and objective view of our situation. I believe he accurately described each topic which provides a balance to what we are subjected to by our media who are an embarrassment. To form an opinion all points of view deserve airing which is not currently happening. – Derrick Abbott