Letters to the editor: religion, culture and penguins

Courage shown in Karakia’s stance

I admire Dr. Robert Hamlin for having the courage to face increasing pressure to participate in cultural practices that are not fully related to the function of institutions and companies in which this pressure is being applied.

The fact that your email “causes alarm” at your university college suggests that our university led by treaties give in to spiritual worship and superstition.

Certainly these beliefs do not take place in a modern educational institution, but we see these increasingly applied practices across the country in many spheres of life. People are losing their jobs for non -compliance.

The defense that the belief in the importance of Karakia and Waiata is a requirement to provide cultural competence is not much different from making all employees believe in God to maintain their job. The university has long lost my support for its racial attitudes and Andrew Simms has just lost my potential vote.

Terry Maguire

CORSTORFIN

Democracy in action

As an atheist, I find prayers to a superior being ridiculous.

The environment, the skies above our climate and climate, have much more impact on the struggle and concern of humans than any silent and dictatorial male figure.

Prayers that ask participants to bring their individual perspectives to the table to highlight the best in all are democracy in action. They provide individuals with agency for their own lives.

Marian Poole

Deborah Bay

Genuine question

Dr. Hamlin said that prayers for guidance at a meeting were not only inappropriate, that they were also a violation of the Human Rights Law.

Freedom of religious expression is an important democratic right. My ancestors came here 161 years ago, partly for the freedom to practice their religion. Dunedin’s future group supports or denies the principle that a committed member of any religious organization has the universal right to respectfully refuse to participate in a voluntary ceremony, meeting or any other activity, whether there is a risk that his full commitment to his own faith could be compromised?

This may be praying to another God that could be a violation of the first commandment of the Christian faith, for example. This right would apply to all religious organizations in various ways. I want to know which principles were broken by?

Brendan Murphy

Ravensbourne

Bridge

Everyone has a culture with which he identifies himself. Anyone born, or those who move, a different country should not be obliged to adopt the culture of that country. Muslims coming to New Zealand do not renounce their Islamic culture. The same applies to the New Zealanders of all persuasions that move abroad.

It is important to understand and be proud of your culture. As for the application of what is “culturally” appropriate and relevant to meetings, this needs a conversation. So start talking again, build a bridge and surpass -a.

Kathleen baff

Stirling

Burns, bags of bellows, unique malt and gaelic for all

Bravo John Bell (Letters 2.4.25).

For a long time, descendants of immigrants from Scotland were in the shadows. After all, the Scots were essentially the founding fathers and the mothers of Dunedin and our educational system needs to reflect it.

Every school must have a pipe band (I know some of Dunedin’s schools already share a band, so that’s a beginning); Rabbi Burns should be a mandatory reading in English classes; Gaelic learning must be strongly promoted.

Male students should be encouraged to use kilt (complete with Sigian Dubh too, if they want); Scotland Flower It should be sung in assembly, followed by our own anthem as an option; School lunches should contain regular Haggis helpers.

And, most importantly, for the elderly who can prove their Scottish lineage, the government must provide a heavy allowance on the Scottish whiskey.

Māori will probably not care to be occupied, for many of them also have Scottish heritage.

Cuimhnich in the fir o’n b’e sinn (remember the men you are emerged).

Robert Hamish McCallum

Clinton

Outdated logic in Russia’s play

I was surprised to read Glen Morgan’s opinion article (Odt 28.3.25) To advocate to revisit western antipathy in relation to Putin’s Russia.

Morgan argues that our opinions about Russia are the result of “British imperial material in our cultural DNA.”

The fact that the New Zealandes in 2025 are more determined in their thoughts about Putin in the Crimea War of the 1850s than by the massacrament of civilian Russia in Bucha and Mariupol in 2022 is laughable to the extreme.

More bizarrely, Morgan states that economic sanctions against Russia led to war in Ukraine.

This policy of encouraging Russian reform through trade not only completely failed, but also helped fund Ukraine’s subsequent invasion of Russia. Europe and Germany, in particular, sanctioned only Russia when he left no other realistic option, eight years after Russia’s initial invasion. Addendum states that Morgan is a retired teacher. Perhaps it is time for the author to return to school.

D Vincent

Northeast of Vale

Irritating penguins

It is clearly a matter of urgency for Australia to send an Anare shipping ship to the Heard and McDonald islands, before winter it entered, to advise residents Trump put a 10% fare in their US exports Tarifa

Fortunately, the seal fat market for oil lamps and penguin skins King to hat fell immediately: the local economy should not be visibly affected. Zero imports mean retaliatory rates are not an option. Penguins out of work in states like Ohio claim that Trump’s vision will produce more jobs and better nesting opportunities.

Philip Temple

Dunedin

Address Letters to the editor to: Otago Daily Times, PO Box 517, 52-56 Lower Stuart St, Dunedin. Email: editor@odt.co.nz