Mike's Minute: We don't need Māori road signs

What possible, sensible, and the key word here is 'sensible', reason can there be to introduce Māori road signs?

The idea is out for consultation as we speak.

I wonder how much of a rort that is. Is there really consultation? Is anyone actually listening? Or is it a smokescreen to pretend they asked a few people?

The simple truth is the vast majority of us don’t speak Māori. So, in a sheer practical sense, it achieves nothing.

The 5-8% percent who have some form of ability in Māori also speak English.

English is spoken by everyone; therefore it makes the most practical sense to have signs in a language we all get.

I fully realise we are on some sort of journey at the moment to embrace more Māori culture. I get that a lot of people are on a bandwagon to promote the idea.

Some are determined to impose it upon us, hence the current pushback we are seeing.

Sadly, the debate has been derailed by the crazies who are right, because the rest of us are wrong and racist and Neanderthals.

Having road signs in another language outside English is pointless.

The point of a sign is instruction and if you don't speak the language the point is missed and wasted.

Signs also become confusing. Especially signs that need to be taken in at speed, in a car, on a road.

We all know this is woke nonsense. It’s a waste of money from an agency that really needs to spend more time, energy and money on actual roads and the disgrace they currently are.

If you like Māori language, are learning it, wanting to learn it, immersing yourself in the culture, feel you are a better person for it then all of that is good and all power to you.

But good intent, or woke bandwagons or whatever you want to call it, must not trump practicality.

A road sign is not a classroom. It is not up to a road agency to teach us something we may or may not want to learn.

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