Heather du Plessis-Allan: I can’t see that Marama Davidson did anything wrong

Fair enough for James Shaw to back his co-leader Marama Davidson over her speech about the Queen this week.

 I can’t see that Marama Davidson did anything wrong.

I think some have the impression that using the first set of speeches to mark the Queen’s death was the wrong time for Marama Davidson to have a crack at the royals for colonisation.

And that she was complaining that the Queen’s death was distracting from Maori language week.

But that's not a fair representation of the speech. Marama Davidson was actually quite respectful.

 She made a point at the start of the speech of acknowledging the grief the Queen’s family will be feeling and the love many Maori have expressed for the Queen.

And then gently spoke about colonisation and the impacts on Maori. And what she really saved her powder for was Parliament itself: the fact that Parliament was taking the week off.

Marama Davidson argues a week is too long because there is too much work being missed now. On that point I wholeheartedly agree with her. Taking an entire week off smacks of nothing but laziness from MPs.

On the other stuff - the impacts of colonisation - you might not agree with Marama Davidson.  People hold different opinions, but all you can ask is that they’re voiced in a respectful and measured way and she did exactly that.  

Which is a hell of a lot more than you say can about the Australian NRL player who called the Queen a dog, the indigenous academic in the states wishing pain on the Queen, or even the borderline stuff Maori party co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer was retweeting on the day the Queen died.

At least Marama Davidson delivered her speech in a dignified way.

So fair enough of James Shaw to back her up.

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