Alice Cameron

There’s a certain comfort in routine. Clearly, some letter writers have found theirs in endlessly mourning the demise of the Treaty Principles Bill.

Over again, readers are subject to the same tired laments.

Like an episode of The Simpsons stuck on repeat featuring Grandpa Simpson shaking his fist in a sky that, for the rest of us, has already cleared.

The bill was rejected. Resoundingly, publicly, and with historic clarity. This was no technical defeat; it was a powerful show of kotahitanga from the length and breadth of our land of the long white cloud.

Credit belongs to the thousands who mobilised, informed, educated, and stood up. They turned deliberately seeded confusion into clarity, unity and positive action. They went up against the best campaign that the deep pockets of Atlas lobbyists could purchase, with nothing more than passion and dedication, and won.

Thanks to thousands of community members doing their little bit; we witnessed one of the most significant public rejections of a proposed bill in our country’s history.

What’s truly heartening is that the rejection wasn’t just about a bill. It was a collective refusal to be divided by incorrect information and hateful ideology.

New Zealanders stood up, not just for Te Tiriti o Waitangi but for fairness, for partnership, for our past, and for a vision of a future where we can move forward together.

Yet, while the rest of the country has made that clear and hopeful choice, a handful of letter writers continue clinging to the resentment and rhetoric everyone else rejected. It’s not noble. It’s not democratic. It’s just out of touch.

The rest of us have already said no to fear and division.

We’ve shown we are better than that, and we have said yes to a hopeful vision of our future.

Here’s hoping future letters to the editor reflect the energy and optimism that carried the country through this moment.

I look forward to hearing new voices that build bridges, spark fresh ideas, and speak to the kind of united, forward-looking Aotearoa most of us want to be part of.