Dear Editor, John Scott’s spacious contribution in last week’s CI Herald about our progress into self-government from 1963 to now, 62 years later has prompted me to add my 50 cents worth to it.

A sudden reversal for integration back to New Zealand is certainly food for thought, to be carefully and wisely considered. We have no problems with NZ MPs’ whatsoever. The ones to worry about are the heavyweights of the NZ public service. They are the most bureaucratic in the world Everything has to be written in triplicate, yes sir no sir, usually no to every request or must call Wellington first.

What can be considered is a process of osmosis, the gradual osmotic absorption of critical services to be run by New Zealand, over a 10-year period. Education sounds the loudest for first attention.

When I attended Tereora College from 1960 to 1963, all our teachers were from NZ. All of them had university degrees from MA, BA, MSc. and music. They taught maths, science, geography, biology, English and Maori. Many of us passed the then NZ school certificate and went on scholarship to NZ. I went on to join the NZ Police, and using a Police scholarship, I attended the Auckland University Law School, where I graduated with a law degree. The law degree helped me defend hundreds of Cook Islanders needing help, something I am still doing now and for years to come.

To have New Zealand take our education system back to run is a dream I may never see, but my hopes are in perpetuity!

Other services I would love to see NZ takeover are the Police and Health services. Of course, if full integration is to happen, we should be entitled to at least three seats in the NZ Parliament. I believe there are 100,000 Cook Islanders in both NZ and Australia. Special seats like the Maori seats can be considered. 

I acknowledge that none of this can or will happen without the will and consent of the people of New Zealand and the Cook Islands. Don’t forget everything begins with a dream … this is submitted to rattle the cage of thinkers in our community. Ka kite! Tena kotou!

Yours sincerely,

Norman George

Former MP