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Andrew Dickens: We need to value our own history more

Author
Andrew Dickens,
Publish Date
Sun, 8 Sep 2019, 10:33AM
We badly need to know our own history and language, writes Andrew Dickens. (Photo / Getty)

Andrew Dickens: We need to value our own history more

Author
Andrew Dickens,
Publish Date
Sun, 8 Sep 2019, 10:33AM

I want to talk about history today and so I thought the best way to start was to talk about my history.

I was born in England in 1963 to an English Dad and a Kiwi Mum. In 1965 we came home. I have a British passport. I've lived in New Zealand for 54 years.

I went to Vicky Ave Primary. Remuera Intermediate. Then in 1976 I went to Auckland Grammar. Same year as Grant Fox, Martin Crowe and Professor Richie Poulton from the Dunedin study.

I remember being a turd. A third former. Sitting in Latin. It was compulsory. Amos, Amas, Amat. Bo bis Bunt. I knew Latin declensions when I was still a bit dodgy on English declensions in the first place. Villa est villa romana was the first Latin sentence I read.

1981 I went to uni as a Biology Science student wanting to do Law Intermediate. Very conflicted lad. And then I walked into Radio B.

1984 the uni threw me out for insufficient academic achievement but that might be because I'd been running the radio station so I went to ATI and studied journalism.

Then In 1985 I joined the Broadcasting Corporation of New Zealand and I went to a 1 month course in Wellington and they taught me how to pronounce English, German and French. Just in case I ended out working for Radio New Zealand Concert. And they taught me how to pronounce Maori.

To pass the course I had to read 150 word pieces in all those languages.

Here's the thing. That was the first time I was ever taught and then asked to speak Maori correctly. I was 22.

Now to history.

The first Prime Minister I really knew was Norman Kirk. That was because he died when I was on tour with the Auckland Boys Choir. We were in Hamilton. I remember the choirmaster telling us at 8 at night. I was 11. He said a man who loved people has gone too soon. Neil was in tears.

I remember Holyoake and Marshall and Kirk and Rowling. Particularly Rowling because of the teasing of everyone about how he was a mouse with a little voice which even as a kid I thought was cruel.

Then Muldoon and Lange. Bolger Shipley Clark and Key and now Ardern. My apologies to Palmer, Moore and English. You know why.

Ask your kids to identify any of those names. Let alone William Fox. Premier for times. That's a story. Who knows it.

So the point of my history is to point out how badly we know our own history and our language.

Name our first Prime Minister. Sewell. Ask any American to name their first President.

Say Whangarei. Say Ihumātao. Tell me the story of Rangiriri. Tell me about Ruapekapeka, the greatest pa of all time. Tell me about the New Zealand Wars. Tell me about the New Zealand Settlements Act of 1863

I play that game with my kids. And they can't because even they, who went through school in the last 10 years haven't learnt this stuff. They can tell me all about Gallipoli which is very important. But did that forge this nation or did all the stuff that happened on our land in our time?

New Zealand history has to be taught in primary schools. And there is no excuse to call Whangarei 'Wongaray'. 

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