新西兰英语 397 Waitangi Day

　　Today is Waitangi Day, a day when we remember the Treaty¹ that was signed on Feb 6th 1840, between the Queen of England and the Maori chiefs of New Zealand. In the Treaty, Queen Victoria agreed to protect the Maori and give them the same rights as British citizens. The treaty said that Maori could keep all their food-gathering places such as the forest, rivers and sea. Maori could sell their land to the government which would give them a fair price. Of course, we know that this did not always happen and Maori lost a lot of their land.
Waitangi Day is a day of celebration. It is also a day of protest² when people say, “Remember the Treaty”.
However, this year, it was mostly a day to watch the waka in the harbour, to enjoy a picnic, listen to a concert and have fun.
There was a protest though. Hone Harawira, the Maori Party MP for Te Tau Tokorou in the Far North, spoke³ about the problems for the Maori Party which is part of the government with National. In the Far North, there is more unemployment, more poverty, and poor housing⁴. Hone believes that the government has done nothing for Maori. Dr Pita Sharples, co-leader of the Maori Party, was very angry with Hone. He believes that being in coalition⁵ with the National Party will bring benefits for Maori.
Hone Harawira may have to leave the Maori Party and become an Independent MP.
Question
We do not have a New Zealand Day. Do you think Waitangi Day should be our New Zealand Day?

1 treaty   

n.条约；协议，协定

参考例句：

• Hungary has indicated its readiness to sign the treaty.匈牙利已表示愿意签订该条约。
• I believe this treaty will pave the way to peace in Europe. 我相信这个条约将为欧洲的和平铺平道路。

2 protest   

v.反对，抗议；宣称；n.抗议；宣称

参考例句：

• I can't pass the matter by without a protest.我不能对此事视而不见，我要提出抗议。
• We translated his silence as a protest.我们把他的沉默解释为抗议。

3 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

4 housing   

n.房屋，住宅；住房建筑；外壳，外罩

参考例句：

• Do you think our housing sales will turn around during this year?你认为今年我们的住宅销路会好转吗？
• The housing sales have been turning down since the summer.入夏以来，房屋的销售量日趋减少。

5 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。