Bob Hughes cannot be allowed to blame colonisation and Pakeha farming methods for all of the deforestation and damage to Aotearoa. 'When Māori arrived, about 1250-1300 CE, they burned large tracts of forest, mainly on the coasts and eastern sides of the two main islands. By the time European settlement began, around 1840, some 6.7 million hectares of forest had been destroyed and replaced by short grassland, shrub land and fern land.' — https://teara.govt.nz/en/interactive/11674/deforestation-of-new-zealand ALL of the people who have lived in Aotearoa are responsible for where we are today — not just any particular group.

https://www.gisborneherald.co.nz/letter/all-of-us-responsible-for-damage-to-aotearoa

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