The worst possible way to describe New Zealand

Two academics write in the Herald:

In our own work, as academics focused on Indigenisation and decolonisation of education systems, we talk of New Zealand and Aotearoa as two different countries occupying the same land. Te Tiriti is about relations between these two countries.

This is arguably the worst possible way to describe New Zealand. It is a mindset that can only lead to division, strife and worse. Its probably how people used to describe Yugoslavia.

The simple reality is two countries occupying the same land is never good. It is Cyprus.

It is a way of looking at the world that divides the huge variety of New Zealanders into two camps – those with and without certain ancestors.