Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

Jewish Council president willing to hear from Taranaki lecturer

Updated at 6:46 pm on 9 February 2012

The President of the New Zealand Jewish Council says he's still offended by a holocaust reference made by a Taranaki language lecturer, but he's prepared to listen to him.

Te Reo o Taranaki tutor, Keri Opai, was a Radio New Zealand National Waitangi weekend panel discussion guest who used the word holocaust to describe what happened to Taranaki Maori by the 1880s colonial government.

He says he didn't mention anything about the extermination of six million Jews as reported in the Taranaki Daily News.

Mr Opai says he deeply regrets the hurt caused because of the fabrications in the newspaper story.

Mr Opai says he would like the opportunity to talk to Mr Goodman to exonerate himself.

The Jewish Council president, Stephen Goodman, says relations between Maori and Jewish people are usually cordial, and he is open to hearing from Mr Opai.

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