Today is a day to celebrate our multicultural landscape, but it's crucial we also remember the hatred that made it necessary.

The more we dehumanise others, see them as anonymous or two-dimensional caricatures, the more they become targets of our own unexamined frustrations.

To mark the anniversary of the signing of He Whakaputanga o te Rangatiratanga, the Declaration of Independence, on this day in 1835, race relations commissioner Meng Foon has one message: land back.

I wish to remind you and your party to focus on issues rather than singling out minority communities for political gain, writes the race relations commissioner.