History for me is very much a living thing, and knowing where we've come from and how we got here is vital to understanding, I think, who we are.  

But then I'm biased. I chose to study New Zealand history. I found it fascinating and I think it's an incredibly worthwhile subject.  

And it's constantly being evaluated as historian and Massey University professor Michael Belgrave said on the Mike Hosking breakfast. Teaching subjects like colonisation is going to be contentious, but we have improved and we're constantly improving the way we evaluate history, and we teach that history.  

I agree with him. It's constantly being evaluated so I just don't think there's anything really to fear here. There's nothing to startle the horses. It has come out of nowhere, this has been a process that's been ongoing. Every country should learn a little bit about their own history.  

And generally, when you learn these incredible stories, it sparks an interest to learn the history of other people as well, so I'm all for it.