After reading this title, I hear you ask, “In what way are Pakeha poor”? They are poor in spirit and culturally poor.
On the news the other night I saw a reporter asking people at random what they thought about the idea of a Pakeha Party. One Pakeha answered something to the tune of, “that would be racist”. When I heard that, I asked myself, why would anyone especially a Pakeha answer this question that way. I then thought why is it not racist to have a Maori Party and yet racist to have a Pakeha Party. This girl has obviously been brought up in New Zealand society to believe that Pakeha having equal rights is racist. Poor girl. Is she so ashamed of her own race that she truly believes that she and her children or future children (if they are Pakeha) are not equal and deserving of equal respect, help, and recognition. My message to that girl, is you have nothing to be ashamed of. You are Pakeha/European and you are just as special as any other person and race on this planet. Embrace who you are, do not be ashamed of your race or any race.
Who really believes that all the Pakeha babies being born today are guilty of Maori injustice 200 or so years ago. Is the Pakeha baby responsible for any failure of the Maori baby in the same ward over the coming years or is the Maori baby responsible for the Pakeha baby when they grow up. I think responsible to help when they can, but not responsible for any injustices committed before they were born. A Pakeha baby cannot help being Pakeha. They didn’t ask to be born into this world. Why should they be guilty for what happened many generations ago. Chances are that no one in their family tree is also responsible. In other words, they are just as innocent as any Maori baby born today.
I think that many Pakeha have been conditioned to feel guilty for being white, (white guilt).Yet I want to say that you are not guilty of anything that happened before you were born. If that were true, then all Maori would have blood on their hands for the genocide of the Moriori and destruction of their peaceful culture. Who among us today believe that when a Maori is born, that he or she is guilty of the slaughter of the Moriori. I hope the answer is that no one believes that.
And so the question arises, why are some Maori against impoverished people of other races getting equal assistance. Is this not a classic case of racism. One leader of a Maori party is quoted as calling Pakeha ‘the white devil’. Why is this sort of racism okay. I think all racism is wrong. We should all be equal and yet also be proud of our culture and identity too. After all, is that not what makes New Zealand unique. A country cannot be great without respect for all its people, it is as simple as that.