There is certainly a lot of misunderstanding and ill feeling out there regarding the Pakeha Party as this video shows. However, I would like to know why equality for all is threatening to anyone.
Author: Kiwi
Handouts for all Kiwis
Do extra benefits for Maori benefit Maori? Some think assistance is necessary to get Maori on par with Pakeha regarding living standards. But I would argue that enforcing the belief that Maori are victims and giving them extra privileges to address this, only makes their situation worse by making them dependent instead of independent.
To get out of poverty, one needs to work. To get work, one needs to actively seek it and train, innovate, invent, or generally be passionate about a career or job of some kind. Giving hand outs doesn’t encourage this, because it gives a soft option where the more you moan, the more you get. This is not how people get ahead in society.
Remember that every handout given, comes from working New Zealanders in the form of tax. The government can only give what it takes from others. What New Zealand needs is that all or as many as possible become productive citizens contributing to the country as a whole. This is the only way New Zealand will move ahead with the added benefit of giving each person independence and a sense of pride.
Think of it like this. If 10 people in a waka are all paddling, then the waka can go fast and far. If nine out of the ten people are paddling, then it can still go pretty fast. You can even move pretty fast with eight people paddling. But when the number starts to go lower, the amount of productivity falls proportionally because it is not only less people paddling, but they are carrying the same weight, not less weight. When the number is low enough, it is then that those who are paddling start to wonder why they are doing all the hard work and getting less benefit for their effort. When they see jobs for paddlers in Australia offering more money many jump ship.
So I would argue that getting this waka to go fast and smooth requires that we all chip in to the best of our ability and if we don’t have a paddle then make it your mission to get one. By encouraging people to sit in the waka and get a free ride is not helping them and is letting the whole waka down.
Maori in Australia do well for a number of reasons. This is in due part to having no special benefits, meaning they are forced to paddle to stay afloat. Having to work to survive rather than relying on softer options brings the best out in people. Of course I am not saying we do away with benefits, as we all need that help from time to time, rather we need to discourage handouts and benefits as an optional lifestyle for people. This should never become part of one’s culture.
In 2004, the ACT Party released a study that showed Maori received $7-billion in government benefits each year while contributing only $2-billion in tax. This amount included social spending on Maori that is taxpayer funded. Certainly this issue is a bigger drain on the economy than the whole Treaty of Waitangi process.
New Zealanders should be concentrating on giving equal rights for all and encouraging each other to do well in life. Giving special handouts is not really helping New Zealand to move forward. It perpetuates the idea that victims are helpless and need special assistance forever. As long as we reward the victim mentality, there will always be victims lining up to get their handout.
The Pakeha Party (I believe) should be about trying to end these handouts for Maori and replace it with equal handouts regardless of race, but with the emphasis being on poverty and health. It is against Maori privilege, Pakeha privilege, in fact any race based priviledge. Those who think The Pakeha Party is about Pakeha priviledge are just plain wrong and should get their facts straight before ranting off about it being a racist movement.
Poor Pakeha
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.
A Pakeha Party is a win win
Either way you view a Pakeha Party is a win for the Pakeha.
1) If you think it racist, then so must the Maori parties be also, which is what many Pakeha hasve been saying all along. This is the reason it exists, to bring balance using the current system of undesirable racially based political parties.
2) If you think it is not racist and instead fills a need, then you would be right, because it is actually not about Pakeha first, it is about Pakeha as equals. You see, nobody has asked Pakeha how they feel about living in a society where they are not quite equal. So it was left up to Social Media and the Web instead to let the people have their say.
Either way you view this, a Pakeha Party whether real or conceptual brings about conversation on these issues where it wasn’t before.
3) If you foolishly say, that the Pakeha Party is racist and the Maori Party is not, then that just shows your lack of basic logic and shows that you are in fact the racist because this stance is is ironically prejudice. Further, The idea of a Pakeha Party is about fighting for equality for all, not supremacy for some. Whereas the Maori parties are fighting for something greater than equality for themselves. They are fighting for privilege at the expense of all other people groups in New Zealand. They want to be more equal than all others. This is of course an oxymoron because greater equality than everyone else is not equality at all is it? In short such a view is racist.
So please, spare me this lame argument and stick to being logical so we can all have an intelligent discussion instead of discussing silly oxymorons and misguided ideals based on race. Race based is racist.
Hone awakens a sleeping giant
Hone Harawira has had a big impact in New Zealand politics.
His first major contribution was to divide the Maori Party in two and consequently putting Maori at a disadvantage in winning seats.
His second contribution was to awaken Pakeha to fight against race-based policies and strive to replace these with laws and policies for all people of New Zealand. So instead of focussing on a leg up or handouts to Maori, help should be given to the poor or those who need financial assistance, no matter if you are Maori, Pakeha, Pacific Islander, or Asian.
His comment on television about building low cost houses for Maori is the straw that broke the camel’s back and led to the creation of the popular Pakeha Party Facebook page as well as bringing Maori and Pakeha rights to the forefront.
It just goes to show you that for every action there is a reaction and sometimes the reaction is bigger than the action. Thanks Hone.