Maori

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Apartheid rises in New Zealand

Apartheid in South Africa was the state of being apart. It was racial segregation enforced through legislation. While this type of segregation is not what we see in New Zealand, make no bones about it, the country has been heading in this direction for some time. The reason why it is not obvious to most is because most think of Apartheid as legislated White privilege where Whites walk on one side of the street and Blacks on the other. Where this nice public facility is for Whites only and this run down one for Blacks.

While no one believes that New Zealand would ever get to that state,  a softer version of Apartheid does exists in New Zealand. The reason people cannot see it is because Apartheid is almost always viewed as as a system that favours Whites, and when Pakeha in New Zealand become less privileged, people do not generally see that as racist for some reason.

In New Zealand’s past and even today, Maori have been the victims of racism. But so are Asians, Pacific Islanders, and Pakeha. And is it ever right to persecute one group, then when that becomes unacceptable to society, to then target another. Is it right to replace racism toward Maori with racism toward Pakeha. I would argue that racism is never right. We should never legislate based on race and we should never think it is okay to be racist toward any race. Racism always leads to discontentment which if left unchecked long enough, could lead to unrest.

Today, New Zealand seems to accept the idea that there are Maori Parties that look after Maori interests and are comfortable with this. Yet. as soon as Pakeha decide to do the same thing. in order to gain fair representation, suddenly that becomes racist. There are many Maori and even Pakeha incensed at the idea that Pakeha represent their interests at all. Negative responses to the Pakeha Party is highlighting that racism is alive and well in New Zealand. While there are many Pakeha for the idea of a Pakeha Party, there are also many against.

The reactions from opponents of a Pakeha political movement range from ridicule to outright offense. But who needs to be reminded that racists show their hatred in a number of ways including ridicule and offense. What we are witnessing here is another facet of racism a sort of reverse racism if you like, but still racism. It seems that people in New Zealand are allowed to celebrate being Maori and Pakeha are not. Pakeha are made to feel shame for standing up for Pakeha rights or celebrating the fact that they are Pakeha.

The worst part of what I have witnessed is that fact that the Pakeha Party doesn’t have a mandate to fight for Pakeha privilege, it only seeks equality. Further, it only exists because there are other race-based parties, so it is simply a case of adapt to the system or be left out. And yet, people really believe this is about Pakeha racism. I have even heard people say that it is another face of the National Front. What a joke. All these people need to do is listen to what those in the Pakeha Party movement are saying, instead of imagining all kinds of  false conspiracies and believing false rumours.

Can New Zealand go past the dark ages of racism and suspicion, and succeed at creating a society where all are equal. If other countries can do it why can’t we. And while I acknowledge that racism will always exist, I am talking mainly about legislated racism because that is something we can change.

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“If the Maori get it, we want it too!

“If the Maori get it, we want it too! No matter WHAT it is!”

The argument made against this slogan on the Pakeha Party page goes something like this:

Its supporters ask for all that Maori get, for Pakeha. Rightly, the question is asked whether these same people would like the higher crime rates, lower education completion rates, lower life expectancy, higher suicide rates, high rates of illness, and the variety of other negative social statistics that, sadly, are what so many Maori born in New Zealand have to contend with.
http://www.wanganuichronicle.co.nz/news/those-liking-pakeha-party-beware-what-you-wish-for/1944826/

However valid this point might seem at first glance, it is not a valid one at all. Let me explain. Pakeha are not at fault for poorer health and life expectancy for Maori. Pakeha are not at fault for higher crime rates, lower education completion, and other negative statistics. It has nothing to do with Pakeha oppression or historical injustices at all. It has everything to do with Maori themselves.

Can anyone prove that Maori had a higher life expectancy before Pakeha arrived in Aotearoa. Can anyone prove that Maori were healthier before Pakeha came to New Zealand. Did Maori have higher education levels before Pakeha arrived in New Zealand. In fact I would expect that most would think that Maori health, life expectancy, and education have increased since Pakeha came to these shores. But let’s imagine for a moment that Maori were healthier, lived longer, and had better education levels before the arrival of others to these shores.

Then how exactly do Pakeha oppress Maori today. Is it not their own choice as to what they eat, what kind of life they lead, and how much they value education. Of course it is their choice. New Zealand doesn’t deprive anyone of good food, regular exercise, and a decent education system. Such things are equally available to all. Sure you could say that healthy food might not be available to all because it is often priced higher, but that is true for all races, not just Maori. The false argument that Pakeha are somehow responsible for the state of Maori health is not a logical argument. Kiwis pay taxes to address such things and compared to other countries, we pay quite a bit more tax than many other countries including our neigbours across the Tasman.

So, this slogan cannot be attacked with this particular argument because it is really an issue of poverty, poor lifestyle, poor choices, and to some extent DNA. A Pakeha Party would not be against helping all who suffer from poor health or poverty. It would rightly support assistance for such issues. But the same help should be based on merit, not race. In other words, help people because they need it, not because they are Maori. Pacific Islanders for example have the same issues as Maori. They should receive equal treatment as citizens of New Zealand too.

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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.

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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.

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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.