Pakeha

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Do Pakeha really abuse as many children as Maori do?

Children are entitled to protectionThe other day an article popped up on my Facebook Wall promoting research done in 2012 by Raema Merchant, a social work lecturer at the Eastern Institute of Technology. She stated that Maori are unfairly branded as the face of child abuse in New Zealand, yet in less than one minute of reading, I saw the flaw in her argument.

Raema Merchant concluded in her masters thesis at Massey University that around half of the children killed in New Zealand died at the hands of Pakeha, yet despite that, Pakeha child abuse is largely ignored leading to the issue being perceived as a Maori problem. She states:

Pakeha kill just as many children as Maori do, despite Maori being the “face of abuse” in the media, according to a researcher.

“Where are they getting it from? Child abuse is not a cultural issue.”

Okay so Pakeha supposedly make up 50% of this horrid statistic and yet Maori are the face of child abuse in New Zealand. She then asked for the data to prove that this is mostly a Maori issue?

The answer is very simple and yet was ignored completely in her thesis. She states that the ethnicity of those convicted of assaulting children are as follows:

  • Maori 48%,
  • European 28%,
  • Pacific Islander 19%.

Thus if you add all non-Maori (which we will call Pakeha), you arrive at approximately Maori 50% non-Maori 50%. I am sure you can see where this going as I will be making an obvious point that many would have thought about by now despite not being researchers themselves. This so-called researcher ignores the total population figures of these groups.  Let’s look at total population stats for children or to be precise, under 14s. It breaks down as follows:

  • 21% Maori,
  • 58% European,
  • 11% Pacific Islander,
  • 9% Asian.

So non-Maori children make up around 78% of the population of under 14s. Yet around half of the abuse figures are from Maori. If half the victims are Maori but they comprise 21% of the population, then the outcome is  Maori are 4.8 times that of Europeans to abuse their kids. For Pacific Islanders that is 3.4 times. The comparative rate of all three, is Maori 4.8, Pacific Islander 1.4, & European 1.0.

Some then argue that it is still not a Maori issue, rather a poverty issue. Yes it is true that poverty is a huge factor. But the truth is again staring us in the face. Pacific Islanders face poverty as much as Maori, yet there is still a huge difference in child abuse figures between both these Polynesian populations. To repeat, ‘Maori abuse children 3.4 times more than Pacific Islanders’, yet both face the same levels of poverty and both are Polynesian, thus proving that there is a cultural problem with Maori.

While Raema Merchant may have set out to try and dispel the notion that Maori shouldn’t be the face of child abuse in New Zealand, but all she has really done is forced some to look into the claims and reveal the true statistics. The result is an opposite conclusion to what this researcher set out to prove. Statistics do not lie, child abuse is still mostly a Maori issue and something not to be ignored. Of course this is still an issue for all people groups in New Zealand, but percentage wise, child abuse by Maori is extremely high compared to other people groups and it is no surprise that they have become the face of child abuse. Solutions to this problem need to take this into consideration. It doesn’t help if we all pretend otherwise for the sake of political correctness and idealism. Sometimes we have to face the cold hard facts if we want to tackle an issue properly.

Sources:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/6555668/Perceptions-clash-with-facts-over-abuse

Child abuse stats

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United we stand, divided we fall

I believe that all races are equal and should have equal ruling in the law as well as equal opportunities. Yet when people mention this point in discussions pertaining to Maori privilege, they are then often accused of  being racist. I would honestly like an explanation from someone about this. How is the belief that all races are equal and that all races should be subject to the same laws and privileges make that view racist? I just don’t get it. Can someone enlighten me on this.

United we standMy personal  belief that all races are equal carries across to any country and time. My belief regarding Apartheid in South Africa for example was exactly the same. I believed back then that it was wrong to give one race special privilege at the expense of other races. Even Nelson Mandela who had every excuse to hate Whites was fair in his dealings post Apartheid. Instead of giving his own racial group more privilege he set about forging a new South Africa where all were equal. He even embraced the Springbox , a team that was considered a part of the Apartheid era. This is what is possible when a man is not consumed in hate.

Yet in good old God’s Own New Zealand, the ‘all races are equal’ stance is vigorously opposed. It seems that New Zealand society is moving toward the racist belief that some races are more equal than others. Sorry, but this oxymoron is totally moronic. Promoting the idea that one race gets special privilege over another is just Apartheid plain and simple. Once that horrid system is in place, it will divide a country down the middle. And as that wise old saying goes, “united we stand, divided we fall”.

What do you think? Do you agree with me? If not, then what is your explanation or best argument for Maori privilege at the expense of all other racial groups in New Zealand? I look forward to your views. But before you give me the view that Maori were here first, I would like to remind you that Aryan Germans and other Caucasians were first in Germany or at least before Jews and other races besides Caucasians. So that view isn’t going to wash with me because who thinks White Germans should get special privileged over Jews or other immigrants in German society? I know some would agree with that too, but I am not with you on this and nor am I with anyone who thinks New Zealand should have something similar even of it is not as extreme.

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Independent Constitutional Review

The government’s constitutional review is a major threat to New Zealand’s democracy. A biased constitutional advisory panel and a consultation process that locks out non-Maori and threatens to permanently put power and privilege into the hands of the tribal elite.

This urgent threat to our future is quietly building momentum while most people are unaware of what is at stake.

The constitutional advisory panel – an initiative of the Maori Party fronting for the tribal elite – has embarked on a similar consultation process to that used to pass the atrocious Marine and Coastal Area Bill into law. $4 million will be spent over the next 12 months to convince the public that we need a new ‘written’ constitution to enshrine the Treaty of Waitangi as superior law. A new constitution would give un-elected Judges supreme power over our elected Members of Parliament.

If we do nothing, under this new regime, non-Maori New Zealanders will become second class citizens in their own land. All attempts to impose a race-based future on New Zealand – through a “written” constitution embracing the Treaty – should be strongly opposed, by supporting a campaign to:

  • SAVE OUR CONSTITUTION as it stands, and
  • sign a DECLARATION OF EQUALITY to reject outright race-based laws.

(Note: Link no longer valid)

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No special privilege for Europeans anywhere

Maori expect special privilege because they were the first inhabitants of New Zealand. Is this racist? You bet it is.

Imagine if Europeans had legislated privilege because they were the first to inhabit Europe. Imagine the uproar. Imagine the accusations of racism. It would be likened to Adolf Hitler’s vision for Europe.

So why is it okay for Maori to have legislated privilege in New Zealand then.

Europeans have inhabited their continent longer than Maori have inhabited New Zealand. Yet they have no special indigenous rights or status. And as far as I know, Asians do not have legislated special privilege in Asia either. It appears to only exist in New Zealand and Africa where native populations have legislated special privilege.

Maori expect that Pakeha accept that they have indigenous rights while they would be the first to label the same thing for Whites in Europe as racist. It is up to Pakeha to point out this double standard and fight for equal rights under the law for all New Zealanders.

And in case people play the Pakeha are too dominant card, and so need to be handicapped in order to allow others to catch up to them, it should be noted that Europeans are actually a minority in the world and have a lower birth rate than other races. They are fast becoming a minority even in their native lands, and yet they still do not expect special rights.

Clearly the right thing to do is to recognise cultures as unique, but that all people are equal under the same law. Is New Zealand able to move toward this ideal. Of course it can. As long as enough people believe in equal rights and stand up for it and cast their vote in favour of it, then it can happen.

How about it New Zealand. A county where everyone is equal under the law. Is that too hard to achieve. Is it too much to ask for.

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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.