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.