Max Harris: It’s imperative that discussions of whiteness don’t lead to paralysing navel-gazing, and instead are a catalyst to organising for social change.
At a recent talk I attended, Claudia Rankine, a Jamaican-born American poet and academic, spoke about how, in many places, “white life is a standard for normal life”. Whiteness is seen as “neutral, nonpartisan, and normal,” she said, and we’re encouraged to think that “white people are The People”.
In contrast, people who aren’t white are either “invisible — or hyper-visible.”
Rankine called on those in the audience, including white audience members, to name whiteness — and to do more to understand it.
“To name whiteness is to name dominance,” she said.
I want to talk about an aspect of whiteness in Aotearoa New Zealand. And when I say “whiteness”, I’m not just talking about skin colour. I’m talking about the power, privilege, and patterns of thinking associated with white people.
Whiteness is connected to economic power and class — and is probably least understood by those it privileges. Most white people seem blind to its existence, while most non-white people are not.
I’m a white, Pākehā New Zealander, aware that I have blindspots — but perhaps not aware of what all those blindspots are. I grew up mostly in Wellington, spending quite a few years of my childhood in Thorndon. My parents’ roots are in England, Scotland, and Wales.
Many Māori, Pākehā, Pasifika, and Asian New Zealanders have commented on whiteness in Aotearoa. Of course, I can’t speak to experiences of being non-white. I write from the perspective of having grown up in Pākehā-dominant spaces where features of whiteness have been particularly visible to me.
That includes noticing hostility towards Māori (and others) among Pākehā as early as when I was at primary school in the 1990s, even though I went to a creative, diverse school (Clyde Quay School in Mount Victoria). It also includes hearing anti-Māori comments at law school in Auckland.
I think for those of us who identify as Pākehā, or grew up in Pākehā-dominant spaces, there’s a special responsibility to strive to be aware of our own advantages in Aotearoa New Zealand.
. . .
To understand how we came by those benefits and privileges, it’s helpful to begin with history.
Māori arrived in Aotearoa New Zealand a least 800–1000 years ago, by some accounts even longer. Europeans arrived just 250 years ago, from 1769 on. The Declaration of Independence was signed by Māori rangatira in 1835, assuring Māori of sovereign power. Te Tiriti o Waitangi was signed in 1840, which provided for Crown government and Māori powers of full chieftainship, on a bedrock of equality.
By 1858, after some major Crown-initiated military incursions, the Pākehā population and Māori population were at the same level: about 58,000. From that year on, the Pākehā population grew larger than the Māori population as further settlers arrived.
In the 1860s, the Waikato War saw the invasion of Māori land and the removal of huge swathes of land from Māori control and, in the same decade, the Native Land Court forcibly split up collective Māori land holdings. In these periods, Māori won many battles against well-resourced colonial armies, engaged with traders, and adopted and adapted aspects of Pākehā religion and custom.
But this strong Māori agency didn’t stop the government from violently intervening in many aspects of Māori life. For example, the government threw the peaceful leaders of resistance at Parihaka (Te Whiti o Rongomai and Tohu Kākahi) into jail in 1881, and banned traditional Māori health and healing practices through the Tohunga Suppression Act 1907.
Against that backdrop, and in the face of strident and steady Māori resistance (through movements such as the Kingitanga and the Kauhanganui assembly), racism — the maintenance and perpetuation of the superiority of one racial group over another — became embedded in New Zealand society, and advantages accrued to Pākehā through institutions and individual behaviour.
Racism has helped to sustain colonisation over time, as Moana Jackson has pointed out, and it is still present. Māori make up 51 percent of the prison population, but just 15 percent of the general population. For the same category of dangerous or negligent acts, according to JustSpeak’s research, 46 percent of Māori apprehended are prosecuted, compared to 9 percent of Pākehā. The Māori unemployment rate is 9 percent, while it is 4.5 percent for Pākehā.
White advantage is maintained in many ways: through intergenerational wealth, discretionary decision-making, and everyday racism.
. . .
One aspect of how racism is talked about in Aotearoa is white defensiveness in response to discussions of racism. By white defensiveness, I mean an anxiety, closing-down, and insecurity among white people and white-dominated institutions when racism is raised.
I see at least four types of white defensiveness.
The Mad Butcher, Peter Leitch
First, there’s Denial. Exhibit A is the response to the Mad Butcher’s comment to a Māori woman that Waiheke Island was a “white man’s island”. It’s hard not to think of a more straightforward example of a racist comment: a comment that, regardless of intention, had the effect of maintaining a sense of superiority among a dominant group.
Yet on social media and in the Mad Butcher’s own response, there was a stretching to deny that the comment was racist: it was “light-hearted banter”, a joke, or misinterpreted. Another example has been the reaction to Taika Waititi’s recent remark that New Zealand is “racist as fuck”.
On the AM Show, Duncan Garner called the comment “sabotage”, and Mark Richardson insisted Taika Waititi couldn’t speak for everyone (though Taika was clearly speaking about trends and tendencies).
These were examples of defensive denial: kneejerk responses that attempt to deny that there is racism, rather than taking claims seriously or considering its roots.
The second type of white defensiveness is Diversion. This is where, in instances in which facts about racism or colonisation are raised, the conversation is derailed through a claim that Māori themselves are guilty of some other wrong.
A common claim, which I have seen on social media multiple times, in response to discussions of Māori disadvantage, is that Māori themselves perpetrated disadvantage by extinguishing Moriori people on arrival in Aotearoa New Zealand. That myth has now been definitively refuted. But it doesn’t stop people from raising it as a way to deflect attention away from a case of individual or structural racism.
There are many other examples of deflection: ill-informed claims about sexism within Māori communities or allegations that Māori benefit from “reverse racism” — through, for example, affirmative action programmes at universities.
The problem with claims of reverse racism is this. If racism is about the maintenance and perpetuation of the superiority of one racial group over another, it’s illogical to talk about racism in favour of Māori. Māori haven’t held a position of underlying economic or social superiority in New Zealand since European arrival, and therefore can’t be said to have maintained or perpetuated any superiority.
A third form of defensiveness is Detriment-centring. That’s where there’s a focus on the disadvantages faced by Māori, but without any acknowledgment of the advantages or protective factors which flow from being Pākehā. These deficit narratives appear to sympathise with Māori, but they negate the agency shown by many Māori throughout history. They play on negative stereotypes that reinforce Māori failure and inferiority when compared to Pākehā success.
I could recite any number of personal experiences where being Pākehā has protected me. I’ve been let out of a police cell by police in a situation where I think (and know from evidence) that non-Pākehā might not have been given the benefit of the doubt. I’ve seen myself as a Pākehā positively represented on-screen, in the media, and elsewhere. I’ve had the comfort of never being followed in a shop for wearing a hoody.
And there have been many other moments where I think the fact that I look like people who predominate in positions of power — and this relates to class and gender, too — has provided me with benefits.
Duncan Garner and Mark Richardson on the AM Show
The fourth form of defensiveness is the demand to Move on. This is where defensive demands are made for discussions about racism to end.
Some commentators, as settlements for historical claims under Te Tiriti o Waitangi begin to wind down, have begun to talk about not just a “post-Treaty settlement era”, but a “post-Treaty era” — an effort to see Te Tiriti o Waitangi as a historical relic rather than a lasting basis for healthy relationships in our society.
Gareth Morgan co-wrote a book in 2014 called Are We There Yet? The Future of the Treaty of Waitangi. The title — especially the word “yet” — implied an impatience to move on, rather than to understand the full effects of the past on the present.
But suggestions that the Treaty settlement process has been burdensome are wrong, given that, as Julia Whaipooti has recently pointed out, the total amount of money spent on Treaty settlements ($2.2 billion) equates to the standard operating costs for New Zealand prisons over two years.
Whether those calling for New Zealand to “move on” take this view of Treaty settlements, what is clear is that calls to move on share an element of defensiveness that we see in Denial, Diversion, and Detriment-centring.
. . .
It’s worth wondering whether there’s anything unique about Aotearoa New Zealand that might make white defensiveness worse here than in other countries.
Here are three possibilities. First, the realities of racism threaten the constantly-paraded myth that New Zealand has the best race relations in the world — the jarring sound of reality in the face of that myth may produce particular defensiveness.
Secondly, something I’ve noticed while living overseas is that New Zealand social life is often characterised by laidback, at-ease attitudes. But this can make it harder to call out bad behaviour, and may raise the stakes of defensiveness where real racism exists.
Thirdly, social capital (the strength of social networks) may matter more in New Zealand because of our small size as a country — and defensiveness could be a reflexive attempt to protect relationships and the value attached to them.
. . .
This is just one aspect of race in Aotearoa New Zealand, and is not meant to diminish the importance of the more visible violence perpetrated along racial (and class) lines through, among other things, incarceration and racial profiling.
It’s also true that this might make for uncomfortable reading for some, especially Pākehā. If that’s the case for you, I’d encourage you to sit with that discomfort. It’s not racist to describe differences in outcomes for those identifying as Māori and those identifying as non-Māori. If it were racist to mention racial groups we’d never be able to describe accurately contemporary social conditions or what to do about them.
This discussion isn’t meant to demonise white people, or Pākehā, either. It’s about being honest and open about our advantages — and thinking about how to dismantle the system that produces them. Pākehā people can, and should, remain proud of our heritage and roots. But we also need to be aware of the injustices of the past and present, and how we may have contributed to them.
One very valid question is how all this relates to class and New Zealand’s system of capitalism. We need to talk more about class in this country — to speak back to another lamentable and longstanding myth that we are somehow class-free. Fortunately, a new generation of activists in New Zealand is breathing fresh life into that conversation. But to talk about whiteness is not to deny that class matters.
Judgments about whiteness can often be a proxy, a way to signal judgments about wealth or economic status. It’s important to be aware of how members of dominant groups are sustaining power through class, race, gender, and other interlocking forces. At the same time — and without needing to uphold the fiction that race is biological — it’s important to recognise that racism can exist even in the most affluent spaces.
And, despite claims to the contrary, honest discussions about the benefits that some Pākehā have received by virtue of being regarded as white doesn’t necessarily prevent the soldering of ties of solidarity. In fact, shared recognition of class-based and race-based injustice can be a powerful driver to action. That is the imperative arising out of all of this: that discussions of whiteness don’t lead to paralysing navel-gazing, and instead are a catalyst to organising for social change.
Pākehā New Zealanders — and others who feel the urge towards defensiveness about racism — need to resist tactics of diversion, denial, detriment-centring, and the demand to move on.
But we need to go deeper than this, too. There’s a need to support Māori-led efforts at decolonisation: the process of understanding and undoing the negative effects of colonisation, and recentring indigenous views.
We all must also push for a different economic order, given the way that the twin forces of capitalism and colonisation have amplified the power of whiteness. Māori shouldn’t always have to carry out the intellectual and emotional labour of educating people, especially Pākehā, about what happened in New Zealand history. We as Pākehā need to educate ourselves and have conversations with other Pākehā.
Everyday gestures matter, too, as Jen Margaret has pointed out: “Pākehā individually and collectively listening, learning, acting and influencing.” It’s through my friendships with people identifying as Māori, some study of history, and involvement in anti-colonial campaigns (including in the UK) that I’ve begun to listen and unlearn behaviours — though I will continue to make mistakes.
And it’s worth heeding the words of Ani Mikaere in He Rukuruku Whakaaro: Colonial Myths, Māori Realities:
For Pākehā to gain legitimacy here, it is they who must place their trust in Māori, not the other way around. They must accept that it is for the tangata whenua to determine their status in this land, and to do so in accordance with tikanga Māori.
… There is no doubt that many Pākehā will find this challenging: their obsession with control over the Māori-Pākehā relationship to date could almost be categorised as a form of compulsive disorder. Giving up such control requires a leap of faith on the part of Pākehā. … Nothing less will suffice if they truly want to gain the sense of belonging they so crave, the sense of identity that until now has proven so elusive.
This reminds us of one important final point. Dismantling systems of oppression, including those based on race and class, is important for the powerful as well as the powerless.
In the memorable words of American poet and scholar Fred Moten: “I don’t need your help. I need you to recognise that this shit is killing you too, however much more softly …”
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I’m with you Max. I also think for those of us who identify as Pākehā, or grew up in Pākehā-dominant spaces, there IS a special responsibility to strive to be aware of our own advantages in Aotearoa New Zealand. I want a fairer, more just, more inclusive New Zealand … one where all our children and grandchildren will be safe, can grow and thrive. And I know my acknowlegement and efforts (as a white, middle-class, educated) to I face my feelings and thoughts about the ways life is so easy for me will help bring this about.
I’m so impressed by the level of detail and research that goes into each post on this blog.
So impressed with this article! Hareruia for the truth. Right there!
Read your article is my favrioute thing to do,
Great content!
Thank you Max Harris:)
A good article.
Thanks for writing such a good article,
I’m just so angry at this.
The use of “white” is completely unironic. I’m a 40-something Pakeha. I grew up in an Aotearoa where we didn’t colourise and where those who did were the racists. Those who referred to skin colour were the thugs, the bullies.
This is an article using foreign concepts and foreign ideas that aren’t cemented in Aotearoa. It seeks to polarise by introducing racialised language that, for the longest time, has been seen as VERY uncouth in our country. How can any Kiwi born before 1980 read this and not cringe at the clearly Americanised racialised thinking? It’s sickening.
I understand that the author is very young and thus knows everything. I understand that I have a life experience which is that we are Kiwis and that Maoritanga should, by nature of the Treaty, be respected and appreciated by us all, that we are all custodians of our island homeland.
But whatever.
Let’s just allow Aotearoa to die and become nothing more than a holiday destination selling cheap Chinese-made made tikis.
Let’s start colourising ourselves so that we can become just like America.
Kill me now.
Maori should be respected but whatever lol. The usage of the word Kiwis is telling of your privilege. I think you feel attacked kui.
Very interesting article .
Thought provoking and confronting , has motivated me to read other articles to learn and understand our history and culture . Excellent read.
Thank you I believe my grand parents would tautoko your korero as do I. Nga mihi Kia koe, Arohamai Ehoa, Arohamai.
Finding this article a couple of years late… as a kiwi of both Maori and Pakeha descent I pretty much agree with everything that Max argues here. I only have one objection and it’s a pedantic semantic one: I object to the description of the prejudice in play here as ‘racism’.
There are more accurate ways to describe prejudice in New Zealand. It’s better described as ‘cultural prejudice’ because the concept of race perpetuated by European scientists a few centuries ago is no longer scientifically valid. It turns out race is nothing more than a language construct and has no empirical basis. Nor does race have a legal basis since New Zealand is a bi-cultural nation in law.
Maori is not a ‘race’. Maori is a culture. And I’m proud of that culture.
It’s high time we stopped talking about the ‘Maori race’ as if it was real thing. That’s how we end racism. Stop saying the word race – especially in relation to Maori.
The more I think about this the more I think it’s actually racist to describe Maori as a race instead of a culture. I hope everyone can get their heads around this so we can improve our language and put an end to racism once and for all?
I support the comment by Natash Te Maro
Every comment here that does not celebrate the goodness of this article is met with personal attack or categorized as a ‘white’ defensive strategy. Where is the debate? The free flow of ideas, points, counterpoints, endeavouring to see the world through another’s eyes. Surely more empathy and acceptance of diversity of opinion will elevate us all?
Kia ora,
This is obviously a very complicated and controversial issue. As a Pakeha in a Maori school, I suffered much, much racism for the colour of my skin.
As a teenager, I was constantly followed and harassed in shops. Racism works both ways.
That is not to say I don’t believe in the hegemonic systematic structure that exists in Aotearoa. It’s obvious to me that if you’re not white in this country you suffer racism, as the horrific shooting in Christchurch points out.
Looking back I see how horribly the Maori kids were treated by their Whanau and don’t blame them. I blame the economic class structure in our society. Where the Maori have been so unfairly treated it’s absolutely disgusting.
As in all things, ignorance is a major issue. There is a kind of cultural amnesia towards the New Zealand land wars of the mid-1800s to the 1870s. One of the most interesting time periods in our history. Where Maori were basically cheated out of their Mana Whenua.
While I was growing up in the 80s, it was seen as a very lower-class behaviour to even speak Te Reo and to be of mixed blood was to be the lowest of the low. Even in a Maori dominant rural community.
This article is about the system of economic privilege that exists because of extreme neoliberal policies that were made in the 1980s causing the most disenfranchised to become even more alienated from their own culture. Maori and Pakeha. Thereby exacerbating the massive gap between the haves and the have nots. Causing massive moriroriro amongst us all as a nation.
Kill the system and we free ourselves.
Kia kaha.
I wonder how Duncan and Mark feel about their no racism in New Zealand comment on the morning show after the Christchurch massacre. I am ex British merchant navy officer and have found racism in NZ is about the worst in the world. In the 1970s on my visits by ship the easy lifestyle the large pubs,every one drinking by the jug,and dancing in these social meeting places made it a much less racist place. But when I came to live here in 1999, everything had changed, you had suddenly become a third class citizen because of your color. Its sad that the Maoris have had to live with this terrible problem all their life, as the colored person has to be a highly experienced professional to have any chance of getting a good job..
Great article, Max. Maybe it takes a tragic event to wake us up!
I completed a doctoral thesis at Canterbury University on the concept of whiteness and its implications for anitracist education in Aotearoa nz in 2006. I attempted to get some interest in tertiary and secondary education but gained little to none. Maybe I should dust it off and try again,but are we really ready for this? -I’m not sure!
Thesis title: The invisible whiteness of being:the place of whiteness in womens discourses in Aotearoa New Zealand; some implications for antiracist education.
Yes very good article Max. Hi Helen, I would be very interested in reading your doctoral thesis.
Yes this is a great article Max, and I can’t believe I have only just managed to stumble upon it!
Also, kia ora Helen! I would be very interested in reading your thesis and how you went about writing it. I wish there were more resources like this highlighting these issues in Aotearoa, and it is one of my points of passion. As a tertiary student I’d be very intrigued, and I know this topic is really taking off in the newer generations, so I’d say give it another go!
I just want to say how wonderful it is to read a comments section where people seem to be working hard to be kind, thoughtful, empathetic, polite and respectful in their comments. Makes a delightful change. Ka pai!
Yes I am white and I enjoyed privilege in my life. It was the privilege of an upbringing which gave me the personal tools to deal with life and realise the joys and benefits of success.
These tools are a set of personal values which are part and parcel of western tradition. Such attitudes as accepting personal responsibility for my behaviour, caring for others and learning from my mistakes. At a society level my values include commitment to democracy, freedom of speech and rule of law. Deeply embedded in the psyche of many Pakeha these values are what drive our dominance. We cannot articulate them but they are our unconscious cultural inheritance. Clive James wrote about this in his book ‘Culural Amnesia’. The danger is that by not understanding our western heritage Pakeha will give them away.
I believe that the actions that necessarily flow from Max’s proposition are the antithesis of these principals. By compensating for Maori disadvantage governments only make the problem worse. This is done by teaching Maori to be dependent, weak and helpless.
Righting past wrongs can only continue to the point where future wrongs are not created. Pakeha privilege comes from a more effective set of personal values, not from any historical springboard.
ARROGANT DENIAL
I agree with the comment you made about the set of tools you received as a Pakeha, but you fail to appreciate the benefit of not being a demonised second class citizen in the land of your birth. This factor is huge in developing those same tools you were privileged to of developed and takes a lot of effort to combat particularly when there is an intergenerational low self worth that accompanies being Maori. Without knowing first hand what disadvantages being Maori brings, the old pull yourself up by the boot straps mentality is little more deflecting.
“Pākehā privilege comes from a more effective set of personal values”? That statement fits the absolute definition of racism, viewing pākehā as having superior personal values Māori.If you look at traditional values in Māori culture, you would know that the same attitudes you espouse of personal responsibility, caring for others and learning from mistakes live within a Māori world view. The historical, and continuing, institutional disadvantages facing Māori are what have made it difficult for Māori to uphold these values and attitudes. If you care to look, there are plenty of examples of pākehā not being held to the same standard of personal responsibility for behaviour (look at arrest vs. warning, diversion vs. conviction, sentencing disparity in identical offence cases).It would be difficult to care about those who demonstrate no respect or care for you, and difficult “to learn from mistakes” when you are subjected (and have constantly observed subjection) to a harsher judgement not only of ‘mistakes’ compared to pākehā around you, but simply of your natural ‘being’. Being identified as ‘white’, as were my parents, gave me the privilege of that upbringing where I was able to develop those same tools you speak of. It allowed it, because I didn’t have to spend my time worrying about being looked at as inferior the way my Māori classmates – and their parents were. I did not have to manage the emotions and combat the hits to self esteem of pākehā regularly looking down their noses at me as I walked past, or listen to being called a “dirty Māori” or “hori”, or be asked why I was speaking “that shit language” (imagine how you would feel being told that your language was “shit” on a regular basis), or know I wasn’t going to get a job from the way a prospective employer looked at me the moment I walked in to interview (as happened to a friend). I grew up in provincial New Zealand constantly hearing and seeing this, and I have seen this over the years living in Auckland. Pākehā privilege is a lot more complicated than you have perhaps been privy to seeing.
Mauri ora!
The overwhelming feeling I’m getting from my pakeha friends (I am pakeha also) actually IS a bit of paralysis and tiredness. Beyond calling out everyday racism, what the heck can we do? Most of us are just trying to keep on top of our tax bills, keep our mental health somewhat together and get a bit of exercise. We’re over here working 50 hours a week AND we’re supposed to be smashing down white supremacy and examining our hidden racism in our spare time and I’m supposed to accept being called a ‘white honky colonist’ by the Maori dude down the street when he drinks too much. It feels like too much to fix sometimes.
I’m Maori and I do like your last comment that it feels too hard to fix sometimes. I feel the same especially at work. I just try to understand “peoples” perspectives and if they affect me negatively in anyway i try and take the time to examine that, accept it and I find I grow. I think that’s why we’re all here. To individually grow and grow to be better. Like you I have a lot on my plate to be expected to be responsible for such an ancient and huge issue which racism the world over is. I’ll just try and make a difference with each person I meet with acceptance. That’s manageable.
You don’t fix it, Your kids do or maybe their kids. It won’t be fixed in your life time but that’s not any reason to stop.
Don’t be just another brick in the wall. Be another rung on the ladder.
Yes good on you.
I agree with this statement. It’s not only Pakeha who are questioning certain narratives which are being intensified since the loose term of being called a racist has been thrown around, but some indigenous people I know of, as well as people who have other ethnicities also. My dad is Native American, his elders were people who were forced away from their spiritualism and culture — this Native American culture I grew up with in New Zealand. However, as a Native American, my father cannot understand some of these new left-wing, or rather neo-liberal ideologies when it comes to “race” and “white privilege”, especially in New Zealand. He feels that people who are not Native American get offended on behalf of him, and he doesn’t appreciate feeling split off from his friends and family who are from all walks of life just because of his ethnicity. That to him feels divisive and not treating people equally. We are ONE people… unless you have a higher percentage of European ethnicity, in which case you’re automatically more privileged than someone who has less European ethnicity, which can be determined by a DNA test, or just by looking at the colour of their skin.
Just by looking at the colour of your skin….
Give you dad a hug from me.
As a Pākehā, I had been in and out of doctors visits with mental health problems that were progressively getting worse. The doctors would turn me away with medication and informed me that only severe cases (aka suicidal tendencies), or if I were of Māori ethnicity, I would not qualify for subsidised therapy with a psychologist (in this case DBT). It took near suicide for the health system to finally give me the same help that my Māori neighbor automatically qualified for.
Māori are treated differently in New Zealand. They were treated poorly when Europeans invaded their lands, they have been subjected to racism, and they are given certain benefits that people of differing ethnicities can’t qualify for. I understand under circumstances, such as Maori being more likely to live in poverty, or be subjected to alcohol and drug use, they are rightfully being supported by our government to help them as a demographic exit old paradigms. However as a Pākehā being born into a low socioeconomic status, alcoholism in my family, and mental health issues, I do not experience “white privilege”, and I am not given the same hand up as a person who has Māori ethnicity, even if they are in a better socio-economic status than I am.
If anything, it is a matter of socio-economic privilege, which Māori and people of other ethnicities are starting to balance out due to good choices. If you’re born into a wealthy family, no matter your ethnicity, you will be given more opportunities for success.
My partner has Māori ethnicity. His mother (who is not Māori) runs a business and wanted to invite him to be part of the business so that she could qualify for a special grant that she would otherwise not be entitled to due to the fact she has no Iwi.
Fact: Māori have many privileges people who do not have Māori ethinicity do not. I understand why we need to help this demographic and I have no issue with my tax dollars helping those who need it, but to say that I’m privileged because I am white, even though I live a similar lifestyle to those who are Māori but get a hand up, whereas I don’t, Isn’t that in itself divisive? Why is a person who has Māori ethnicity’s mental health more important than my own? This is a genuine question.
Also, by insinuating Māori need more help than others by giving them special grants and subsidies, isn’t that teaching them they are victims of their circumstances? Shouldn’t we rather empower them, and give them the incentive to achieve not because they can be given special benefits due to their ethnicity, but because they deserve success as individuals?
The reason we do not have as many Māori in parliament than Pākehā is not because of “white privilege”, but because they choose not to involve themselves. I will only ever vote for someone who is qualified for the job, not because of their genetic makeup. If a Māori person is passionate about politics and can do a great job, there is no reason not to be 100% inclusive of them. Instead of blaming “whites”, why not empower Māori into leadership. I would be very happy to vote for a Māori PM if they were qualified (and did so with NZ First).
By submitting my comment, as someone who identifies with being progressive, or at least what it used to mean, I realise I will probably be called a racist, or in “white defense”. However I believe these conversations should be had with maturity, to expand knowledge, instead of being called a bigot for simply wanting to engage in respectful conversation. What happened in Christchurch was horrendous, and I gladly attended vigils and listened with an open heart to those who spoke and shared their stories. That’s why I think conversation needs to be had, these things need to be discussed without knee-jerk reactions.
I am genuinely curious and don’t mean harm by my queations.
Just an observation on Māori in Parliament. The gatekeepers are political parties who choose and fund candidates that look most like themselves, and the biggest parties are mostly white. It’s not that Māori don’t want to participate, we get shut out unless we accept the party line and keep our real feelings to ourselves.
Both the Māori Party and Mana Movement grew out of the basic unfairness of that situation. Both groups intend to contest future elections because the the discontent they represent is still there.
Very well versed, we can refer to past injustice forever and maybe it can never be “fixed” however, a lot of colonial reporting on affairs of the past has been criticized and de-bunked and rightly so, does that then mean that the Maori reporting on a same event is always correct? I think not, if you are really interested in unbiased thinking, read a couple of books by Dr John Robinson
on earl Maori – European relationships. John was commissioned by government to research historical events tin the course of establishing and settling Iwi claims. In his research he found a lot from the Maori side to be grossly overstated, not to the liking of politicians trying to gender Maori approval, consequently Dr Robinson had his contract terminated and his findings were never included in the settlement claims. His books make good reading
Thanks for the recommendation, Les. I just purchased the book “When Two Cultures Meet”. I like that the researcher was working independently and not funded by any particular organisation. That fact that he was fired for not acquiescing gives me greater confidence in the integrity of his writings. Looking forward to getting some unbiased information, whatever it may be.
What constitutes un-biased thinking?
I get what you are saying. I “GET” all comments made here so clearly and succinctly. But it is getting to a stage with me personally that I am very reluctant to join in any dialogue. Because no matter what you say or how you say it, you are opening yourself up to attack. Or that racist label. I feel a tiredness lately, that whatever you say, you will be labeled a racist, a bully, or a “hater”. This is such a good article. The replies express many of my own thoughts and feelings. The impetus needs to be kept moving….as difficult and as tiring as it may seem at times.
It’s been good to read this article (and responses) after the dreadful Christchurch attack on Muslims. We’re facing a hard reckoning as a country. Part of the hardness is the discussion around atrocities taking place here before against Maori. How much of what happened at the mosques on the 15th is based on hatred of religious differences and how much on hatred of racial differences is not clear to me. We know about smaller attacks on mosques from earlier reports. Maybe the two can’t be separated because the hatred is there, and its basis is white supremacy.
For people to feel safe, welcome and listened to, we can’t not examine how such ideology has taken hold. I think it is painful and uncomfortable for paheka (myself included) to look at this, especially if you feel like your own life has been hard. Understanding white privilege from the point of view that skin colour has not caused life’s hardness is a good way to start grasping the issue. Not being discriminated against means not being viewed with suspicion and being trusted. It means the chance of getting job interviews and job offers and tenancy contracts – many of the bedrocks of a good life. I get the defensiveness because none of us choose our skin colour, but feeling like you’re being criticised because of the benefits and safety your white skin brings is not the same thing as ‘discrimination’. Words do matter.
I am actually appalled to call myself a NZ’er now.
I can’t believe people are so easily brainwashed and jump on the bandwagon.
I am a white pakeha and one half one my family are half samoan. Some of my best friends are Maori. I have lived in many countries and have been to 72 countries so I understand a little bit about culture and indiginous races.
I want to make clear what happened on Christchurch is disgusting and that person responsible or anyone who shares the same ideals should burn in hell. I have not time for that. It is so so wrong and we need to stamp that out either side of the equation. I was disgusted to hear the Turkish president inciting hate amongst that country’s population against NZ. I wouldn’t travel to a muslim country now on a NZ passport and I have been to many in the past. A NZ passport use to be one of the best in the world – that has all changed – no matter what race you are!!!
I challenge anybody who does not understand the conscious mind of a human being – before reading do you even know what that is and how it works? I do not mean to be disrespectful in any way to those who do not. Please educate yourself before making comments. The human brain (conscious mind or ego) cannot help judging situations, that is simply what it does! so therefore everybody is racist under most definitions!
Secondly, I feel as a white male middle aged male I am discriminated against everyday – what have I done wrong – answer: nothing. In fact I support minority communities and races 110% but because I am white apparently I am privelaged or bad. I can tell you that is absolutely not the case and I have worked my arse off to get where I have got. I fundamentally believe in Buddhism principles and we should treat everybody as equal. Reading the comments of this article, it is only serving to promote hate against white people in NZ – isn’t hate something we should be stamping out? Ohhh wait, I will be accused of diversion or something because I am white. Stop it right now, that is embarrassing.
I really am saddened by our media in NZ. Why was the Nigeria 150 person death attack not talked about??? Actually not just in NZ but the western world. Way way worse tragedies happen in the world happen on a daily basis but we don’t hear about it in NZ. Then you have everybody else jumping on the bandwagon about the NZ attack to get PR – eg. the gangs etc.
Now to the Australian senators comments who said Muslims are to blame – that is so wrong and incorrect. These were innocent people and no one deserves this. I can understand his comments if he said that if muslims weren’t in NZ then this attack would not have happened – I can’t imagine anyone wouldn’t disagree with this and if they did then they simply are not logical.
.
I know some absurd people will call me racist or something after this post to justify their view and make them feel better about themselves. If they are Maori and have suffered injustices I am deeply sorry and ashamed of this. What I will say to you is the past is the past and you cannot change that. Live in the moment and do not judge people because of the past (everybody would be happy in the world if they followed this principle!!). The comments made on this article clearly represent hate against white people – again, we do not want hate in this country, well I do not, I don’t hate anyone, I love all human beings, we all have the same needs and desires (even though you might say this is not the case). One thing that helps me put things into perspective is that we are just a country of 5m people (absolutely a grain of sand on the beach).
The risk that this article has is actually the opposite intention in my opinion as clearly evidenced by the comments made. I love all human beings equally.
I really hope that people do not misinterpret this article for their own selfish reasons – but this is what human beings do I guess.
“I feel as a white male middle aged male I am discriminated against everyday – what have I done wrong – answer: nothing. ”
Imagine if that discrimination was widespread, institutionalised, casual and materially impacted your prospects in life – what you ‘feel’ is the tip of the iceberg compared to what others experience when they have ‘done nothing wrong’ either.
“because I am white apparently I am privelaged or bad”
That is not what the article says – “bad” is your projection. Pakeha *are* privileged and we should acknowledge the fact that being born a white NZer conveys a number of benefits not available to others.
“This discussion isn’t meant to demonise white people, or Pākehā, either. It’s about being honest and open about our advantages “
Sorry to break the news to you but really just do not understand. At all. The fact that you do not understand is an example of your privilege. You said you don’t have privilege, but it is extremely clear to me that you do. You do not understand systematic racism, and how purely by the colour of your skin you were born into a life that was more likely to have access to opportunity. Yes, you worked hard, and no one is denying you of that. But that doesn’t mean that your race contributed to where you are now. Accepting this is doesn’t mean being offended, accepting it is a step toward living in an understanding of each other.
For Pākehā to gain legitimacy here, it is they who must place their trust in Māori, not the other way around. They must accept that it is for the tangata whenua to determine their status in this land, and to do so in accordance with tikanga Māori.
… There is no doubt that many Pākehā will find this challenging: their obsession with control over the Māori-Pākehā relationship to date could almost be categorised as a form of compulsive disorder. Giving up such control requires a leap of faith on the part of Pākehā. … Nothing less will suffice if they truly want to gain the sense of belonging they so crave, the sense of identity that until now has proven so elusive.
This reminds us of one important final point. Dismantling systems of oppression, including those based on race and class, is important for the powerful as well as the powerless.
In the memorable words of American poet and scholar Fred Moten: “I don’t need your help. I need you to recognise that this shit is killing you too, however much more softly …”
Very moving to read this most important message at the end. I have grown up with values of Whanaungatanga, Manaakitanga, Kaitiakitanga and Ako within my childhood and is a daily practice of mine as a mother and grandmother. My Aroha cries for any people who are disconnected to their culture and their sense of belonging and a living practice greater than an obsession to take control over another race or culture. Marginalisation deems that ideologies of living together as 1 people is not an option. Western philosophies of Monarchy and the priviledge predetermined by their fore fathers who believed that power is superior to any race. I stand firm in my beliefs that we are stronger together and our insecurities should not be our inhibitors. Tatau katoa, Tatau ka Toa, All of us together are stronger together. I am a fair Maori woman who has been mistaken for another western race for having an accent which is my Maori dialect. I was called honky by most of my maori relations growing up but never hold this against them today. I can hear everyones pain in these comments and you have all touch my heart. I hope people of all races who read this article as i have done have a clear message, that our past does not determine our future and that we as a people united can change our mindset and show love instead of anger. Take a leap of faith and move forward into a new world of unity.
Read the article again without your sense of injustice and realise you just fulfilled all the things he was talking about, particularly defensiveness. If you stop going on the internet, watching TV or listening to the radio, I guarantee you will feel all the injustice you apparently suffer melt away.
Funny that, I read Phillipas comments as one of aroha, manaakitanga. Kotahi tatou.
Perhaps I had best study it again.
Gosh, funny that. On reading the article, I didnt get the impression that it represented hate against white people. Perhaps my powers of comprehension are lacking a tad.
There are three types of Maori and many Maori and non Maori will have or will encounter one, if not all three if they have or wish to make New Zealand their home. 1) this group are confident in the culture and language, they know where they are from and what they need to do,to get can be outspoken. 2) this group is not sure which side is telling the truth and therefore will go with whoever the majority is at the time (not their fault) 3) this group, don’t give a toss about either side and can despise anybody and everybody.
I understand what you are saying Chris however, most of what you have mentioned above, has been said by many generations of pakeha (White) sinces the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi.back in the 1840s Unfortunately that part of our history did not stay in the past either.
I was fortunate enough to get taught when my family urbanised to Auckland for work when I was six. I was reminded that Auckland was not my home, I was merely a visitor. Home was my turangawaewae. I was taught many things, one of which was that our purpose as humans is to live in the present, prepare for the future (generations to come) BUT, never forget the wrongs of the past and try to endeavor not to continue or perpetuate it. Anger towards Pakeha and wrong of the past that were committed and not punished were handed down through the generations of Maori families. For the record, maori do not live in the past. Maori actually live as pakeha do. In similar dwellings, similar clothing, doing the same jobs and even speaking the same language. Maori bring the past into the present culturally, which happens to foster holistic practices.
Educationee is the KEY I believe and the catalyst to a more unified culture. Aotearoa New Zealand could be an even more amazing country than it is. A country that we can all be proud of and leave for the many generations who will follow us.
Maori are actually very fortunate to be leading the way in this aspect. Many Maori are comfortable and confident to walk/live in both the Pakeha and Maori worlds.The imbalance is that many Pakeha have for generations felt that the Maori world/culture is not necessary or important enough to even try. They don’t see it as an advantage but as a disadvantage to THEIR CULTURE AND WAY OF LIFE… Which could be seen as dominant, systematic and institutionalized racism.
It’s time for all to climb aboard the canoe and all paddle in the same direction instead of the opposite.
He iwi tahi tatou – two people’s living as one made up of both.
True there is racism in the country, but probably not so much of the hateful type, rather selfishness. However, I believe the government really has been doing as much as possible over many years to try to bring in equality. The situation of the Maori people is largely due, in my opinion, to the fact that “modern” way of life, e.g. through the industrial revolution and broader unity (e.g. larger population with government rather than small isolated tribal leadership) has been ingrained in us white over the centuries. We are “used” to it. It has become the norm. But Maori and other indigenous communities which had isolated communities are not used to it, at least from a generational perspective. However, we can’t really go back to the old tribal communities can we? Is the new system not here to stay? We do need to state its benefits (some might say are not benefits): e.g. The industrial revolution and overarching government has allowed population explosion. Less people are dying, we are living longer etc. Working in large groups allows the benefits of sharing and educating on any new discoveries such as technology and medicine much easier, and fulfillment among a much broader range of vocation (and vacation) choices! We can’t really go back can we? Lets think about it! So it might not just be “racism” that provides the effective inequality but instead also the generational/historical linking to our current system that gives white the advantage. We have technically been in the game for longer (in terms of technical scientific revolution and the current political system). Please don’t interpret this as pride. I’m trying to point out the why I see there is an advantage. The question is what can we do to help Maori people “fit” this system we have (unified government, science, technology) while still keeping their culture and traditional values… I think Maori people also need to see their potential.
This thinking is part of the problem. “Our” system and ways are not the “right” ways that non-white people “should” conform to. Thinking “our” ways are better is part of that racist thinking. They should not have to conform, and if they do not, it does not mean non-white people are “less than.” The Thinking should not be what we can do to force them to “fit” but maybe what can WE DO to fit THEIR system or what we can do to work around their system if we do not agree with it. The white way is not THE WAY, and in fact I think a lot of times pulls us away from roots and culture which is essential to living a full positive life.
Evelyn, that is exactly the response I thought someone would write. But lets be clear, the “THE WAY” I refer to is not a specific culture, but a global cultural trend. I am talking of the scientific revolution and industrial revolution, and large political systems (e.g. Parliament rather than isolated leadership). Can we really say this is only the “white way” and change that and go back to isolated leadership (tribal) without central government? Is there an alternative? I think not. If we are not force them to fit into the political system, then the alternative is to promote going back to the tribal system. Are you proposing that? I am also saying that advances in technology are connected to these broader political systems, that some cultures have been into for centuries. Asians likewise have had very large political systems, and great technological advances as a result, and as a result became very connected to culture of study and learning that took advantage of this. Its not just the white but a global trend that all must conform to whether they like it or not really. My main point is the way of central government and the benefits of it. I am also saying that perhaps Maori are not used to it. My question is therefore should we scrap the system? I think not Its global not just white. We can’t blame racism much for any lack. It could be just lack of a history connected with the global system.
Caleb sorry to say your entire post is exactly why Maori shake their heads, I agree with Evelyn this kind of thinking is a huge part of the problem and I tend to see it as a racially charged divisive account in the guise of this is how white priviledge can bring Maori up to the white ways that I see but for you its the standard “normal” way..
Addressing your post “Government really has been doing as much as possible over many years to try to bring in equality” I actually fail to see what you mean by equality although you havent actually said it I pressume you mean reparation for stolen land?. for me this is not equality, if it were then reparation would be paid at the cost of todays land rate.
If parliament was trying to bring in equality then honoring Te Tiriti o Waitangi would be a start and enshrining it in a Nz constitution would be the epitome of equality.
There would be 60 Maori seats in parliament not 7, there would be 60 Maori members sitting in those seats not 7.
The Laws that suppress Maori ie the tohunga suppression Act 1907 would be abolished, and whilst the vote to abolish general electoral seats is a 75% majority, for Maori seats it is a simple majority vote, change this to 75% and that would equate to equal
In parliament Maori would be consulted on everything maori related and make decisions on all issues that face Maori.
As for the rest of your post all I can say is you’ve just whitesplained why you think Maori are not as clued up in society as white privilege. Its a shame that an understanding of te Ao Maori is seen as tribal and unable to fit into modern day parliament yet they use tikanga and te reo all the time.
Globally maoritanga and the Maori economy are being well represented yet at home they are either under represented in positve ways and over represented in the negative. unfortunately the negative is exemplified 10 fold and even the positive is seen as a negative in the guise of “special treatment”
Just to touch on your answer to Oliver below the Maori king movement was doing well in trade and economy by themselves, central government did not go there to make friends and help grow the economy even moreso they saw this as a threat to there way of living hence the invasion, Nz and Maori history really does need to be taught in school.
“Maori and Proud” – First of all, great name – and I am really wanting to see Maori rise up in this land! However you seem to have got me all wrong… In my posts I have repeatedly asked a specific question: “Do you want to scrap the central government and go back to traditional leadership (tribes only), with no central government control. From what you have written, it appears you simply want more Maori representation in parliament, not to completely scrap the system. Please correct me if I am wrong as this is my main point. I believe having central government (larger systems, rather that just simply tribal leaders – and please don’t read me wrong – this can coincide with existing tribal systems as well – its not one vs the other…) has led to the prosperity of many nations world wide, and has obviously been a global trend for hundreds if not thousands of years. The Maori did not have this system, before Pakeha arrived. This must be acknowledged at least. But Asian nations with dynasties already did, and their lands were prosperous as a result, (during the white “dark ages” more prosperous and advanced in technology than white). Now what I am saying is we are globally seeing a decline in isolated rulership among small tribal groups, e.g. where a tribe is completely independent in its governance with only 100 people.) Once again, I say the Europeans and Asians have been in this game for 1000s of years literally, but not the Maori, and now Maori have been just recently (and other worldwide natives also, such as Aborigines in Australia), and I’m simply saying its not easy to get used to – but we can’t go back. That’s all I’m saying, nothing else. Please do not read anything else into it. I want Maori to be successful. I pray for blessing for Maori leadership everyday. If we had allowed independent tribal systems to continue around the world in the past, we would have much less people on the earth now. Maybe that’s a good thing or maybe a bad thing I don’t know. But without central government and advanced technology, the land simply would not be able to contain the population explosion we have on Earth today. And that’s actually been a positive for Maori too!!! Maori are increasing in numbers faster than whites! I ask you this one thing: Would there be as many Maori in NZ today if the whites had not come? I’m talking actual numbers not percentages…
P.S. You have also read me wrong on the Maori King movement. I said that was a good thing, not bad, it itself on its own was a form of increasingly central government for Maori, and it brought prosperity…
Caleb your point about industrialisation and working in large groups is simply not true or historically correct. One of the biggest factors in the Waikato wars was to dissemble the growing economic strength of Maori, as they were having great success in trading and farming and the lands of Waikato were extremely fertile. I would also offer that the individualised, and very neoliberal way of life in nz doesn’t really promote the Benefits for everyone, and I think there is more a sense of working together and community on the Marae. I am pakeha. I really recommend a comprehensive post nz secondary education history lesson. We actually don’t have one on the syllabus. Over the last few years I have become more and more interested in nz history and how we got to the place we are now in and it is just in incredible the amount of resources and perspectives there are available. For me Vincent O’Malley’s book on landwars was a huge eye opener.
Oliver, don’t you think that the Maori King movement was actually a positive thing for Maori, bringing central government to the Waikato region, perhaps even aiding in the prosperity of the region. It may not simply be a coincidence, of centralized government and growing prosperity. I am not supportive of the Pakeha invasion upon that. It was a shame in fact that it was cut off.
I agree that what you are saying is correct, but you left out all the effects of racism and colonialism to advance the coloniser at the expense of the colonised and simply attributed the demise of Maori socially and economically to simple economics.
True
Maybe Pakeha around the world need to see the potential of their indigenous culture. Not all things to come out of the industrial revolution has been all good. Exploitation of indigenous cultures and their lands (resources) in any language is not good but it’s still allowed?
Also, third world countries, never existed before. They were actually created by the greed of first world nation’s.
We however, do not need to follow others, we are different, innovative. Lets lead the way and let the rest of the world follow like we are with the current covid 19 situation
Thank you for this article. A good read and part of an on going education
Thanks for this article Max. There is an ongoing blind spot in “whiteness” in NZ. It refers to British descendants. Maybe Scandinavians. But if you are blonde and blue eyed but happen to be Russian, Italian, French, Argentinian, or any non British origin (Eastern europe, Mediterranean, South America – all white skin) you are still othered and excluded from NZ “white” society. The us and them in NZ consistently excludes large amounts of immigrants who don’t fall into the “British New Zealand (the Real Kiwis), Maori (the brown people of the land) and occasionally like now the dark skinned refugees. Although given that Islam is a massive global religion there isn’t a connection between whiteness and religious orientation necessarily plenty of “white” people can be Muslims. So perhaps it could be good to check our definitions first before we continue our soul searching.
Italians were heavily ostracised in a wellington after WW2, so racism can take on whatever form of exclusion is convenient.
Check out this paper. There is a model that clearly demonstrates how racism is actually a form of violence that maintains superiority of the dominant group and inferiority of minorities. .
‘A Fair Go For All’:
A Problematic Contribution to Anti-Racism Praxis
in Aotearoa’ Heather Came
Excellent article! We will be linking to this great post on our site.
Keep up the great writing.
Kei te raupatu te kawanatanga i te whenua o Aotearoa kia RIRO ai I A RATOU TO RATOU MANA na te mea I roto i enei ra, kei te pehi haere TE KAWANATANGA I te mana motuhake o te iwi Māori o Aotearoa.
I whawhai a iwi maori ngā tangata o Ingarangi me te tautoko o tona iwi.
Ko te patai? He aha i pera ia nga whakaaro o Pakeha?
Na tona mohio, he matapiko nga tangata kei roto i te kawanatanga, ano nei, kaore o ratou aroha ki te tangata whenua o Aotearoa
No reira, na runga i enei whakaaro
Me pehea te iwi maori e whakatika ai enei raruraru i waenganui i nga tangata o te kawanatanga.
Max, what an insightful and thought provoking prespective of your daily existence in Aotearoa/New Zealand. Your comprehension of the injustices that many Maori have experienced and continue to experience is humbling, and I look forward to hearing more from your personal experiences as a Pākehā in Aotearoa//New Zealand. Natasha
In 1960 I was born into a five generation household described as a very rural community. In a era of time when your word was your bond, he mana te korero. A value based political space where our lives were guided by tikanga maori first and the paa or marae space was central to the social. political, judicial, spiritual, emotional, intellectual wellbeing of whanau, extended whanau dynamics. First language te reo maori, then the education at school…..then began the problems whereby the teachers became the gurus of the modern world ways and mostly white teachers. The white farmers were hard working souls tilling the land and milking, that had been confiscated by a white government 100 yrs previous. Milked 100- 200 cows in new hearing bone cow sheds finance by the white bank, yet hard working maori farmers wanting to increase their herds from 20 – 100 could not apply for loans from the same bank. Yet his pakeha mate across the road could get a loan. There many cases and issues I have experienced. Therefore I now witness in the Aotearoa NZ the land of the long white cloud the historic mechanism of a new type of colonisation of immigrants who are being enticed to fill the gap of slave labour to increase the shortage of housing, the increase of environmental prostitution in order too keep the farming conglomerate increasing dividends. Cultural prostitution both maori and kiwi to increase sales…..In the time of my childhood the elders worked to live now many people now live to work….For the increase of immigrants who are only too happy to vote for the status quo and strengthen the HAVES but will eventually join tangata whenua…. us born of this land in the ranks of the new tribe called Havenots known by the maori as rawakore
The idea that all paheha are privileged by virtue of the colour of their skin was definitely not my experience. I am a 5th generation paheha That comes from a large working class family, I went to a predominantly Polynesian/ Maori school, and predominantly Polynesian/ Maori church, I married a Maori man so my in laws and their families have been a very important part of my life. Ive had wonderful friends and associates However my experience has always been a lack of identity and a disconnection to culture, I have always felt the undercurrent of hatred and distain of paheha. This idea that all Pahiatua have this idyllic dreamy life with priviledge and advantage is a myth -certainly was for me.
My husband who came from a very disadvantaged background in rural sth Auckland – but he has made something of his life, worked hard, taken opportunities and realised long held dreams, and I know many who have done the same.
Take life by the horns – no matter who you are – cause you can
I’m grateful you’ve shared your experience, Sheryl. You represent another quiet groiup in NZers who share disadvantage, work very hard and and are often at the pointy end of prejudice, hatred and fear. It sounds really difficult and, I imagine, often wears you down. What you are pointing out, and we should all know this but are still not all ‘aware’ enough, is that there are many ways of being margininalised and discriminated again — skin colour for sure, but also what suburb we live in, what school we did or didn’t go to, who our parents are, whether we’re abled or disabled, an immigant, speak English and so on. Thanks for sharing. He toa taumata rau.
Hi Max,
First, thanks for putting your time and effort into writing this. Highly appreciate any attempts to grapple with tricky subjects in a systematic and thoughtful way!
However, I’d like to complicate your definition of racism. You suggest that “racism is about the maintenance and perpetuation of the superiority of one racial group over another, it’s illogical to talk about racism in favour of Māori. Māori haven’t held a position of underlying economic or social superiority in New Zealand since European arrival, and therefore can’t be said to have maintained or perpetuated any superiority.”
I think this implies a couple of things, which when added together give some pretty unintuitive conclusions.
First, you’re ‘adding together’ a number of different measures of power/disadvantage etc here, so as to get a single ‘direction’ in which power is exerted. You’re suggesting that actions going in the direction of that power flow can be racist, while actions going against that flow can not.
Let’s pose a thought experiment. If NZ were to pay a dividend out to its Maori population of amount ‘x’ per week, I think we’d agree that that would count to some degree towards reversing the economic superiority of non-Maori in NZ. Since ‘superiority’ in general is able to be ‘added up’, there must be some number ‘x’ which, when paid out, would outweigh the other injustices facing Maori.
In the case where this was happening, would the shop owner following Maori around his store because he unjustly suspects them of shoplifting no longer be racism? If you believe that he would still be perpetuating racism, then you’ve pointed to an example of racism coming from the non-dominant group, and I think you’d have to concede that Maori could also perpetuate racism despite not being in the position of power in our society. (I think).
Throwing hypothetical money at it doesn’t solve the problem and only proves the article’s points of how society think that they know better than maori in how to deal with solving “Maori” problems. Autonomy is all that maori have ever wanted. The right to do, to think, to believe, to live, the same tino rangatiratanga as Pakeha New Zealanders have.
Kia ora Max!
Rawe rawa atu to korero! Can only respect a person who is prepared to identify markers that damage and disadvantage others unfairly. If you get flack for your korero….then I can only say this: Hold the Line! When we no longer need to speak about these things then the mahi is done. Till then my brother, hold the line.
True respect and gratitude for challenging what is not right and not good. Brave! Ballsy! Brilliant!
Natasha.
Interesting article and have to agree with you on a lot of your points. However, I really do find generalisations like “white privilege” rather confusing as they seem to imply that ALL “white” people are somehow “privileged”. What about the poorest of Pakeha or new white immigrants to the country who do not have any connections / support network here and might struggle to adapt to the new culture, language, etc.? How are they “privileged” in this context? I think we just need to come up with some more appropriate term to describe what at its core is someone in a position of some advantage over others, for whom the status quo works very well and who derives various benefits from it, which he/she wants to therefore preserve (and yes who might disproportionately be white in NZ).
They still won’t be followed around a store if they’re wearing a hoodie. They won’t be looked at twice by police. They still will be welcomed warmly into a high-end shop…etc. ALL white people ARE privileged.
I know many pakeha who disagree that “All white people are privileged. I can accept many are but once you say ALL are then you lose credibility and simply sound bitter towards pakeha.
Pounamu
that simply isn’t true. saying “all whites are privileged” is equivalent of saying “All maori are only unemployed because they are lazy”
It is more likely that a White person will be more privileged . MORE LIKELY .
I was followed around all the time when i was young. I dressed terribly admittedly , but i looked the part.I ALWAYS (and i mean ALWAYS) had my bag checked.
I got banned from a shop when i refused to show them my bag. they got the Police . I got let off (as nothing found( but they banned me as i was a ” trouble maker ”
So yes i may be not the norm…but it DOES happen . I have to admit i used to have a foul mouth and i really never helped my cause . But i have NEVER stolen ….EVER
Mark. I know of Maori children who this has happened to and they have not been let off and banned from the shop. But placed into care of CYFS. You were let off with a warning. Your parents were probably pitied. Your Maori counterpart would likely have parents who needed to learn more about being parents.
Really sorry Pounamu you had this misery to deal with growing up. It must have caused a huge amount of resentment and anger. Totally understandable,. What you’re talking about is the norm for many people, even now, in NZ. I’m white and middle-aged so, as you say, it doesn’t happen to me. It’s happened to my friends though But I AM aware it happens. I’m ashamed that we haven’t made more progress with. I long for a country where we are all treated with the dignity we deserve – especially children. What good does it do a child to be treated with suspicion and dislike so frequently? None.
This seems to be heuristics rather than racism. It is the way the human brain evaluates the likelihood of an event occurring. Events that frequently occur or have occurred on many occasions are more cognitively accessible. Such events that come to mind more easily cause the brain to determine the likelihood of such event occurring. So, if offenders of theft or negative involvement with police are more often Maori than non-Maori, then Maori are heuristically determined by that individual person’s experiences as likely to steal or be a criminal. This is also fuelled by how the media portray Maori. However, I am fair skinned and have experienced being followed in stores, looked at twice by police and not being warmly welcomed into high-end stores. Perhaps it is because I am not wealthy and unwealthy persons are heuristically viewed in such a way….
I would just like to correct your statement that we as pakeha males “will not be followed around a store if they wear a hoodie”. Personally I have been followed around stores by security guards and quite blatantly because of what I was wearing.
I agree, Maori and Pacifica people are followed around stores but to say categorically that Pakeha are not is untrue. A homeless person will be monitored while in a store as will someone with a backpack or someone wearing bulky clothing on a warm day.
I totally agree there is far more privilege afforded to pakeha, to males. There is also a lot afforded to the able bodied, to those not wearing burkha or hijab, of “straight” sexual orientation, etc.
It all drags people down in our current economic, financial and societal systems. I think we need to not only need to work on racial discrimination but all forms of domination of others in society and to call it out.
I saw someone else post a good definition of white privilege like this: ‘White privilege doesn’t mean that your life hasn’t been hard. It means that your skin colour isn’t one of the things making it harder.’
As someone who grew up in a single parent household, with a parent with significant mental illness and on the DPB then the sickness benefit, as I’ve carved out a different type of life for myself the above definition has fit me. My young life wasn’t easy, but my skin colour didn’t make it harder as I worked to plot out a better life growing up and forming a family.
Here’s one – “White privilege is an absence of the consequences of racism. An absence of structural discrimination, an absence of your race being viewed as a problem first and foremost.” Reni Eddo-Lodge
Kia ora Max: thank you for your informative and helpful analysis. The late-blooming awareness of Te Tiriti in our institutions is a bit like the icing on the cake: the cake’s structure is still the same. Victorian institutions and responses are part of a grim inheritance that show up in a punitive cultural base in response to crime (and until recently a punitive model in schooling–a schooling set, up initially at least, to fulfil certain British transactional objectives).
But (as the Waitangi Tribunal noted re Wai 262) this is Aotearoa, and the Crown is slowly waking up to what it signed up to in 1840. More Tangata Tiriti are recognising our responsibilities. More constructive media approaches (such as e-Tangata & Jen Margaret’s work, and many others) are helping – and helping us move away from the adversarial modes of British legal structures (and maybe we’ll disentangle some of the neoliberal binds too); all part of that New Zealand project you write about so well. Thank you.
Another common diversion stance is the, “At least we arnt as bad as Australia, or South Africa, or somewhere else but not here”.
Excellent article thank you very much. I think as Pakeha find identity and belonging through these discussions the closer we will come to true inclusion and fair society.
Cardinal Karl Pearce -Australia practices multiculturalism. Australia is by law a multicultural country. Australians are very accepting of folks from all corners of the World and new arrivals very quickly find that Australia is a laid-back friendly place. Racism is not a big issue here. The indigenous culture is well respected and indigenous Australians have achieved excellence in many fields earning for themselves a huge measure of fame. Coming from NZ 50 years ago I myself have never once experienced any form of racism whatsoever. Being Maori I was expecting some. Maybe I’ve been lucky? Maori have been coming to Australia for a better life- to live and work- since colonisation. For those I know it’s been a very positive experience. They have achieved far more here than they could have ever achieved back home. But they had to lift their game to do it. The message to our people back home in NZ is that they too have to lift their game if they want to improve their lives. Take responsibility, stop blaming others and if that doesn’t work-move to Australia.
I’m not sure what Australia you live in but as a kiwi who has lived in Australia for 20 years, Australia has a lot of racism. Think Cronulla riots, the children overboard saga, the stolen generation, Indigenous incarceration rates and deaths in custody, the saying ‘u flew here, we grew here’, the difficulty for immigrants from POC countries to get permanent residency just to name a few.
Tautoko tōu pānui K Makarauri, balance is definitely required. A good article I thought too.
A good article shame that the only ones who will really want a change are the innocent ones.
I luff this work. I had the privilege of training with Project Waitangi that began my journey of ko wa aue.
I especially luff the comparison between the racists need to be in power with being obsessive. I’m so going to use this – they have mentally impaired themselves because they fear letting go.
Manuia fafetai
Unfortunately, as human beings we are all inherently racist. It can come in any form and from any race. As a Maori I commend your article as one of the best I have read on the subject but it must be balanced out by the concession that many people in NZ of all races must become more aware of the harmful effects of even the ‘innocent’ of comments – coconuts are sweet tasting fruits grown tropically…not as some others of my race would have it,
I think that’s a little negative to say that. Judging by the very nature of this post, it is clear that there ARE Pākeha out there who DO believe that Māori have been marginalised and mistreated, and want to go about finding ways to educate “their own” on how to overcome their life-long belief systems. We have to remember that we as Māori are not the only ones in this generation to have been “conditioned”, so have our Pākeha contemporaries. We should all be able to learn from this.
This is just not true. Maori do not believe ourselves superior to other races, simply because we are not and can never be. There is literally no way for Maori to be dominant over another race, or to maintain dominance. We have not put into place systems where other races are disadvantaged and our race benefits over all. Saying humans are all inherently racist is a blatant blow to all of the widely disadvantaged races out there. Racism comes from a place of privilege, comfort and superiority. Being bitter about our place in the world, and harbouring ill feelings toward those who oppress us, is not racism.
Just wondering what happened to the people groups here before Māori ? Or the way different tribal groups treated each other before and around the time Europeans arrived here ?
Refer to white defensiveness tactic No. 2.
You’re welcome
Māori can’t be racist, but some do cultivate ‘us and them’ ideas, which come out as prejudice. It probably is due to the racism of New Zealand, but the verbal fights seem the same on the surface.
I’m a bit late to this article but will respond anyway, because I have had these comments thrown in my face growing up. Maori were the first people in Aotearoa, so unless you are referring to the animals, I’m not sure what groups you are specifying. As for the conflicts among Iwi and Hapu before the period of colonization, it was about survival and prosperity. Boundaries were respected, and conflict did not come about from greed, rather need for survival. Peaceful negotiations were sought after before violence, but if violence did occur, victims of conflict were treated with respect and although they did not hold a high status in the Iwi or Hapu that won the battle, they were welcomed as a new member of the community and had the ability to start a family. The domination and superiority complexes you are trying to allude to are completely different to the domination that is experienced by Maori at the hands of some Pakeha today. Please stop using these defence tactics when you get upset with Maori, it is insulting to our history.
It is racism if that bitterness and ill feeling is directed at an entire people group. I sit on both sides being both Maori and Pakeha and can honestly say I’ve experienced plenty of racism from Maori because I wasn’t Maori enough in their eyes. Anyone can be racist.
As a long time visitor to this country I’ve looked at the history of NZ and recognised the racism for what it is; the exercise of power (real or imagined). Most pakeha are privileged by virtue of their skin, some by their economic resources, as well. More and more Maori are becoming privileged by their economic circumstance. I’d like to suggest that future dialogue be concerned with the nature of power: it use, dissemination, and effect. Why? Because its a dynamic that effects the great majority of people in any country, of any colour. Certainly, due to various reasons it effects are more strident and diverse in some quarters than in others, but they are not singularly based on race. ‘All power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely’. Lets find out why…
Nicley done youg man. As a Māori living in Canada I totally see and agree with what you have spoken about. How the rest of the world sees as a laid back and everthing is fine with little to no racial tention. 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
It’s totally fine and important to acknowledge historical conflict and the unjust outcomes of these events but that still leaves Maori in the position that they are in today and the question of; what should they do about it? That’s not to absolve the colonials’ of their responsibility for what they did, but regardless of the amount of support given to the Maori people from greater society, that’s not going to help them when there are such high rates of domestic violence, fractured family units with higher rates of single parents, drug and alcohol abuse, and gang violence.
Sure, racism is a problem and there are barriers that do exist for Maori but they are secondary issues to what happens in the home and surrounding community and these should be of primary concern. Each individual can exert far greater control in relation to themselves, their family, and community as opposed to society at large so it’s far more pragmatic to engage with a number of problems in this manner. Change starts from the individual and outwards, regardless of race but we seem to have forgotten this.
Wow, way to take the ‘race’ out of racism. Would this possibly be the “diversion” the article was talking about? Or the “demand to move on”? I can’t tell.
it’s a bit of both. But i would also add a 5th white defensiveness tactic which is the idea that the oppressed are just as (if not more) responsible for the dismantling of the oppressive system. However this is a false narrative because it is the oppressor that is in control of that system. This is where the oppressed have sentiments such as “damned if you you, damned if you don’t” which is an understanding that our situation is hopeless without the oppressor doing the work to dismantle the system. The writer did allude to it a little but i think it deserves recognition as a fully fledged tactic in itself.
Well, you see, they don’t want to do anything about it. You’ll notice the substitution of the current academic definition of racism, “a power structure that some members of an ethnicity may benefit from”, for the commonly understood definition, “prejudice against another ethnic group”.
The latter is something that every ethnic group can experience, and something a person can do something about. They can live their lives as free of prejudice as possible, and thus reduce or eliminate racism. The academic definition however is something that nobody can do anything about because instead of being something related to people, it’s the entire social and economic system that “needs” changing. It also gives a free pass to those who “hate whitie” because by not being part of the “institutional power structure” their hatred is endowed with virtue. They’re “oppressed” therefore their hatred is justified.
I recall an article written by a half-Maori girl who expressed her shock when, after one of the victim indoctrination lessons, one of her classmates expressed her hatred for pakeha. Nevermind that many pakeha came to New Zealand long after the colonial era and therefore were being unfairly linked with the wrongdoers (and certainly the Colonial Government did break treaties and act unlawfully) purely because of the colour of their skin. Of course prejudice against someone based on their skin colour is racism, or would be, but if we redefine racism it no longer is.
Since it is that economic system that makes it possible for us all to live with some degree of comfort, dismantling it is impossible. Well… you can try but Venezuela is a cautionary tale.
Don’t pretend to know you understand a thing about Venezuela. Using broad mass-media generalisations about the power struggles in other countries to prop up your own argument is no argument at all, just a sign of weakness.
“That’s not to absolve the colonials’ of their responsibility for what they did, ”
The problem is that “European New Zealanders” are still colonials, and we’re still doing every second of every day.
Ae tika!
Tautoko te korero
As a Maori I commend you on this thought provoking peice. Thank you
I like this very much. I’d like to keep a copy of this in my handbag for other Pākehā like myself who are on different points in their journeys on understanding racism, and hoping to contribute to a NZ without oppression.
I think Gareth Morgan’s efforts to enlighten New Zealanders is commendable and his intention to move on is more in line with moving forward to promote positive change in pakeha attitudes.
You are both singing from the same songbook.
An excellent opinion piece Max. You have clearly summarised the current and past place of race and class in NZ cultures. You have laid down a worthwhile challenge for those of us who identify as Pakeha / European.
Thank you Max, everything you said is pono, interesting that some replies fit under one or more of the four areas you mentioned. Enlightening that it was only some. E mihi kau ana ahau ki a koe.