Tag: colonisation

They come and take our jobs!!… But they are ‘us’

By Moto Moto

Aotearoa New Zealand is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean whose culture has been influenced by the unique milieu and the geographic isolation of the surrounding islands but of these, more so from the indigenous Māori people. However, at its essence it is really western culture and as an effect of the British colonization the country also includes multi-ethnic migration groups. As, a result of this admixture of cultures many New Zealanders have a positive perception on immigration. They feel that it makes the island a more interesting place to live due to the diversity of culture, food, music etc. It is a beneficial for the economy as some immigrants have higher education and qualifications, thus they help fill job shortages in certain industries. However, not everyone believes it is a positive as they hold the notion that immigrants are stealing jobs and making it harder for New Zealanders to be employed.

As a New Zealand immigrant myself, a phrase I am all too familiar with (along with many others) is; ‘all they do is come to our country and take our jobs.’ Before I continue onto my next point, I just want you to think about this; how does someone come and take an opportunity that everyone had access to?

In 2007, there was a shortage of technicians in New Zealand and my father and his colleagues were recruited to come from Zimbabwe as they were qualified technicians. Initially they had to leave behind wives, children, their social life; basically everything they knew in hopes of a stable and improved future.

Upon coming to New Zealand, my father and his colleagues had to go through a challenging process of looking for affordable housing and adjusting to change of culture and environment. I remember him mentioning how he had a frustrating encounter with a European New Zealand male who accused of him “stealing his job” and urged him to “go back where he came from.” I really felt the gravity of this phrase years into my studies and work when I would hear in passing, people complaining about “not having job opportunities because they are all taken by Indians and Chinese.” As an immigrant I would get frustrated because I struggled to understand how something could be taken from ‘them’ since we did not come here by force and insert ourselves in their country but were called here because they were in need. It was not until I familiarized myself with the term privilege . It is defined as “a special right, advantage, or immunity granted or available only to a particular person or group”.

Because many New Zealanders attain privileges as a result of being citizens, they have feelings about immigrants in terms of how these privileges are affected. One might be that they feel these people coming here do ‘not belong’ here, therefore they should not have the same access to opportunities as everyone else. Or two, that they feel as an effect of immigration they have lessened access to these privileges, which is probably the root of the employment issue. But perhaps such belief is rooted in reasoning influenced by racism and xenophobia. These people really believe that in a country like New Zealand in this day and age that immigration is increasing pressure on the country’s resources such as transportation, housing and education. Beliefs that are incomprehensible for someone such as me who has actually seen and experienced (and have many generations of family that have experienced) ‘actual’ lack of resources. In comparison it is a dream living in New Zealand compared to other places, immigrants come here to share in the opportunities not to steal jobs as we know what it like to not have or to struggle to have a little.

To conclude, maybe there is a real issue within the employment sector that needs to be discussed in relation to immigrants, however these toxic beliefs cannot be where we start that conversation. These negative views on immigration cause racial tension and division amongst people when there should be celebration that no matter where they are from, they can come live and work together. I believe there is a need for social workers to be able to navigate such issues through advocacy as it is described  heart of social work by (ANZSW) . The question is – do social workers care enough to change the discourse around immigrants?

Working amidst complexity: moving forward?

By An Aspiring Social Worker

It is an interesting time to be on placement at Oranga Tamariki (although, one could argue, when it is not?). It was with a wary sense of foreboding and an almost legendary awe that I entered the Oranga Tamariki offices for the first time. To be a student at Oranga Tamariki feels like I’m wandering around with my eyelids taped to my eyebrows and my mouth ajar.  With the constant criticisms from the media regarding the release of the number of children abused in state care and the increasing number of Māori children being uplifted from their whānau    versus the strenuous and sometimes frantic work that the social workers do on the ground, I am surprised that workers even turn up to do their mahi every day after how much is said about them.

Despite its many publicised flaws, my impression of Oranga Tamariki was that it was the ‘ultimate’ social work agency. It is the standard by which all social work agencies should operate, as our state representatives of standards of care for our tamariki and rangitahi. However, after just fifteen days spent at Oranga Tamariki, I am starting to get a glimpse into the complexity these social workers are expected to operate under. They are the fence before the cliff; they are the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff; they are both colonisation and decolonisation embodied; they are working for the Crown yet their work is made up by the damage done by the Crown; they are both tika and pono; they are damned if they do and damned if they don’t. The recent media coverage over the uplift of a Māori baby from their mother in Hawkes Bay hospital lingers in my mind and feels a bit too close to home in terms of the clients I work with, and the weight that social workers decisions have on whānau.

I wonder about the upcoming law changes to the Act, and what real impact they will have on reducing the amount of Māori tamariki coming into care; there is a lot being said both in-house as well as in the media about what affect this will have. A kaupapa Māori approach to the Family Court will be important (if done properly) for disrupting ‘the systemic undermining of Māori and their whānau.” Institutional restructure to adopt kaupapa Māori should not be a new idea. Just in April the Chief Executive Grainne Moss signed an agreement with Waikato-Tainui , a partnership aiming to keep Māori out of state care. Waikato-Tainui acknowledged the development of their own programme Mokopuna Ora, it’s success, and the need for Māori to be able to work with their own to ensure their tamariki are held within their whānau, whakapapa, and iwi.

This is an important step towards seeing real change for Māori communities. With the recent well-being budget announcement, I can’t help but wonder what it would look like if we resourced our NGO’s even half as well as we did Oranga Tamariki. To address the issue of the over-representation of Māori tamariki in state care (not to mention poverty, crime, intergenerational trauma…) surely, empowering (i.e. funding) Māori organisations and iwi should be our first port of call? Continuing to only adequately resource Oranga Tamariki the Crown ignores the importance of Māori and iwi deciding what is best for their tamariki, not to mention the long history of institutional racism and the perpetuation of intergenerational poverty the Crown is responsible for. We need to acknowledge and legitimise the important role that NGO’s play in our communities; we need to enable them to thrive alongside their whānau and iwi’s.

Of the staff I have met at Oranga Tamariki, I am consistently blown away by their passion for Māori, for bicultural practice and for the best possible outcomes for the tamariki and whānau   they work with. But their jobs are hard; they are complex; they bear the burden of working in an imperfect system and expected to produce perfect results. I don’t know what can be done for Oranga Tamariki. It is a Crown organisation that has been responsible for the stigma and colonisation of Māori. It will always bear that cross. But what we can do, and what we must do, is to resource and hold up our NGO’s to be able to continue doing their mahi for their people. Because that, is prevention.

On Monday I return to placement and we will meet, as we do every morning, to say karakia and sing waiata as a team. After this I will return to my desk and plunge back into the work that all too often is overwhelmingly complex. I cannot not do this work, and neither, it seems, can my colleagues. But it is hard work, and there are no easy answers.

References

Doyle, K. & Robson, S. (2018). ‘’Deeply disturbing’: more than 200 children abused in state care in last 6 months, reports show’. RNZ. Retrieved from: https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/384748/deeply-disturbing-more-than-200-children-abused-in-state-care-in-6-months-reports-show

Dreaver, C. (2019, May 10). ‘Oranga Tamariki accused of bullying, racism over removal of baby.’ RNZ. Retrieved form: https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/te-manu-korihi/388886/oranga-tamariki-accused-of-bullying-racism-over-removal-of-baby

Morning Report. (2019, April 4). ‘Young Māori over-represented in state care and detention’. RNZ. Retrieved from: https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/te-manu-korihi/386318/young-Māori-over-represented-in-state-care-and-detention

Waikato-Tainui. (2019). ‘Waikato-Tainui sign agreement with Oranga Tamariki.’ Waitkato-Tainui. Retrieved from: https://www.waikatotainui.com/te-hookioi/waikato-tainui-sign-agreement-with-oranga-tamariki/


Williams, T., Ruru, J., Irwin-Easthope, H., Quince, K. & Gifford, H. (2019). ‘Care and protection of tamariki Māori in the family court system.’ Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga: Te Arotahi (1), 1-21. Retrieved from: http://www.maramatanga.co.nz/sites/default/files/teArotahi_19-0501%20Ruru.pdf

Oranga Tamariki: Māori in name alone?

By NJV

Oranga Tamariki hails a Māori name and publicly displays Māori values. It is safe to assume this change of name and restructuring of the organisation reflects the high volume of Māori currently in state care. Perhaps it is public display of their commitment to working with Māori whānau in a culturally sensitive and inclusive manner. However, a harsh interpretation may see it as merely a tokenistic attempt to ‘save face’ in the eyes of the public, due to the lack of child protection system and policy that reinforces a truly bicultural and inclusive approach to working with whānau.

The Expert Panel Final Report has underpinned the restructuring of ‘Child Youth and Family’ to ‘Oranga Tamariki’. The Panel outlined their aspirations for Māori; reducing the cost afflicted on the state by Māori is at the forefront of these aspirations. The Panel briefly discuss the strengths of iwi, and the importance of whānau and cultural identity, but fail to offer recommendations that offer holistic support for whānau. They suggest a child-centred approach that focuses on the needs and safety of the child, and encourage the rescuing of children from parents who tick the risk boxes to save ‘future financial liability’. This approach is reflected in the 33% increase in Māori children being uplifted between 2015 and 2018 (Keddell, 2019). The Panel’s interests in saving money is evident, and they seem to ignore the serious harm that is caused by uplifting children. Not only the harm to the child, but to the whānau. The Panel encourage the voice of children in their recommendations, which is commendable, but where are the voices of our Māori whānau? What are their needs? How can we support them?

The disadvantages Māori face and the impact these have on their ability to provide safe and loving homes for their children is overlooked in the Panel’s final report. Hyslop (2018) illustrates the importance of developing an empathic understanding of how the pressures of poverty impact people’s capacity to parent. Living on a benefit that barely covers the essentials and living in overcrowded or inadequate housing with no assurance that it will be a long term living situation creates a stressful environment for parents. Furthermore, Māori face the ongoing impact of systemic racism and colonisation. Regardless of these external issues, the tone of the Expert Panel’s recommendations is “let’s help these people help themselves”. While I acknowledge that there are undeniable strengths in empowering people, we have found ourselves at a point where change must also occur at a structural level for a significant improvement in Māori wellbeing.

Being Māori myself, it is hard to look beyond the flaws in The Expert Panel’s Final Report that fail my people, who will continue to suffer from past structural and social failures. Since the restructuring, the number of Māori children uplifted has increased. There is a heavy focus on assessing risk and creating a care system that is well resourced and supports children in state care. I believe there needs to be a shift in focus and funding that supports Māori whānau not only before their children are uplifted, but also afterwards. Māori struggle to get their children back, and there is a lack of support in them doing so. I am certainly not saying that uplifting children is never necessary, because I understand that it is, and I have experienced situations where it was the best option. However, uplifting Māori children and placing them into a loving foster home should not be the end-game. Creating a well-resourced and supported home environment so they can continue a safe upbringing with their whānau should be. I will respect the display of Māori values when Oranga Tamariki adopts a child protection system, and our government implements policies that reflect a genuine dedication to upholding these values, and above all, upholding the mana of my people.

He aha te mea nui o te ao?

Ko te whānau

References

Keddell, E. (2019, May 10). Hard to get into, but harder to get out of: Understanding recent trends in child protection [Blog post]. Retrieved from http://www.reimaginingsocialwork.nz/2019/05/hard-to-get-into-but-harder-to-get-out-of-understanding-recent-trends-in-child-protection/

Hyslop, I. (2018, April 14). How about building a socially just child protection system? [Blog post]. Retrieved from http://www.reimaginingsocialwork.nz/2018/04/how-about-building-a-socially-just-child-protection-system/

Expert Advisory Panel (2015). Modernising Child, Youth and Family– Final Report. Wellington, NZ: NZ Govt. https://www.msd.govt.nz/documents/about-msd-and-our-work/publications-resources/corporate/expert-panel-cyf/investing-in-children-report.pdf

Representation of Māori through media

By Brooke Royal

Māori to me is whānau; iwi, my land, my ancestors and my blood connections. Māori to others are unemployed gang members who have a drug and alcohol problem, who live off the benefit and beat their Mrs. because she didn’t make him eggs. When I think of Māori, I think of my loving whānau who work their butts off and live good lives, but the next person may look at my whānau and think of them as nothing but a suspect off Police Ten 7, as the suspect was of Māori descent.

Most people living in Aotearoa will enjoy their Thursday evenings watching Police Ten 7 and laughing with disgrace. Yet, have we noticed that they are describing most suspects as of Māori descent? Is it because of their darker complexion, particular tattoos, bigger build or that they were wearing a hoodie that makes them Māori? If this hasn’t sparked a light bulb in your head, how about Jake the Muss from Once Were Warriors? I personally believe that this is an awesome movie however the picture it paints in the minds of non-Māori is the wrong way Māori need to be represented. Police Ten 7 and Once Were Warriors are extremely popular across Aotearoa, but they are representing Māori as nothing but criminals, gang members, unemployed alcoholics who have multiple children and live in poverty. Another example of this discrimination toward Māori is through news articles. A recent article written by NZ Herald (2019) discussed how tobacco, alcohol and gambling tax is costing Māori over $1 billion a year. Throughout the article, they continued to compare Māori to European New Zealanders, and each time Māori were portrayed as the minority between the two.

“The Māori adult (15 years and over) population of 517,000 was less than one fifth of the European/Other population of 2.8m, but Māori tobacco consumption made up just under half (45%) of European/Other tobacco expenditure” (NZ Herald, 2019). Representations of Māori, and our stories, remain under the control of Pākehā-owned television, radio, and print media (Aoake, 2017). Discrimination toward Māori through the media continues to happen time and time again, that so many of us have become blind to the intolerance.

It has been 179 years since Te Tiriti o Waitangi was created and signed, and to this day Māori are still discriminated against. The Ministry of Health (2012) identified that Māori adults were almost twice as likely as non-Māori adults to have experienced any type of racial discrimination. Following this, Māori adults were almost three times as likely as non-Māori adults to have experienced any unfair treatment on the basis of ethnicity. Within the social work profession Māori are the most dominant ethnicity group we will work with, and as a Māori myself I know that there is a lot of whakamā that comes with seeking help or being told that you need help. This whakamā that Māori feel is the baggage we hold realising that we are a minority in our own country and on our own land. On the other hand, the whakamā Māori are living with will also be what prevents them reaching out for support when they are vulnerable. As social workers, we need to take into consideration how this ethnic group is treated and also portrayed within our communities and through our media, and how this may impact their overall wellbeing. For Māori, mainstream media is mired in colonial framing, misrepresentation and exclusion – yet mainstream media continues to insist its coverage is non-partisan (Aoake, 2017). []

The representation of Māori being portrayed through media is only contributing to the racial discrimination this ethnic group already receives. The whakamā Māori carry due to being marginalised in their own country will only worsen if media continue to drag them through the mud. My concerns with this is around the future for our Māori whanau, and the racial discrimination and whakamā our people are holding, potentially preventing them from reaching out for help when they are vulnerable.

Naku te rourou nau te rourou ka ora ai te iwi.

With your basket and my basket, the people will live.

Aoake, M. (2017, 14 August) Metiria Turei and how the NZ media ignores its own prejudice. Vice. Retrieved from https://www.vice.com/en_nz/article/ywwdpv/metiria-turei-and-how-the-nz-media-ignores-its-own-prejudice

Ministry of Health. (2012). Racial discrimination. Retrieved June 2, 2019, from  https://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/populations/maori-health/tatau-kahukura-maori-health-statistics/nga-awe-o-te-hauora-socioeconomic-determinants-health/racial-discrimination

Tobacco, alcohol and gambling tax costing māori over $1b a year (2019, May 13), New Zealand Herald, Retrieved from https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12230415

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