Tag: Maori

Social Work and the Quiet Racism of New Zealand

By Aniram Itufolo

Aotearoa, the land of the long white cloud. A country proud of its multicultural diversity, inclusiveness and its friendly nature. However, the perils and negative effects of the racism that thrives within our country undermine the proud stance we hold in being inclusive.

Being a first generation New Zealand born Samoan in Christchurch forced to assimilate to New Zealand culture, I am well aware of the presence and negative effects of racism as I have experienced this countless times. The way in which racism within New Zealand culture casually presents itself allows it to fester and can manifest into our society unknowingly perpetuating racist ideas. Questions such as “where are you really from?” or statements such as “wow you’re English is really good” have often left me feeling less than and left with an identity crisis.s. A perfect example of this is this YouTube skit in the short film series ‘Misadventures of A Pacific Professional’ written by Tupe Solomon-Tanoai. It depicts the experience of a Samoan woman, Alofa, who holds the position of CFO within her workplace, however her capability is undermined by her colleagues based on her race and her gender. The microaggressions such as the repeated mispronunciation of her Pasifika name, her being asked to make coffees and the looks of disapproval, highlight and perpetuate her colleagues disbelief in her being qualified to do her job, due to her the stereotype that is attached to having brown skin. These types of microaggressions and stereotypes encourage the oppressive structures within New Zealand which limits the ability for those who do not fit as the norm to succeed and reach their full potential.

I know for myself the responsibility I have as a future social work practitioner is to be an agent of change, address racism when it occurs and to be an advocate for equality amongst New Zealand’s diverse population, but what does this mean for Aotearoa social workers as a collective? Do we all have the same understanding and responsibility to speak up? And how does this intersect with the emphasis that is put on practicing in a bicultural way that honours Te Tiriti o Waitangi? Do the radical neoliberal reforms the New Zealand government adopted in the 1980s create a discourse which works to counteract all of the bicultural and inclusive measures that have been implemented so far?

If we look at the history of New Zealand, the failure to uphold and provide Maori with their end of Te Tiriti o Waitangi allowed the opportunity for oppressive structures and systems to form. Harmful stereotypes of Maori were created and are still perpetuated today. The effects of colonisation are still being felt today as is evident with Maori overrepresentation in the negative statistics – stuck within the cycle of remaining in low socioeconomic status which is emphasised here in the health survey . It is a general understanding that many New Zealanders blame this on Maori themselves without acknowledging the oppressive structures that work against their livelihood and wellbeing. These kind of comments are easily located under any Herald article that involves Maori lives. This kind of treatment is not exclusive to Maori and this is evident with the recent terrorist attack in Christchurch. The phrase “They are Us” was circulated frequently in a way to include our Muslim community in Aotearoa, however the use of ‘they’ suggests the are of an ‘other’ category. Leigh-Marama Mclachlan challenges the notion ‘this is not us’ in this article by highlighting the violent racist history of New Zealand that is often dismissed (21 March, 2019).

Policies have been created with the intention to respond to the disparity of inclusivity,  such as the  Pūao-te-Ata-Tū initiative with child protection in the late 1980s. However I believe the day-to-day work of holding people accountable for racist actions is of most importance. Everybody has biases and different lenses that they view the world through: this is a given. However in order to grow and develop into a better society, it is important to be self-aware, not only of our actions but actions of those around us. This means questioning not only myself on where I could be perpetuating racist ideas but also amongst others. We in New Zealand pride ourselves on our diverse and multicultural population. It’s time to back up our words with our actions.

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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