Dear Aotearoa, we have a major problem that is inhibiting our success, namely racism. Destroying old and young alike, racism in New Zealand is the silent assassin, a killer that permeates through every facet of our society.
On Thursday, the NZ Herald reported:
Cricket: Black Caps great Ross Taylor's racism claim outlined in new book
In his autobiography Black and White, which is released today, the Kiwi-Samoan star reveals he faced racially charged "banter" in the dressing room from teammates.
Taylor, who retired from international cricket in April after a career spanning 16 years, doesn't specify at what level of the game he experienced the racist comments.
"In many ways, dressing-room banter is the barometer. A teammate used to tell me, 'You're half a good guy, Ross, but which half is good? You don't know what I'm referring to.' I was pretty sure I did. Other players also had to put up with comments that dwelt on their ethnicity," Taylor writes.
If you don’t believe Taylor that racism is a problem in New Zealand, then look no further than our opposition parties who recently had to backtrack on their ‘one person, one vote’ political tropes, because it was revealed that property speculators who own multiple houses in different districts have additional voting rights.
On 31 July, Scoop reported:
National Will Restore Equal Voting Rights
A National Government will restore the basic principle that all New Zealanders have equal voting rights, National’s Justice spokesperson Paul Goldsmith says.
Prime Minister refuses to acknowledge one-person one-vote
The idea that one person should have one vote, and every human being is born alike in dignity isn’t one that should be so difficult to answer for anyone who believes in a functioning liberal democracy.
A few days later, 1 News reported:
MPs' views on multiple property-owners getting extra local votes
New Zealand has a rule where some ratepayers who own property and pay rates in different local body areas can have additional votes at the local body elections.
...
Deputy National leader Nicola Willis: I think the principle of one person, one vote is critically important, but what we are seeing with the issue of people who are resident in two jurisdictions is that they are not being afforded anymore vote in that jurisdiction than someone else. These are the sorts of issues I would be interested in seeing how many people are actually in that position. But my view is they're not actually altering the proportionality of representation in that region.
ACT's Brooke van Velden: The ACT Party's point is that we always go back to one person one vote, we do believe in one person one vote, so if this is a particular area that is causing concern, we are open to looking into it but I don't think it is the problem that it looks like, really anyone bringing this up on Twitter is just trying to deflect from the Labour Party's problem that we actually have a cost of living crisis, crime is going through the roof...
I don't think this is a real problem.
Talk about a lack of consistency and self awareness from both the National and ACT party representatives.
You only have to read a few reports detailing how people of colour are more likely to be arrested, prosecuted and receive harsher sentences than their Pakeha counterparts for similar crimes to know that there’s a terrible injustice that’s being perpetrated in this country.
However, just in case you needed any further convincing that we have a racist society that is supported by racist institutions, along comes another born to rule National Party MP, Sam bloody Uffindell.
With the help of three of his accomplices who used wooden bed legs, Uffindell attacked a 13-year-old boy, bashing him while he was sleeping and leaving him with serious potentially life-long injuries. In fact they beat their victim black and blue, and there are apparently photos to prove it. But instead of calling the police for such a vicious and cowardly assault, his school, King’s College, covered up this dastardly and criminal act.
The National Party also covered up their knowledge of this crime during and after Uffindell’s selection as their candidate, something that would never have happened if this bully were a person of colour.
Now a National Party MP with all the perks, Sam Uffindell, who wasn’t even properly expelled for the serious assault on a 13-year-old, then went on to intimidate numerous students at his new school. The bully then harassed his university flatmates, smashing up their house during one incident in a drunken and drug induced rage, which led to one flatmate having to escape through a window for fear of her own safety.
Sam Uffindel, the underwear sniffer, obviously got away with this atrocious behaviour because of the colour of his skin and his privileged background.
On Wednesday, Newsroom reported:
National’s hypocrisy over Sam Uffindell’s behaviour
If a Māori kid who was over 6ft tall committed the kind of assault Uffindell committed and it hit the headlines, National would be calling it thuggery and demanding he be locked up.
…
Uffindell may no longer beat kids up in their beds in the middle of the night. But he still aspires to grasp at the power to beat up others who he considers beneath him. This is a guy who now wants to wield the power of the state against people who have already been victimised.
Our jails are also full of people, the majority of them Māori, who have been beaten up by those who represent the state. One government report found that 83 percent of young male inmates had been in state custody as children. What good did that do them as children?
The revelations about yet another National Party MP being a bully couldn’t have come at a worse time for National, and in particular their current leader, Christopher Luxon. Not only was Luxon’s beneficiary bashing policy announcement at their latest conference an eye opener, he also had to go into damage control in regards to National’s vetting process and his own knowledge about Uffindel’s extensive history of abusive behaviour.
Until the National Party fixes it’s selection process and ensures that its candidates aren’t more of the same old racist fools, then they aren’t a viable alternative to the current Government. Not unless you want a more divided and racist New Zealand.
