August 23, 2018
Frustration boils over as Maori silenced
A participant at this week’s Criminal Justice Summit says despite the build-up claims that Māori needed to play a major role in fixing a broken system, the event was dominated by Pakeha concerns.
Actor Zac Wallace, who works in the Manukau Urban Maori Authority’s justice programmes, says you can’t talk about justice without talking about the historic injustice done to Maori, the racism, and the broken families left without the resources to repair themselves.
"We didn’t bring in the booze, we didn't bring in the drugs, we didn't tell our people they had to behave in a certain way, we just though hey, this is our country. I really got angry, I got frustrated, and then they had the cheek to try to shut me down. I won't be shut down like that," he says.
Zac Wallace says he wants to see space for Māori to talk about justice and for their suggestions to be acted on.
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