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May 02, 2021
OPINION: National’s scream of segregation vs my Maori journey as a Pakeha
Waatea Team
Posted On May 2, 2021
Martyn 'Bomber' Bradbury: The National Party are attempting to race-bait by describing the Māori Health Authority as 'segregation'.
That is an emotionally loaded historic term that is offensive in its misappropriation to this comparison.
For Māori by Māori social service, provision is a solution to long-standing institutional racism, to describe that as 'segregation' is willful bigotry.
It's not just the grossness of the conflation of that phrase with the self-agency of a Māori Health Authority that is insulting, it's the mentality that there is nothing of value here.
I am someone who passionately believes that Pākehā culture has much to learn from Māori cultural values.
While I have no skills in Te Reo, I believed it was important for my Pākehā daughter to have access to this cultural treasure so she was enrolled in a Māori emersion class.
When she speaks Te Reo, it is the closest I ever feel to being a New Zealander. I have seen Māori educational and social values build her up as a human being.
Her class had every age group in it, not only was she responsible for completing her work, she had obligations to help the younger students and help resolve their issues as well.
This has gifted her unique self-confidence that I don't sense in mainstream educated children who seem nervous and in constant competition with one another.
There is so much Pākehā culture can learn from Māori, but that can't progress if the arrogance of knowing what is best blinds you to new ideas.
Martyn Bradbury
Editor – TheDailyBlog.nz
Radio Waatea and its board would like to advise that the opinions posted are those of Martyn 'Bomber Bradbury' and not the views of Radio Waatea, its Management or its Board.
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