Policy
On our trip to town on Tuesday, we were met by a number of protesters, both at the intersection where our road meets the main road and at the roundabout in town. These people were showing solidarity for a wider movement happening in the bigger cities on that day. People were protesting the new Government’s removal or proposed removal of some of the initiatives for Maori put in place by the previous Government. They were making it clear that they didn’t want these changes. The protests were organised by a Maori party in parliament.
At this year’s election, people overwhelmingly voted for change. Many were disillusioned at the path the previous Government was taking, which some saw as pushing for a racial divide. Certain privileges would be awarded to people depending on one’s race. I already talked about certain health initiatives in a previous blog, where doctors were alarmed that they were having to prioritise treatments by race, rather than need. I have heard some recently-elected politicians saying they want us as one country, where people are treated equally. I would have thought this would have been a given in any country.
But again, it comes back to perception, just as I talked about in yesterday’s blog. If people perceive they are being treated in a particular way it can often be hard to shift that perception. Apparently, all the stats point to Maori being worse off, with more poverty, more representation in prison and more health issues as examples. Of course, nobody wants to see stats such as these. But how do we fix the problem? Have Maori really been treated poorly over the years or does it come back to self-responsibility, or genetics or something else?
When people try and talk about such things, they can all too easily be accused of racism. I have six grandchildren and five of these are of Maori descent. I don’t want these beautiful children joining the statistics, or feeling in any way that they are worse off than their counterparts. Their parents are teaching them, through example, that hard work is involved in creating anything they want and I am sure they are more than capable of doing so. But I don’t think they should be given anything more than my other grandchild, just because of their heritage. I would like to see equality.
My take on things is let’s give this new Government a chance. They have only been operating a few days. There are already many initiatives in place to help the poor, the homeless, the sick or those in prison, regardless of race, and I am sure these will remain. Let’s try and help and encourage everyone in need, equally.