Ignorance no excuse for ‘leeches’ rant

Radio host Heather du PlessisAllan needs to pause, and take a hard look at herself. Her Pacific Islands ‘‘leeches’’ rant was a major mistake – an error of judgment, and based on falsehoods.

What’s worse is I suspect she doesn’t care. She ‘‘doubled down’’ on her misinformed idea that New Zealand is being taken advantage of. She vehemently and incorrectly believes the Pacific has nothing to offer.

She has made entertainment out of dehumanising Pacific Islanders – for that, she should be deeply ashamed.

From her Wellington studio, she arrived at a callous (and strangely colonial sounding) conclusion: ‘‘It’s the Pacific Islands, they don’t matter.’’

I think the 300,000 Pasifika people in New Zealand would disagree. I think the businesses that rely on Pacific trade would beg to differ. The fact that we are living on a collection of Pacific islands may throw a spanner in her Pacific Islands ‘‘don’t matter’’ theory.

It’s also sad she thinks our relationship with the Pacific is just about money. Human rights, the environment, the fact that we are a nation which benefited from the exploitation of our

Pacific neighbours – none of that seems to matter for du Plessis-Allan.

New Zealanders have invaded and exploited Pacific Islands, including Nauru, Niue, the Cook Islands and Samoa. Those nations have been more than generous. It’s an important point which du Plessis-Allan omitted from her argument. The Pacific Islands Forum, which was the focus of her ‘‘leeches’’ claim, is not purely about money.

This country has a long history of scapegoating Pacific Islanders. When the economy took a hit in the 1970s, ‘‘mainstream Kiwis’’ brutishly supported the dawn raids of islanders’ homes. They were helpful, productive members of our society and, suddenly, they were branded as leeches – not people.

The outcry following du PlessisAllan’s comments isn’t about her lack of political correctness. My concern is her willingness to stoke old, divisive flames. Even more worrying is her willingness, after being presented with the history of our relationship with the Pacific, to ‘‘double down’’ on her rhetoric.

Instead of using her platform to educate and inform, she has used it to grow resentment.

We should all be concerned when

public figures, like du Plessis-Allan, resort to harmful ideas that have been used to divide us. These ideas can have real effects for marginalised Kiwis.

Ignorance is no excuse for a distinguished journalist. Her language was from the 1970s and it has no place in the 21st century.

She has acted to reinforce racist propaganda that justifies treating people without dignity.

While it seems many populist pundits won’t admit it, New Zealand is a diverse nation. Broadcasters like du PlessisAllan make a living from pitting ‘‘us’’ against ‘‘them’’.

Their language acts to marginalise people unlike them, people who don’t fit their ‘‘normal’’, so as to further diminish minority voices.

The good news is, their time is limited. Pacific and Ma¯ ori business is only growing. Our biggest city, Auckland, is often called the capital of the Pacific – due to its growing Polynesian makeup.

The ‘‘everyday Kiwi’’ (read: white dudes) that Newstalk ZB targets does not exist. New Zealand is a Pacific nation. If pundits continue to pretend they’re living in the 1970s, they will be left behind.