These changes matter much more than statues

Huge numbers of Kiwis returned to the streets over the weekend to protest for an end to racism – but debate since then has been focused on art. There is plenty to be said of the colonial-era statues that fill public squares and parks around the country. But discussions about what to do with old statues of dead warmongers and white supremacists pale in comparison to the challenges of, for instance, reforming the education and criminal justice systems.

The Ma¯ ori Party and Winston Peters have been debating what to do with colonial statues. I live near a few of Governor Grey and another dedicated to ‘‘Europeans who died in battle’’, which I’m happy to report are almost always covered in red paint. The blood colour is certainly an improvement on the benighted bronze.

As he scraped the bottom of the barrel for shreds of relevance, Peters declared war on the ‘‘woke generation’’ who ‘‘feel the need to mimic mindless actions imported from overseas’’. His own mindless attacks on peaceful and progressive protesting speak to the reluctance of many older New Zealanders to discuss race relations.

The turnout of tens of thousands of New Zealanders, for two weekends, cannot be dismissed as ‘‘mindless’’. But the issues about which large crowds turned up to protest are complex.

On Sunday, protesters in Wellington and Auckland said they were there to confront systemic issues which led to the deaths of people of colour, such as the police killings of George Floyd and Rayshard Brooks in the United States.

Will ’Ilolahia, from the Polynesian Panthers, told crowds in Auckland that New Zealand was yet to come to grips with its continued racism issues. Police disarmament advocate Laura O’Connell told crowds at Parliament she could not trust police, given their increased likelihood to use force and be less lenient with Ma¯ ori and Pacific Islanders. Academics such as Camille Nakhid tried to show how big picture systems harm Ma¯ ori, Pasifika and people of colour. She pointed to health, education and justice disparities, saying: ‘‘When Oranga Tamariki steals our children, because their systems were designed to fail us . . . that is the knee on our necks.’’

The Black Lives Matter movement is broad. In the crowd, I saw kids from kura and also my white American neighbours. Older Pa¯ keha¯ couples were there, as well as refugees and recent immigrants.

In New Zealand, at least, there doesn’t appear to be one concerted plan which the Black Lives Matter supporters agree we must follow. Far from being a ‘‘mindless’’ group, the tens or hundreds of thousands of New Zealand BLM supporters are united behind an understanding that all the old colonies have maintained beliefs and practices which hurt people of colour.

So, what does the Black Lives Matter movement mean for Aotearoa New Zealand? These are the sorts of changes we need to confront racism:

■ Urgently educate people, through NZ On Air and schools, about New Zealand’s history. Suddenly, people seem obsessed with keeping old racists’ statues up in the name of ‘‘history’’. So, let’s teach history. Teach history about colonisation and also immigration. Far too many people seem to think Asian immigration is recent, or that ‘‘deals’’ were done which legitimise Ma¯ ori land loss.

■ Ma¯ ori Wardens, who are an absolute treasure, policed the protests on Sunday. The history of Ma¯ ori Wardens goes all the way back to 1860, and they continue to play an important role on marae, at events and in many communities across the country. Ma¯ ori Wardens have the respect of people who, for good reason, often don’t trust the cops. Their focus is prevention, de-escalation, discussion and wha¯ nau. The Government should make the most of the wardens’ expertise, knowledge and community links to make New Zealand safer. There are 1000 mostly volunteer Ma¯ ori Wardens, compared with 10,000 sworn police.

■ Change the criminal justice system. The most obvious examples of systemic racism are found in the courts and jails. More than half of prison cells are filled with Ma¯ ori, and it’s clear that Corrections can correct nothing. When you’ve been in prison once, you’re very likely to return. Judges and jailers are achieving almost nothing. Their focus needs to be on restorative justice. Help people to help themselves.

■ Focus on the race pay gap. Like the gender pay gap, there is a depressing disparity between people of colour and Pa¯ keha¯ . It’s worst for women of colour. On average, Pacific Islanders are paid 20 per cent less than everyone else. For Asian and Ma¯ ori people, the pay gap is about 11 per cent. Whether it’s due to workplace racism or education, businesses and schools need to dig in and end this.

We all have a role to play.

[Winston Peters’] mindless attacks on peaceful and progressive protesting speak to the reluctance of many older New Zealanders to discuss race relations.