Identity

By Polly Neshan

“When you come to work, you have to put your Palagi hat on”. This phrase was commonly expressed to me by my Samoan supervisor while I was on my first placement of my social work degree. When I had first heard it, I remember feeling shocked and a bit offended at the statement, however, I was more surprised that I had immediately understood what she had meant by it.

Children of Aotearoa, New Zealand – A Pacific perspective

By Jaime Trust

New Zealand is one of the most diverse nations in the world and is a country that is so accepting of different cultures and nationalities. That’s not to say that it’s easy living in a predominantly white country. Don’t get me wrong, living in New Zealand has opened up many opportunities for our Pacific people and has allowed Pacific cultures to build better lives here. However, there are still challenges that Pacific Islanders, and many other indigenous cultures face till this day. According to Statistics New Zealand, Pacific people make up 8.1 percent of the New Zealand population of 5 million. Still, we are still a marginalised group.

I’m in pain, please hear me out! Discrimination against people with mental illness experience

By T.W. Tiwa

People with experience of mental health issues encounter a spectrum of discrimination in all aspects of their lives, including when they try to seek physical health support from the health sector. My amazing flatmate, who works in the New Zealand mental health sector, has shared a story about one of her Māori friends who had passed away in her late 30s after discrimination in her mental health treatment. She was left in a severe pain in her stomach, and not a single treatment or check-up was carried out to investigate where the pain came from while she was admitted in a hospital.

The issue with “All Lives Matter”

By H.R.

The world is stunned, horrified, and saddened by the death and murder in broad daylight of 42-year-old African American George Floyd, at the hands of police officers. As a result of this unjust death, Americans took to the streets with a message: Black Lives Matter. While the world is shocked, African Americans are not, as this is the fate of many African Americans in the USA. The Black Lives Matter movement was formed in 2013 as a movement that fights for liberation and justice. Its mission to eradicate white supremacy and violence inflicted against Black communities by vigilantes and the State.

What do we Value?

By Helen

I often think of other mothers at my children’s school who discuss all the work that they accomplish throughout the week. Negotiating drop-off times between kindy and school, being supportive and present parents, household demands, physical exercise (to stay well to care for everyone else) and for some, full or part-time work. Caring for children and household work is one type of essential work which is the glue within society. This unpaid work, which is discussed by Marilyn Waring here, is a traditional expectation of women. I do acknowledge that some men contribute to domestic work however, this is a gendered role. Women are expected to ensure that their children’s primary needs are met, educational needs, socialisation, community involvement and a have a clean and functioning house. That’s a lot of responsibility!

Anti-racism in a New Zealand context: Intersecting inequalities

 By Hannah Goodall

A few days ago, my mother sent me an article entitled ‘Maori mothers describe child welfare system as dangerous and brutal in new report’. The article details the experiences of Māori mothers and their involvement with social services; more specifically Oranga Tamariki.

With the anti-racism protests and riots currently happening in America, and the subsequent conversations occurring about systemic racism, capitalism and oppression, I can’t help but see similarities to the structural racism that exists in New Zealand. It could be argued that this racism is worse in America, or that it is less obvious and manifests less violently in our country. I think that although racism in New Zealand looks different from the outside, it is still detrimental to our indigenous people in similar ways.

The privilege walk

By Anonymous

A Privilege Check

In my first year as a BSW student, I participated in a simple but profound class activity. Students were asked to stand in one straight line facing the lecturer, who would then ask us several questions. We were instructed to take a step forward or back depending on whether we felt the question applied to us or not. Some of the many questions included: “If you lived in a home your parents owned, take a step forward”; “If you were discouraged to study at university because of your race, ethnicity, gender or sexual orientation, take a step back”; “If you lived in a home with more than 50 books, take a step forward”. The activity was easy, but the questions were unsettling. It was my first time ever checking my own privilege. Before I knew it, I had taken many steps back. I soon felt the reality of being an under-privileged individual compared to those standing in front of me. What does this mean?