Out of Balance

The human nature of oppression
Te Kupu

While it’s painful to read some of the true statistics of inequality in Aotearoa, it’s important to admit their existence. Only through an examination of the cold hard facts of colonisation’s harmful effects on indigenous people can we truthfully attempt to help undo the damage.

It’s also important to view these statistics as symptoms of an historical injury, made worse by bandaging over the problem rather than properly attempting to heal it. These are not statistics of blame, but an accounting of inequality to date.

People having their land stolen – or being stolen from their families – told they are inferior – being alienated by teacher racism in schools – thus working in lower paid jobs – living in poorer areas, poor housing etc… the links are clear. 1

In a study by the Human Rights Commission, published in 2002, most participants in the focus groups thought that ‘colonisation was (generally) not considered an issue relevant to modern New Zealand.’ Asked about New Zealand’s performance across a number of specific human rights, ‘Māori respondents were generally more likely to rate New Zealand’s performance on human rights issues lower than non-Māori’.2

As the direct inheritors of a poor system, this response from Māori is hardly surprising. The additional finding that there was ‘little understanding of indigenous rights and [their] connection with human rights’ points to a gaping hole in the ‘average’ citizen's understanding of the long-term consequences of colonisation.

By the year 2001, Māori made up approximately 15% (526,281 people) of New Zealand’s population,3 and these figures are projected to reach 16.6% (750,000) by 2021. While back in 1945, only 26% of Māori lived in towns or cities, by 2001 the numbers had risen to 64% of Māori living in the main urban areas – with only 16% remaining in rural areas and many others spread around the globe.

This shift from small supportive communities, to urban life, has had a number of negative affects on Māori as a whole. These include the breakdown of tribal and whānau affiliations, and the loss of land to cultivate and farm – both of which have caused enormous long-term hardship.

Changes to Family

For Aotearoa’s Māori, who treasure whānau (family), whakapapa (kin connections) and unique cultural identity, the affects of colonisation have been devastating – especially in the areas of Te Reo (language), education, housing and living conditions, family support structures and health.

Restoring Language

According to the 2001 census, only one in four Māori were able to speak in Te Reo (the Māori language). With the advent of Māori Television, Māori language immersion classes at all educational levels and nationally supported Māori language promotions, these figures are slowly changing. But to those who promote such programmes, the need for increased usage is essential in keeping Māori language alive today and into the future.

Family Structures

Of the country’s 6,000 prison inmates (approximately), Māori make up more than 40% of the prison population (despite being only about 15% of the total population.) More than half of this prison population are aged below 30 years – years often considered to be the ‘prime’ of life. The impact on Māori through the enforced absence of family members, the loss of income and lack of positive role models for their children, is significant.

Add to this the fact that the general New Zealand population has the third highest rate of one-parent families in the world (after Canada and the UK), and the gaps between the ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots’ becomes even clearer. In 2001, 31% of families had a single parent, a proportion that has been slowly rising. They are distinctly poorer than two-parent families, with most single parents being women (who are, on average, less well paid than men), and about half are in the 20-34 age group.

Living Conditions

The stress on families at the bottom of the economic and social ladder is also reflected by the fact that Māori are more likely to live in rented homes that are of a lower standard than non-Māori. People in South Auckland are most likely to be living in crowded conditions, with Māori (and, statistically, Pacific Islanders) more affected than other groups.

A lack of educational achievement is evident from statistics that show fewer Māori remain at school to 18 years of age than non-Māori. In fact, one quarter of New Zealanders aged 15 or over have no educational qualification at all, making long-term ‘career’ choices difficult – if not impossible. And this, of course, reflects back on low family incomes.

Social Problems

For many of those struggling to survive in a society, the desire for some form of ‘escape’ or distraction is high. And, sadly, levels of alcohol use and gambling tend to reflect this. For example, at least one in three problem gamblers are likely to identify as Māori, yet gaming machines continue to be more often found in poorer areas. Ironically, the proceeds from this gambling are more likely to go to wealthier communities.

Alcohol abuse, as with many indigenous cultures, is another dangerous trap. From 1989-1991, alcohol related deaths in Māori males were 2.2 times the rate of non-Māori males and for Māori women the rate was 2.9 times that of non-Māori women. 4

In 1996, figures suggested that ‘admission and readmission rates for alcohol and drug dependence for Māori males remain twice those of non-Māori, but Māori female admission rates remain low’.5 However more recent figures (released August 1997) record the results from a 1995 survey of Māori drinking patterns, which found that while the median frequency of drinking among Māori was about half that of non-Māori, the actual quantity of alcohol consumed was much higher (almost 200%).6

In 2000, Māori life expectancy was lower than other New Zealanders – 68 for men (compared with 76 for other NZ’ers), and 71 for women (81, for other NZ’ers.) Infant mortality is also higher for Māori than non-Māori – however, the rates are rapidly declining.

With this in mind, it’s not surprising to discover that Māori smoking rates are almost twice those of non-Māori. More Māori (proportionally) die from heart disease, lung cancer and chronic respiratory diseases than non-Māori. Diabetes, meningococcal disease and tuberculosis (particularly among Pacific Island communities), are also rising at alarming rates.

What’s happening outside Aotearoa?

We have to look after each other. We’re indigenous Aborigines – nobody wants us.7

In us you wanted obedient workers, not intellectual minds; so now we’re fighting the system to create more of our kind… under the system you’re a fucking slave, not a man.
Travis Thompson, Hawai'i

I’ve been pacified by the new imperialist God ‘America’ – called ‘Jah America’ – has pacified me so we are now living in an illusion of Americanisation; we are living in the American nightmare.
Mutabaruka, Jamaica

The same long-term effects of colonisation and domination can be seen in other indigenous and immigrant communities around the world… resulting in the same kinds of shocking statistics, although sometimes on an even greater scale.

Dying in ‘Dog Years’

In 1992 the American Psychological Association estimated that young African American males were 11 times more likely to die from homicide than non-African Americans. Homicide is the leading cause of death for young African Americans of both sexes. Juvenile murder rates have almost doubled since 1980. In California, around 950 African Americans are murdered each year, compared to about 800 whites, even though African Americans only make up about 10% of the State’s population.’ Celebrity ex-gangster Sanyika Shakur once boasted 'Where I lived, we lived, we grew and died in dog years.' 8

In his book about the Hip Hop generation9, Bakari Kitwana claims, ’Nearly 50% of America’s prison population is Black.’ He goes on to say: ’with so many Blacks entering and exiting prison [its] influence is inescapable and maps its disruptive impact on the Black family, gender relations, economic and political prospects, health and well-being.’10

What all these statistics tell us, whether from Aotearoa or overseas, is that what lurks below the surface of a ‘civilised’ society is a lack of connection to that society – a sense of being alien in one’s own land. This lack of connection – this need to define an identity that is unique and positive – lies at the core of the colonisation issue. It is also what gives Hip Hop its power to help heal the wounds of colonisation – a power we can all tap into.

Test your knowledge

  • What percentage of the total population did Māori make up in 2001?
  • Why did the shift of Māori from rural to urban areas cause social problems?
  • What percentage of total prison inmates do Māori make up?
  • Describe the age group, income level and make-up of a typical single parent family in Aotearoa 2001?
  • Where in Aotearoa would you most likely find people living in crowded conditions?
  • What are some of the health problems facing Māori and Pacific Island people today?

Extend your thinking

It is often said that the markers of a truly ‘civilised’ society are how they treat their young children and their elderly. How well do you think your own country is doing? What do you think could be done to improve things?

1 Bargh, M. Lecturer in Māori Studies, Victoria University, Wellington. NZ

2 ‘Human Rights and the Treaty of Waitangi – a Qualitative and Quantitative Study [September 2002]’ Human Rights Commission.

3 Unless otherwise indicated, all quoted figures are sourced from ‘Te Ara, the Encyclopedia of New Zealand’
URL: http://www.teara.govt.nz

4 ALAC NZ 'Maori and Alcohol: A History'.

5 Central Regional Health Authority, Te Kite Aronga. Directions. Three Year Strategic Plan for Maori Health 1996-1999. Draft for Consultation (Central Regional Health Authority, Wellington, February 1996), p96.

6 Brendon Dacey, Te Ao Waipiro. Maori and Alcohol in 1995 (Whariki Research Group/Te Whanau o Waipareira Trust, Auckland, 1997), pp. 10-11. J. Douglas Sellman and Terry T. Huriwai, ‘Harm Reduction and the Use of Alcohol by Maori’, Drug and Alcohol Review, 16 (1997), pp85-86.

7 Phyllis Ingram, from ‘Ngā Tahi – Know the Links’, 2003, Kia Kaha Productions.

8 Shaw W. 2000, ‘Westsiders – Stories of the Boys in The Hood’, Bloomsbury, pp101-102.

9 ‘The Hip Hop Generation, Young Blacks and the Crisis in African-American Culture’, B. Kitwana.

10 'Bad Subjects' Review – 2003 Aaron Shuman.