Māori are portrayed as having rights or benefits denied to others in a way that is unfair and racist. Current “New Zealanders” should not be held accountable for the grievances created by the treatment of Māori in the pasts.
Cues
Special treatment, Treaty/grievance industry, the past is the past, taxpayer funds, Māori Parliamentary seats, Māori All Blacks, Māori admission schemes, Māori scholarships.
Examples
• “Spirituality or special treatment?” New Zealand Herald headline, October 12, 2004.
• “National's ETS [Emission Trading Scheme] to include special treatment for Maori” 3 News headline, November 16, 2005.
Assumptions
• Colonisation was in the past and no longer has a negative impact on Māori.
• Society’s structures and institutions benefit everyone equally.
• Fairness is a Kiwi value; Kiwis dislike any group being unfairly privileged.
Effects
• Masks the unfair and unequal effects of society’s structures and institutions.
• Deflects attention away from Pākehā control of wealth and politics.
• Masks the very limited nature of Treaty settlements compared to the real value of resources taken from Māori.
• Portrays arrangements that ensure Māori participation as being unjust or racist.
Alternatives
• Explore Pākehā power in the area under discussion.
• Acknowledge the role of tangata whenua and the Treaty relationship.
• Describe action to reduce Māori disadvantage in context, acknowledging that past injustices have ongoing effects.
