What have we learnt about racism in Aotearoa New Zealand?

Dr Angel Chan (University of Auckland) and Associate Professor Jenny Ritchie (Victoria University of Wellington)

Originally posted on NZARE |

In our recent publications, we have used Te Tiriti o Waitangi, Indigenous pedagogies of place, and the superdiversity approach to analyse and critique teacher education and early childhood education in Aotearoa and inform pedagogies. These articles aim to promote diversity, inclusion, social justice and cohesion. They also examine the complex relations between Tangata Whenua and migrants, and between biculturalism and multiculturalism. While we have critiqued the assumption of white superiority and the privileges Pākehā have been enjoying, knowingly or unknowingly, the word “racism” does not often appear in our work. This is because 1) ‘race’ is a construct with no basis in science; 2) the various forms of discrimination are interlinked. Someone racist is also likely to be sexist, classist, ableist, anti-Muslim, anti-semitic, and so on – someone who harbours prejudices against anyone different in the way s/he looks (e.g. skin colour), speaks (e.g. accent), acts (e.g. headscarf, turban). These discriminatory attitudes serve to protect one’s self-interest, sense of superiority, power, and privileges.

We write in response to hate crimes/incidents such as the 2019 Christchurch mosque shootings, recognition of racism in our health and policing systems, and the recent Human Rights Commission report on COVID-19-driven racism and xenophobia experiences in Aotearoa. We also highlight some implications for practices. 

Histories of discrimination

Discrimination against Māori and Chinese people in Aotearoa is nothing new. Māori have endured ongoing breaches of Te Tiriti o Waitangi resulting in the widespread loss of lands and language, exclusion from educational opportunities, and socioeconomic marginalisation. A recent analysis found that the impacts of this historical oppression are ongoing:

The findings support the lived reality of Māori that racial and other forms of discrimination are pervasive, and experienced in multiple domains across the life course, representing a persistent breach of rights. It is critical that other forms of discrimination are measured alongside racism in order to understand and address the realities of multiple discrimination for Māori in Aotearoa New Zealand (Cormack, Harris & Stanley, 2019, p. 106).

The Chinese community in Aotearoa have also faced longstanding racism, as seen in the poll tax (1881-1944) on Chinese migrants and other anti-Chinese policies. Chinese were considered the unwelcome ‘aliens’. The arrival of thirteen Chinese females in New Zealand in 1907 sparked discriminatory public concerns - that there would now be New Zealand-born Chinese children and that these children would be raised in the Chinese way (Ip, 2002).  It was not until 2002 that the New Zealand government officially apologised to the Chinese community for the discriminatory poll tax.

The recent resurgence of racism

The 2019 Christchurch mosque attacks is the biggest hate crime in recent history in Aotearoa. One year after the attacks, sociologist Distinguish Professor Paul Spoonley wrote, “Far-right extremists still threaten New Zealand”; and two years after, Law Professor Alexander Gillespie asked, “How much has really changed?” Ironically in 2021, on the same day of the mosque killings, Newshub reported that a Pākehā man told a family to “go back to China” and referenced the Moriori in an attempt to give the family a sadly misguided New Zealand history lesson.

The recent report published by the New Zealand Human Rights Commission, Te Kaikiri me te Whakatoihara i Aotearoa i te Urutā COVID-19: He Aro Ki Ngā Hapori Haina, Āhia Hoki | Racism and Xenophobia Experience in Aotearoa New Zealand during COVID-19: A Focus on Chinese and Asian Communities, reveals an emergence of COVID-specific racism, targeted mainly at Asians, particularly Chinese communities. Tangata Whenua and Pacific Islands respondents also reported COVID-19-related discrimination experiences. 

Some racist attacks are perpetrated by non-Pākehā since anyone can be biased and discriminatory. Still, there is a pattern – people targeted and blamed a specific collective group. The late Cultural Studies scholar Stuart Hall argued that identity is socially and culturally constructed to create boundaries to support inclusion and exclusion. His chapter 'Who Needs Identity?' is particularly relevant for cultural workers such as teachers. As early childhood teacher-educators, we ask: ‘What is the role of teacher education and early childhood education in embracing differences, promoting respect, social justice and cohesion, and preventing further hate crimes in the future, similar to those recently occurring in the United States?’

Translating policies into pedagogies for social justice

All registered New Zealand teachers are now required to demonstrate their engagement with the Teaching Council’s Code and Standards, which call us to attend to human rights and social justice. Furthermore, one of the four core values for the profession is PONO: showing integrity by acting in ways that are fair, honest, ethical and just. The Council’s Code of Professional Responsibility requires teachers to promote and protect the principles of human rights, sustainability and social justice, demonstrate commitment to Tiriti o Waitangi, and foster learners engagement in issues important to the wellbeing of society. Actively countering racism and fostering anti-racist attitudes fall within this purview.

Two recent policies from the Ministry of Education, Ka Hikitia-Ka Hāpaitia and Te Hurihanganui contain a strong focus on the need for teachers to address racism. For example, one of the five key outcomes of Ka Hikitia-Ka Hāpaitia is Te Tangata: Māori are free from racism, discrimination and stigma in education. We believe these anti-discriminatory expectations should be applied to supporting all those social and cultural groups that are often marginalised and subordinated. It is not sufficient that teachers be merely non-discriminatory. They need to be pro-active role models in challenging any forms of negative stereotyping, injustice and bullying, and in encouraging children to do the same. Teachers should create an environment where differences are normalised and celebrated for the richness that they contribute to our learning communities.   

Dr Angel Chan is a senior lecturer at the Faculty of Education and Social Work, University of Auckland. Her teaching and research aim at promoting social justice and cohesion by supporting teachers to develop equitable and inclusive pedagogies to work with diverse families. Her research areas include: early childhood education, culture and identity, sociology of childhood, transnational parenting, critical multicultural education, and superdiversity in education settings.

Dr Jenny Ritchie is an Associate Professor in Te Puna Akopai, the School of Education, at Te Herenga Waka, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. Her research and teaching focus on social, cultural, and ecological justice in early childhood care and education.

Exploring a Future World with Students

Dr Simon Taylor, University of Waikato

Originally posted on NZARE |

School curriculum has been criticised for lacking authenticity in terms of a future focus and having little to do with issues relating to living in a future world. James Dator, a Hawaiian futurist argues that future-oriented thinking should be incorporated into all subjects, and that learning programmes ought to provide opportunities for students to discuss and design their own future. I too, have pondered the question, Do we give students the time, resources, opportunity to identify and pursue their own vision for the future? I believe it is critical that as educators we ensure that every student develops the steps and strategies to not only achieve their dreams but to envision their own future. The following are some examples of how to explore a future world with students.

Learning outside the classroom

Many schools in New Zealand provide education outside the classroom (EOTC) programmes, for example through field trips to museums, industries, shopping centres, and other places in the local community. These environments are used to develop student’s understanding of the past and present world, but I see this as a wonderful opening to envisage a future as well.  There is evidence to show that opportunities to understand a community provide a springboard for effective student interaction, dialogue, and agency to design and create future ideas. We know that students come to school with pre-existing conceptions and misconceptions of what a future could look like, however, new understandings can be developed when students share their views and knowledge about outside-of-school environments. This opportunity is sometimes missed and could easily be incorporated into an outside classroom experience.

Making models

An inquiry process designing and building a diorama model of a future house and community can emphasise communication and argumentation, and this moves students’ thinking forward through specific forms of talk. Diorama modelling can locate the learner in an imaginary habitat, where personal perceptions of scale and role-play are employed as sensory experiences. A key strategy to modelling is to encourage student autonomy and agency, through physical co-construction of a diorama, envisioning homes and a community in which students and their families would want to live in the future. This can probe students’ knowledge in a unique way, using talk and composition as a window into their developing knowledge about their future. The photo below depicts a diorama model designed and built by a group of Year 9 students of how people could live in the year 2100.

Why modelling?

Learning to model a future involves making meaning of representations, and engaging with symbolic depictions of real issues set in real contexts. Modelling is a competency for students to manipulate illusionary spaces where they can develop new solutions through the process. This can open conversations with teachers about the notion of students being future citizens, where they have the opportunity to develop innovative solutions and initiate their own questions.  These strategies provide students with increased opportunities to interact with teachers, peers, experts and scientists, and hence contribute to a shift in power relationships between teachers and students.

Taking action is empowering for young people

Taking personal action to envision a future is to acknowledge that action begins with personal reflection, and where there is awareness of alternative viewpoints through dialogue.  A criticism of some school programmes is that the topics can be heavily focussed on content knowledge and specific skills, rather than giving students an opportunity to explore a range of perspectives involving a real issue or context.  At times, traditional subjects in schools can tend to focus on the content behind the issue, without properly equipping students with the ability to create meaningful action or change in their learning. More in-depth knowledge of an issue does not necessarily create motivation to change a problem. This could create a sense of hopelessness in students. I believe one way for learners to develop competencies to create meaningful change is for them to identify the problem or issue for example: Petrol fuelled cars are to be phased out for the future. Students next steps are to develop an understanding of the root cause of the issue. This often includes societal/cultural/economic factors, or car use behaviour/ public transport perceptions. Students then develop strategies for change involving community/collaborative input. Teachers can explore with students opportunities to encourage cooperation, analyse power relations, and link to political/sociological studies. Finally, students are enabled to develop an alternative vision of the future. Investigating how other cultures/places address issues, can motivate students to enact change close to home.

Developing a preferred future

Rather than ‘doom and gloom’ outlooks, students could develop knowledge from all curriculum areas, and consider a wide range of future scenarios to emphasise that the future is not “fixed” or inevitable. One issue for teachers to address with students is the fact that contemporary and national economic systems are premised on the idea of continued economic growth, in order to keep the cogs of the economy operational.  However, the planet’s resources are limited, and the true environmental costs of current human economic activities, including the costs to future generations and to other species, are not accounted for. Ultimately our current behaviour is not sustainable. This suggests that students and indeed all people, need support to collaborate, create, and envision their preferred futures, and develop their thinking around alternative models for humanity to adapt and thrive in any scenario they are faced with in the future.

Dr Simon Taylor is a Lecturer at the Tauranga campus of the University of Waikato, and he teaches in the secondary initial teacher programme. His research interest lies in the areas of science education, student perspectives in secondary and tertiary environments, futurist learning, youth empowerment and education design.