PRESS RELEASE
Marama Fox and Te Ururoa Flavell
Māori Party Co-Leaders
21 March 2017
Kaupapa Māori can stop institutional racism
Embedding kaupapa Māori across the public sector, for at least one generation, is the only way institutional racism in
Aotearoa will be eliminated.
That’s the message from the Māori Party which is using today, International Day for the Elimination of Racial
Discrimination, to reinforce its plan to rid the country of the institutional racism that has burdened generations of
Māori.
“The Māori Party has a vision of a thriving Aotearoa where Māori families are recognised for their value and there are
no gaps between them and others New Zealanders,” said Māori Party co-leader Marama Fox.
“We know institutional racism exists, multiple research studies by Māori and non-Māori academics have proven it. The
disparity that continues, tell us that.
“What we need to focus on now is pin-pointing where the problems are, weeding them out and replacing them with a fresh
way of thinking – a kaupapa Māori way of thinking – that’ll add value for Māori and the nation,” said Ms Fox.
Māori Party co-leader Te Ururoa Flavell said making te reo Māori a core subject in schools, teaching Māori history in
schools and delivering cultural competency workshops throughout the public sector were just some ways that would rid
Aotearoa of institutional racism.
“There are many aspects of kaupapa Māori such as te reo Māori, rangatiratanga, manaakitanga, whanaungatanga and
kaitiakitanga that offer solutions to systematic problems in this country, including institutional racism,” said Mr
Flavell.
Institutional racism is a form of discrimination that has become established as normal behaviour within a society or
organisation. In recent times it has been described as ‘unconscious bias’ and ‘casual racism.’
See file attached for examples of kaupapa Māori.