?I don?t care if your blue, pink or white with polka-dots,? says Porirua City Council Deputy Mayor Litea Ah Hoi.
?I don?t care if your blue, pink or white with polka-dots,? says Porirua City Council Deputy Mayor Litea Ah Hoi. ?I don?t believe multiculturalism can be accepted until biculturalism is accepted,? she says. Until the race relations between the Tangata Whenua and the Crown improve, other cultures will struggle to be fully accepted, she says. Addressing the ?tokenism? with which Maori culture is treated is one stepping stone towards greater equality. ?Tokenism happens at both local and national government levels, if they really want to impress someone they have a Powhiti and a welcoming, but it doesn?t go beyond that. ?New Zealand is very proud of this aspect, but the relationships don?t extend further.? The PCC was the only local government body to make a formal submission against the Maori seats being dropped in Auckland?s super city. She says the decision to drop them was ?disappointing? and a ?dilemma? for other councils. Being of Chinese and Pacific lineage, Cr Ah Hoi says there are more Asians living in the country than Pacific and Maori combined. ?With all the intermingling there will be very few races in 50 years, we will all be this golden colour ... and all be New Zealanders,? says Cr Ah Hoi. She says Hone Harawira's comments were ?petty? and not helpful to moving the country forward. Lower Hutt Waiwhetu Marae Komatua Te Atiawa wouldn?t comment on Hone Harawira, but says there is a lot of cooperation between Pakeha and Maori. ?It?s a very political area, these things happen in that climate. I would compare [Harawira?s comments] with the [Don Brash?s] Orewa speech and the climate that produced. ?I don?t think it is relevant in the community around New Zealand,? says Te Atiawa. Waiwhetu Marae was disappointed with the recent Port Nicholson treaty settlement for Wellington, because they were in direct talks with the Crown. However, he says any settlement ?for past losses? is part of a growing process in New Zealand. Waiwhetu Marae interacts with the HCC, the district health board, and other local government institutions frequently. ?There is a large degree of acceptance of people here, you have to ask why people come to New Zealand? ?The largest immigration is coming from the British Isles and other parts of Europe, we are a different mix of peoples and with time we will grow to accept that,? says Te Atiawa. Wellington Indian Association president Prakash Soma says on the surface Dwali and Bollywood celebrate the acceptance of Indian culture. He says New Zealand born Indians can be more Kiwi than Scottish people living here who were born in Scotland. ?Wellington is a peaceful place, I am on a local school board and we accept the Treaty of Waitangi, we live and breathe it. ?The treaty talks about biculturalism, and we want to move a step above that, to add to what is there,? says Mr Soma. Respecting all cultures is paramount to creating harmony in New Zealand, he says. ?It?s not good enough to say ?with time? things will get better, this is the 21st Century, there needs to be respect for all cultures equally. ?It?s time to move forward ... everyone has struggled, my grandparents came here as illiterate farmers,? Mr Soma says.
