Paper Race Relations

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31075, 2 June 1966, Page 14

Paper Race Relations

To most people real ionships between Maoris and Pakehas existed only on paper, Mr C. M. Bennett, Assistant Secretary of Maori Affairs, told a meeting of the Friends of Te Wai Pounamu College in Christchurch last evening. If the relationships were to have meaning and substance, there was need for a two-way process not the one-way process it was largely now with the pakeha expecting the Maori to absorb the pakeha culture at the expense of his own. New Zealand's philosophy and practice of race relations were held in such high esteem overseas that some countries had an exaggerated opinion of them, Mr Bennett said. The one-way process of expecting the Maori to absorb the pakeha culture was both dangerous and wrong. One of

the main obligations of New Zealand citizens was to give more substance to race relations by pakehas lending a practical hand and accepting that they needed to go more than half-way to help the Maori integrate into the pakeha culture. At present the Maori was making more effort than the pakeha in the task of “transforming two races into one people” through his efforts in education. In that sphere there was a need for a practical helping hand for the Maori novice in Western culture.

One of the most exciting developments in education was the growing interest by Maori parents in pre-school education. Five or six years ago pre-school education was almost unknown, but now it was doing a great deal for Maori children who were culturally and liguistically handicapped. Other changes included the drop in truancy and absenteeism among Maori school children, and the growing number going to school at five instead of six.

If a free flow of social contacts was wanted there had to be representatives of both races in each stratum of society. He would not call what existed in New Zealand society class distinction, but it was a grouping of “like to like,” Mr Bennett said.

The need to ensure an equal distribution on the occupational ladder was a problem, and the logical steps of overcoming this by moving people up educatiohally step by step was being undertaken by Government departments. The major advances in housing had also had a very noticeable effect on Maori parents and had resulted in changed attitudes towards work and health of the family. He hoped that something concrete would be done towards understanding of Maori culture, Mr Bennett said. He suggested the use of Maori motifs by architects, the teaching of Maori as a core subject in schools, and the use of Maori fairy tales in place of those from Holland and Germany.