Race relations complaint over advt for Maori

Press, 17 December 1986, Page 37

Race relations complaint over advt for Maori

PA Wellington A formal complaint has been lodged with the Race Relations Office over a Housing Corporation decision to advertise for a Maori assistant advisory officer. The corporation, however, says it is quite prepared to defend its decision under the Race Relations Act. The Race Relations Office, meanwhile, is preparing a statement on the whole area of advertising guidelines which it will release, along with a pamphlet, early next year.

The Porirua branch of the corporation is advertising for a “Maori person” to join a team concentrating mainly on Maori housing issues. The newspaper advertisement says the per-

son must therefore be acceptable to iwi (people, tribe) of the Porirua to Otaki area, preferably be fluent in Maori, and be well versed in local kawa (etiquette, protocol). A senior management advisory officer, Ms Chris Grove, said a pakeha would not be appointed to the post as the corporation was seeking a person expert in Maori language, culture and housing. It was a specialist job for a person from the same ethnic group. However, said Ms Grove, being a Maori was not enough on its own and the issue being emphasised was not skin colour but the culture the person came from.

Ms Grove said the decision to advertise for a Maori in the circum-

stances was legally arguable under section 5 (3) of the Race Relations Act.

This says that nothing in the section shall apply in respect of the employment of any person for which persons of a particular ethnic or national origin have or are commonly found to have a particular qualification or aptitude.

Ms Groves said the corporation was quite prepared to argue the issue, believing it had a wellreasoned case.

A legal adviser to the Race Relations Office, Ms Prue Kapua, said she could not give a decision as to whether the position came within section 5 (3). She said she could not predetermine the issue but, arguably, it came within the provision.

She said there had been cases of advertisements for an Indian chef and a Chinese waitress, among others. Complaints have been received about those advertisements, as well as for the Housing Corporation one.

Ms Kapua said there had been an increase in recent times in the number of advertisements asking for Maori advisory officers.

She said the office would issue a pamphlet as a guideline on advertising and would make a statement about the whole area early next year.

The Housing Corporation advertisement would now have to be dealt with as a formal complaint, Ms Kapua said.