ACT MP Dr Parmjeet Parmar believes Māori and Pasifika study spaces at Universities is a form of segregation and that there is no need for them. She sits down for a kōrero with Cameron Bennett.
Thanks for doing this interview. It would have been good to have a panel with a AU Maori student who can share their experience of being 18-20yo probably away from home for the first time in a large competitive academic university where only 13% of students look and sound like you. I went to AU in the late 80s and we had spaces in the Student Union Buildings B Block run wholly for and by students funded by the compulsory student association fees. Later I worked at various universities and these spaces are slowly disappearing. It’s more difficult to maintain social and cultural support systems on campuses especially when the stress of exams and assignments kicks in. Maybe a contributing factor to the dismal attendance to lectures many unis are experiencing.
I got a degree at Auck Uni. I've asked to disassociate from them because of their apartheid policies. I've also met with Dr Parmar when she was a Nat MP, and respect her.
@@antmanatthemoment7233 I'd laugh. I'd also question it because I'd be intensely curious as to why. Not unlike what's been happening with this issue. I would be expecting a serious answer.
Can non-Maori/ Pacifika students sit in these spaces? If they have a friend/s who are M/P could you go sit and study with them in such spaces? for example.
Yes. It's just a safe space for people who face historical and ongoing discrimination and victimization because of their race. That's all it is, a safe space.
It was most definitely a debate - not a free spiel that doesn't go unchallenged. Dr Parmjeet Parmar was able to share her thoughts and concerns in length.
Do Māori & pasifika engage with their education through their stories which they elucidate through their songs? Is it socially acceptable to sing in libraries or easy for them to learn in noisy campus outdoor spaces? Does paying a tuition entail a student access to learning spaces? Is this even an issue? - these are the questions I would ask the lady.
I wonder how she would feel about other cultural spaces which UoA has and has always had. Asian community groups (Chinese, Korean, Japanese etc). But it must be the Maoris and PIs dont fund Act or National party so they continue to attack the poor.
Like entering another persons home, you enter only with their permission to come in and when you do so on their terms (which is a privilege not a given)you do grow to understand differences as well as compatibilities. I get what is being said here, we are very multicultural but we also need to acknowledge our early N.Z history which particularly in the education space has not always been kind to young Maori. Combine this with the rich cultural diversities we currently have, there is a place for all of it here.
I’ve never found an LGBT 🏳️🌈 space when attending higher learning. Do I deserve one because I’m gay and our community has been historically oppressed…? 😂
Her position on the matter precludes historical context, cultural identity, education and empowerment, inclusivity, and the supportive environment that those spaces create.
Goodness Cameron, give it a rest. The woman explained in the first five minutes. What part of 'lets not separate our people on the basis of race' do you not understand?
Does she think that by allowing other students in they'll somehow be exposed to Maori culture? Like are they going to do a karanga for them or something😭🤣 those Maori and pasifika students are just that they're students, they shouldn't have to teach others bc they're not teachers. And why all of a sudden to people care enough about learning about Maori and pasifika culture to the point of calling to remove Maori and pasifika spaces bc they don't feel included???? Mind boggling.
@@dobbynp I went to a cafe in Remuera today. The white people looked angry and repulsed at my presence. I was well dressed and friendly in work uniform. I'm telling you, racism is a disease.
Why would you feel the need for a cultural "safe space" when your culture is literally inextricably woven into the very fabric of this country's existence? It's not as if your basic human rights to free speech and freedom of expression have been outlawed, and you can't congregate freely. Any areas which by design create separation, divisiveness, exclusivity on a cultural/ethnic basis simply actively encourage and allow hatred and mistrust to flourish. The powers that be want the world distracted and at each other's throats. Makes the practice of divide and rule much easier. May God Bless You And Yours 🇮🇪🇮🇹✌🏼
the space is designed for cultural safety form racist attackers but all people are welcome there on the understanding that the space has requirements of respect and anti-racism.
Does go along with muslim communitity, asain community and pasifica, having their own reps as they want them, this is home, we have one rep per for everyone, go back where they came from if the they want to live to their customs and culture
Inclusivity is not precluded by providing safe spaces for Maori people as the spaces do not exclude or segregate others. Instead, they complement broader diversity and inclusion efforts on campus and promote dialogue, understanding, and collaboration across different cultural and ethnic groups.
The general public didn't know about this, nor cared. ACT used it to thrust racial politics into the spotlight, as they are oft to do. I oppose ACT and I definitely oppose ACT pulling bullshit like this.
ACT are Neo Liberalists. They want to Privatise everything. Make Aotearoa into a Business .... not a Country. They opposed 3Waters because they want to grab it for themselves. Tangata Whenua are the ones who are standing in the way of their Capitalist evil. :/
No one has excluded other people from 'getting in that space' Parmjeet. Erica said that she herself has been in there. You are race-baiting, when you use words like 'segregation'. Stop playing dumb and stop dumping on tangata whenua :(
My mrs was excluded from this area studying with this group and having no other group to belong to she completed her degree alone. Erica is maori, hence why she was allowed in the space. I am also maori by the way but there is no maori only areas on my building site
@AngieSainty fair, there is probably nothing I can do to convince you I'm not lying, but this is the truth 😂 I may be wrong about Eric's but I thought I'd heard her say it in the past
@@michaeloxlarge4345 You said Erica is Maori, with all certainty. Why did you do that? Did you not 'do your own research' And I find it hard to believe your 'Mrs' did her degree on her own. Uni is inclusive of students. What did she study?
@@michaeloxlarge4345 Are you mixing Erica up with Casey Costello? You shouldn't say things that are not true, just because you 'heard' it from somewhere. Disinformation is the scourge of social media. There is such a thing as 'duty of care'. . :./ ACT is making something out of nothing and yes, I think you are lying about your 'Mrs' not being allowed in that Space. :/ What was her reason for wanting to be in there? Maori would not exclude her for wanting to learn and socialise. It is your word against mine ... and yes, there is no way of proving that you are telling the truth, unless I talked to you and your wife, face to face. You give Anecdotal examples. :/
What’s wrong with a little racial segregation - I mean everyone thought it was a great idea in apartheid South Africa and the Jim Crow era of the Southern USA right?
New Zealand has such a high South african population due to immigration due to apartheid that there are actually more South Africas and Chinese combined then Maori. So shouldnt THAT tell you that kind of segregation isnt welcome here? My parents moved to NZ when pregnant with me just to escape that, you're extremely ignorant.
The concept of safe spaces for specific racial or ethnic groups is not inherently racist. Safe spaces are intended to provide support, affirmation, and a sense of belonging for individuals who may face systemic discrimination or marginalization based on their racial or ethnic identity. Furthermore, it's essential to recognize that addressing systemic racism and promoting equity often involves creating spaces and initiatives that acknowledge and address the unique challenges faced by marginalized communities, including indigenous peoples like the Maori. These efforts are part of broader initiatives aimed at creating more just and inclusive societies
What say does she have for Pasfika and Maori students? Like, is she Maori or Pacific Islander? How does she, an Indian, have a say for the totally opposite minority. What if the sign was a survey or smthing else that wasn’t intentionally racist!? Come on, you aren’t supposed to be in this convo. (Not sexist don’t worry) She says it matters about the thinking of the students. Basically she’s saying that the thinking of the students matter which she’s right about, but her opinion doesn’t matter, and I don’t respect it either. Like does she know what the sign was intended?
There is so much talking across on each other and not engaging in the points. Heres the issue with race-separated spaces by state sponsored places like universities: - you automatically think "an us and them mentality" . - there is not an equal opportunity for other races to engage in that space by definition. - it validates a racist idea that maori and pasifika can't do anything themselves and need institutions to give them special privileges, which actually stigmatizes the races more (btw im part maori). This just isn't a well thought out idea to morally deal with racial differences full stop. As for the points, the interviewer brought up. We have womens spaces to protect them from men. Like how we have segragated bathrooms. Most guys could care less if a woman came into the mens bathroom, but the same could not be said for the opposite. About lgtb seperated places, i think that's inherently wrong too based on the points before. Gotta be consistent here. Praying spaces aren't based on inalienable characteristics. Instead, they are based on belief systems, so its not an apples to apples comparison. Beliefs are decisions on moral ideas and not based on skin color or sex or sexual orientation. To sum it all up, if you want your own space with people who look like you, dont go asking the taxpayer to sponsor it. Set up private places instead.
There are other spaces for cultural identity at Uni .... why are Tangata Whenua and Pacific Islanders being targeted? I ask you that. We live in the Pacific. What country does this Indian born Doctor thinks she lives in?
@AngieSainty i hear you, and if there are any spaces, and I mean any, that are separated based on racial reasons, I think that's inherently wrong. White, brown, and every color in between. The reason this has been brought up is because there are many in nz who think this is okay for this to happen if the person comes from a minority background. While there was obvious discrimination in the past against Maori and Pasifika, I truly believe present discrimination is just not the answer to try to balance the scales. It breeds comptemt.
Maori lived well into there 100s before europians arived and we didint know what sickness was untill europian set foot we now have the worst stats regarding health from cancer strokes to heart attacks and the list go's on maori men are lucky to live into there 60s and females into there 70s europians are alot more immune to the europian way of life and live longer that is a fact. the food we now eat cemicals in almost everything to the edictions we face and the sickneses we try to combat It will take many genorations to improve maori health we need maori wards in Aotearoa New Zealand its not about having more rights then any other or being separate. maori doctors who have been taught from the best Europian doctors of the world can make huge changes in maori health its also a place were maori are together on there healing journey and dont feal alone we all have comfort in our own people caring for us and its what we need Sorry for the miss spelling hope you can read it lol all said with love and hope some might get a better understanding from one maori point of view lets unite but respect each others culture take care
