Pathways to Transform Institutional (and Everyday) Racism in New Zealand

Abstract

Racism has become a normalised part of New Zealand society despite the governments’ endorsement of human rights treaties and the founding document Te Tiriti o Waitangi. The outcomes of racism manifest as significant and enduring disparities in economic and social well-being outcomes between Māori and non-Māori. New Zealand has a range of strategies that attempt to deal with inequities between population groups and is developing a national human rights plan but currently lacks a coherent national strategy to transform racism. In this paper we offer four pathways to this goal as a contribution to a possible national strategy i) addressing historical racism, ii) improving racial climate, iii) pursuing equity through the application of systems change within public institutions, and iv) mobilising civil society through collective impact.