Thank God

It Can't Happen here

With horror we throw up our hands at the South African Government politics—not so much because we object on principle to an attack on University freedom or the setting up, almost with no attempt at disguise, of a fascist state. After all they are still in the Commonwealth.) We are horrified because racial discrimination is something we cannot tolerate. With self-righteous smugness we point to our success in handling our own natives—once we had bloodily slaughtered many and made sure they were only a minority. At the beginning of the century our curious Anglo-Saxon conscience was upset at the thought that the Maoris were facing extinction—as a result of our actions. Perhaps the only redeeming feature—if it could be considered such—is that we, as far as is known, never tried to poison them off, like rats, as did our equally self-righteous neighbours across the Tasman. Nor are they now being left half nourished and starving in some arid blackblock, after their best land has been seized by the Whites. We even let them play in our All Blacks (except in South African tours)—especially since they are good players. A few even go to University.

How good we are! How we impress our visitors! How carefully we point out to them that we are jolly good fellows and Maori and Pakcha live together as one big happy family—the Pakeha in cities and rich farms, the Maori in Waikikamoukow and small settlements.

A further point of which we are so justly proud is our help, totalling several pounds, to our unfortunate Asian friends, we even give them plenty of advice, free. Naturally though we cannot admit them into this country as permanent citizens—after all they aren't quite like us. With unbounded generosity we welcome a dozen or so to come and study here and carry back to their evious friends stories of our Great Little Land. Once here of course they must fend for themselves—and pity help the poor innocent who thinks that because Apartheid does not, and cannot, exist in this democracy that therefore they will be able to get jobs or board. Recently the "Evening Post" published the story of two coloured students who have been refused lodging and employment because of their skins. "We don't take people like you," they were told But this is not an isolated incident. It is typical of Anglo-Saxons. It is one thing to tolerate the Coloureds, but we can't have them in our houses—especially if we have daughters. The Maori is fine, as long as he keeps in his alloted sphere.

Of all races we are perhaps the most hypocritical. The Romantic races tend to accept skins as they are. The Boers at least are honest about their attitude. But we enjoy the best of both worlds. New Zealand doesn't even have a "White New Zealand" policy like the reactionary Australians we just apply it.

How much do we as individual students do about this? Mostly nothing. At least as a start we could endeavour to make board available invite them to our [unclear: homes] and generally treat them as if they were ordinal human beings.—G.A.W.