Apartheid

The whole campaign is redolent of latent apartheid sentiment. The average white New Zealander has always been placidly indifferent to the Maori people. Occasionally some illustrious Maori will come into the limelight, e.g., Maori soldiers in the World Wars. Maori footballers, Maoris outstanding in the fields of art, science, writing, politics, etc., but after the first pleasant little glow of national fellowship the average Kiwi sinks back to apathy.

Suddenly, instead of the terms "New Zealander" and "Kiwi" we hear the old terms "Maori" and "Pakeha." We hear phrases such as "raising the Maori to the pakeha level" or, worse still "raising the Maori to our level."

We hear of cases like the recent problem in Auckland, where three teachers, one a Maori, under the South Auckland Education Board, applied for leave to tour Australia as sports representatives. The Maori was refused leave, but went anyway, was injured early in the season and returned home—to no job. The other two teachers completed the tour, and returned to find their jobs waiting for them.