6. TE URUROA FLAVELL (Māori Party—Waiariki) Link to this
to the Minister of Justice
Has he received a definition of “institutional racism” from the Human Rights Commission following the complaint from Ngāti Uenuke-kōpako regarding a decision of the Rotorua District Council; if so, what was that definition?
Hon MARK BURTONTe Ururoa Flavell Link to this
Would the Minister agree with the 1986 Labour Government policy document Pūao-te-ata-tū - Daybreak, which stated that the most insidious and destructive form of racism was institutional racism; if so, what evidence can he see of changes having been made to Government institutions to remove that blight from our society?
I have not read the document recently, but, generally, yes, I agree that institutional racism is an insidious form of racism. Huge changes have been made in the intervening period since that document.
Te Ururoa Flavell Link to this
Is the Minister aware—obviously not—that Pūao-te-ata-tū - Daybreak describes the differences between Māori and non-Māori across a range of indicators, such as life expectancy and prison admissions, as being a picture of “crisis proportions”, and what response does he have to the fact that 20 years on the picture remains either unchanged or more dire?
There are many social indicators, and first among them, perhaps—and certainly the one that drove me to stand for election to this House—was the blight of unemployment on many families. I can say to the member that that negative statistic has been radically driven down. Is there room for even further improvement? Yes, and this Government is committed to that.
Te Ururoa Flavell Link to this
Is the Minister aware that Ngāti Uenuke-kōpako is considering a request for a cultural audit of the Rotorua District Council in order to address institutional racism, and would he consider the Human Rights Commission to be an appropriate entity to undertake this audit?
In answer to the first part of the question, I was not aware of that, and in answer to the second part, I say that it is entirely for the Human Rights Commission to consider any such approach made to it.