I'm ashamed to be a New Zealander.

For my non-New Zealand readers, Paul Henry is a prominent New Zealand TV current affairs host, known for his controversial remarks. He has just been stood down from his Breakfast show for the latter of two incidents: first he pronounced Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit's name, despite being told it is said "Dixit". He also said the name "Dick Shit" is "so appropriate" because she is Indian. He repeatedly called her "the dip shit woman" and "Dick Shit", going on to state that "it's so appropriate, because she's Indian, so she'd be dick-in-shit wouldn't she, do you know what I mean? Walking along the street... it's just so funny." He mocked her relentlessly, laughing and saying it over and over over. 

Secondly, in an interview with NZ Prime Minister John Key, he asked him if Indian-origin Governor-General, Sir Anand Satyanand, was "even a New Zealander" and whether the next governor-general would "look and sound like a New Zealander". This provoked hundreds and hundreds of complaints to the Broadcasting Standards Authority. There were protests and multiple online groups set up both praising and opposing Paul Henry, and people saying they would boycott TVNZ until they sacked/brought back Paul Henry to TV.

Soon after the incident was publicised, TVNZ, and a lot of (white) NZers, bombarded the internet saying

'He is only saying what we are all thinking. Get over it.'

Since when did Paul Henry speak for me?

If the majority of New Zealand thinks you must be WHITE to be a 'real' New Zealander, then I am ashamed to be a New Zealander.

If being a New Zealander means mocking non-English names, then I am ashamed to be a New Zealander.

if being a 'New Zealander' means believing and vocalising that people of other races and colours are not New Zealanders, even if they are born and raised here, then I am really ashamed to be a New Zealander. 

More than anything, I am ashamed to be a white New Zealander. My ancestors came to New Zealand on a boat from England in the 1840s. Whether your parents came to New Zealand on a plane twenty years ago makes you no less of a New Zealander than I am. You call New Zealand home? Cool. Same. 

I believe in freedom of speech, I do. So it makes it worse that Paul Henry is on a publically-funded channel, where many New Zealanders of all colours and races and background, pay him to spawn his remarks.  Once I was picked up by a racist as guy when hitchhiking. He ranted at me and Wilbur about killing immigrants. But that was in his own car. Still sickening, but not PAID FOR BY ME. NOT endorsed by government. The fact that TVNZ would defend him makes it more the worse.

In the last census, where it asked for my ethnicity, I didn't tick 'NZ European/Pakeha' like a white-girl-with-English-ancestors-way-back girl is meant to do, instead I ticked 'other' and wrote 'New Zealander'. People said I was being pretentious. But this whole 'what a New Zealander is' topic needs some discussion. I, nor my family, feel no affiliation with England. (I personally think NZ should become a republic, but that is a whole other discussion) I am a New Zealander. Where my ancestors come from, I see, is irrevelant. I was born here and educated here. So was the Governor-General. Oh, he looks Indian? Cool. We both call New Zealand home. 

(I met the Governor-General at the NZ Schools' Debating Champs last year, and he was also surrounded by ignorant racism. In the 'thank-yous-and-memories' speeches at the end, one high-school debater gave a speech full of racist, embarrassing comments.. personal stuff too, about his Middle Eastern coach being a terrorist etc. and worse. We were in the House of Government, entry-by-security-list only, in the presence of the GOVERNOR-GENERAL (higher than the Prime Minister) and this happened. In the end people started ringing bells to stop it. There were a lot of shocked faces. It was bad, bad, bad.

After this happened, I was standing in a small group with Udayan, my debating coach, who is Indian , and the Governor-General, Sir Anand, who is Fijian-Anglo-Indian also. From what I recall, Udayan asked Sir Anand, or apologised about it, or something. I have never forgotten what he said.

'Well, if you permit freedom of speech, you have to be prepared for the smörgåsbord that comes with it.'

I was surprised by how well he took it. But that racism was coming from a 17-year-old high school student, not an established TV host being funded by the public and government of New Zealand.)


NEW ZEALAND SORT IT OUT.