Take a quick look in the mirror, if you have white skin, You Are …Guilty! —Bud Jones

History documentary highlights non-Maori guilt

New Conservative Party deputy leader Elliot Ikilei calls for the immediate cancellation of the seven-part documentary funded by NZ On Air – Land of the Long White Cloud. [NZ Herald story]

“Following on from the tragedy that occurred in March this year, New Zealand was applauded for standing united against hatred. In direct contrast, this documentary has been created to broaden a racial divide and effectively encourage hostility,” observes Elliot Ikilei.

Pakeha guilt concept divides us

The introduction of the documentary refers to “Pākehā guilt,” inferring that all those without any Māori ancestry should bear a burden for the social situations that exist now and should be doing more to create equity.

Mr Ikilei has spent nearly two decades on the frontline with at-risk youth. The experiences he has gathered over the years, highlights the risk of a dialogue that removes accountability and personal responsibility, creating an enemy of those loosely defined with a “pakeha” identity.

Expressing concern about the level of reality and honesty that the documentary has captured, Mr Ikilei calls for balance and caution in the use of taxpayer funds to divide our society into ‘us and them’. 

The theme of the series is appalling

“The theme of this documentary is appalling and damaging to our young people and is effectively educating them to be angry and resentful toward anyone who is not of Māori ancestry,” says Mr Ikilei. “If we are a society where we can proudly say ‘we are one,’ then we must stop funding irresponsible media who are laying blame and raising resentment at the feet of people purely and completely because of the colour of their skin.”

New Conservative is committed to seeing a conclusion to the Treaty settlement process so that all New Zealanders will be able to move forward together.

“New Conservative do not accept that Māori are to be treated as victims and encouraged to be angry, seeing only negatives from our history as a nation,” concludes Mr Ikilei. “Our young people need to be encouraged to succeed, not encouraged to fail due to the current distortion and misrepresentation of the issues we face today.”