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blackface

ĀteaDecember 13, 2018

Why is Christchurch Hospital displaying photos of staff in blackface?

blackface

A ‘Christmas tradition’ featuring photos of urology consultants in dark brown makeup and afro wigs has angered members of the public.

It’s at Christmastime that New Zealanders buy more mince pies and glazed cherries. It’s at Christmastime that New Zealand’s spirit lifts. And it’s at Christmastime, apparently, that New Zealanders get back into blackface. Zwarte Piet, the Dutch folklore character, has long divided opinion around the world and only recently was discontinued at New Zealand Christmas parades, though he still made an appearance in Rotorua last weekend. But while “traditionalists” bring up the long history of Zwarte Pete in defence of its blackface, other New Zealanders have been enjoying the racist practice on their own, just for fun.

Every year, the urology department of Christchurch Hospital dresses up thematically for a Christmas staff photo. Themes have been wide-ranging, from James Bond, to Survivor, to the royal family, to American politics. The images are well-curated – clearly a lot of effort has been put into them – and are currently on public display in a level three hallway of Christchurch Hospital.

Included in the display of more than a dozen images from past years are:

A New Zealand politics themed photo from 2011, featuring ‘politicians’ from each political party. The woman representing the Māori Party wears dark brown makeup, a long, black wig, a woven handbag, and poi around her neck.

An American politics themed photo from 2016, featuring the Obamas and the Trumps. The man and woman ‘acting’ as Michelle and Barack are white and wearing very dark makeup over their faces and arms. The man is wearing a black afro wig. Two young ‘Mexican’ men kneel at the front wearing ponchos, sombreros, and fake moustaches. One holds a cactus.

An Indian themed photo from an unknown year. The whole group wears traditional Indian sarees, including the men. They pose in an approximation of an Indian dance.

A member of the public, who wishes to remain anonymous, sent The Spinoff photographs of the display after being disgusted by some of the imagery. The person, a former DHB staffer, had been alerted to the display by a friend. “I was really shocked at first and thought [they] must be exaggerating,” they told The Spinoff. “When I saw the pictures for myself I was really appalled. I couldn’t believe they were displayed in a public hallway and printed out proudly in the form of Christmas cards and even a calendar.”

The urology staff members featured in the images are all Pākehā, including the woman in dark makeup as a generic Māori Party leader. The joke, if you could call it that, is all the more cruel given its display in the hallway that leads to the dialysis centre, where those with renal failure have appointments. In this 2015 report, it was stated that “the number of people starting dialysis each year is staying the same for New Zealand European patients, and continuing to increase for Māori and Pacific patients.”

The hallway on the third floor of Christchurch Hospital

The former DHB employee who sent through the images said that such pride in what is at best an unfunny joke – and at worst serious cultural disrespect and racism – is inexcusable for anyone, but particularly those in the health sector. “I find it difficult to understand how specialist medical professionals who would have been involved in academic studies for decades would not at some point have been educated about the effect of racism and unconscious bias on health and would not have the emotional intelligence to realise that dressing up in blackface is offensive.”

The urology department at Christchurch Hospital has not responded to requests for comment.

There are all sorts of questions that need to be asked, and answered, when seeing such smug displays of ignorance from some of New Zealand’s most educated individuals. The lack of diversity on staff becomes shockingly apparent when images likes these are able to not only be planned, but executed without hurdle. For the former DHB staffer, the actions of the urology department at Christchurch Hospital are shocking, but not surprising.

“It’s hard for some to see the link between the Māori patient getting renal dialysis in their 40s and the photos in the hallway next door of a white person dressed in blackface mocking a member of the Māori Party, but it’s there and it is a symptom of something that’s very wrong with New Zealand.”

UPDATE: Urology Associates have responded with a statement, presented below in full.

“Each year since 1996, Urology Associates [A private urology practice in Christchurch] staff create a unique photo-shopped/cartoon-style image that is designed to be humorous and topical and on occasion pick up on political themes that were in the news that year.

We regret that some of these images, displayed in a corridor in a staff-only area at Christchurch Hospital have caused offence, and were removed as soon as it was brought to our attention that someone found them offensive and disrespectful.

We apologise for any offence caused.”


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L-R: Hau Botanicals wāhine body oil, Tukau Legacy’s Mana i te Whenua crew, Rewa Rosé méthode traditionnelle from Tohu wines.
L-R: Hau Botanicals wāhine body oil, Tukau Legacy’s Mana i te Whenua crew, Rewa Rosé méthode traditionnelle from Tohu wines.

ĀteaDecember 10, 2018

Kirihimete gift guide: how to support Māori businesses and makers this Christmas

L-R: Hau Botanicals wāhine body oil, Tukau Legacy’s Mana i te Whenua crew, Rewa Rosé méthode traditionnelle from Tohu wines.
L-R: Hau Botanicals wāhine body oil, Tukau Legacy’s Mana i te Whenua crew, Rewa Rosé méthode traditionnelle from Tohu wines.

Need some last minute Christmas present ideas? Why not support Māori-owned business while you’re at it? 

Cards, prints, art and stationary

There are lots of artists and designers making beautiful products that not only look great but also showcase te reo Māori.

Tuhi make planners, and maramataka journals to record your low and high energy days, and the best days for gardening and fishing.
Okāri make delightful stationary and gift cards with greetings in te reo.
Aho Creative have prints and designs for pēpi and the family showcased on muslin, cushions and other creature comforts.

 

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Lazy days on the softest of cottons. Our Te Putake Wrap in a dusky coral.

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Check out Mahi Toi  for artworks and prints for your walls, made by artist Spencer Bellas, and B. Waipuka who stock the amazing NIU Oracle cards – a combination of Tarot and the ancient tradition of casting rākau.

‘You’re the kina to my rewana bread’ card from okarimaori.co.nz.

Books

Māori owned and run publisher Huia books have a range of 2018 fiction and non-fiction titles for adults and kids. We love the new fantasy Flight of the Fantail and the kids’ adventure Whetū Toa & The Magician by Steph Matuku, The Bomb/Te Pohu by Sacha Cotter and Critical Conversations in Kaupapa Māori by Te Kawehau Hoskins and Alison Jones for the academic in your life.

2018 has been an awesome year for Māori poets: Check out Tayi Tibble’s Poūkahangatus, Ben Brown’s Between the Kindling & the Blaze, Tātai Whetū: Seven Māori Women Poets in Translation edited by Maraea Rakuraku and Vana Manasiadis, or Star Waka by Robert Sullivan.

Anahera Press is another independent publisher with many excellent titles, including Rāwāhi by Briar Wood.

The Bridget Williams Books BWB Texts series make great stocking stuffers: Rebuilding the Kāinga: Lessons from Te Ao Hurihuri by architect Jade Kake; Māui Street, a collection of writing from socio-political commentator Morgan Godfery, and Ko Taranaki Te Maunga, a personal telling of the story of Parihaka by Rachel Buchanan.

BWB have also released the first volume of Tāngata Ngāi Tahu: People of Ngāi Tahu edited by Helen Brown and Takerei Norton,

We recommend you take The Imaginary Lives of James Pōneke by award-winning author Tina Makereti along to the beach this summer, a gripping fictional historical account of Māori travelling to Britain in colonial times.

L-R: Poūkahangatus by Tayi Tibble, The Bomb by Sacha Cotter, Tāngata Ngāi Tahu

Jewellery and gifts

Hapa NZ  and Kura Gallery sell a range of sensational jewellery and gifts on behalf of Māori artists, as well as some non-Māori and international makers. There is so much excellent work by local artisans to be found on both sites.

Clockwise from top: whale bone huia beak by Gareth McGhie, Kōhatu brooch by Keri-Mei Zagrobelna, Kapa Haka Haere and Kapa Haka Poi earrings by Tania Tupu. http://www.kuragallery.co.nz

Oak and Acorn are a father/daughter design duo who make awesome wooden rings and earrings from swamp kauri and other timbers.

Courtney Marama of Marama Jewellery makes incredibly refined pieces with pounamu and gemstones. She’ll be having open days at her studio in Cambridge in the weeks leading up to Christmas.

Or check out the brightly coloured pieces and the awesome Tangata Whenua belt from brand new collective Te Lab.

For independent jewellery and taonga makers, weavers and carvers, obviously te ao Māori has an embarrassment of riches and this is by no means an exhaustive lists. Research the makers in your rohe and buy directly.

Clothing

Hine is a cool women’s activewear range run by inspirational, body positive wāhine. We love the deep, wine red leggings.

Tukau Legacy have a range of bilingual and te reo prints on bags, clothes, coolers and more, and Reo Way make cool basics with kupu Māori in simple, clean designs.

Koukou Creations sell a sweet range of cheeky prints, calendars, homeware and kākahu. Check out the Tūtira Mai Ngā Iwi jumpers.

Designer Adrienne Whitewood applies bold prints to dresses, shirts, shawls, jumpers and more, and also stocks a fantastic range of other items such as poi, posters and postcards, and kete by Maria Mclean as well as a unique range of stockings.

Taniko long poi from adriennewhitewood.com

At the higher end, designer Kiri Nathan and carver Jason Nathan sell very special pieces if you wanted to impress that special someone.

Delicious things

Delicious things are never a bad present.

ĀIO Botanical Teas not only taste great but look lovely too.

High quality honey is always a welcome treat, and Aotearoa is spoiled for choice and quality from whānau and iwi-owned honey makers. Try Kai Ora mānuka honey from the Far North, Oha honey from Ngāi Tahi or Manawa Honey from Ruatāhuna.

Manaaki‘s Kawakawa Jelly, Kamokamo Pickle and Horopito and Lemon sauce make great gifts – all handmade by the aunties of Omaka marae.

Wine is always welcome as a Christmas treat too.

Tuku wines is a collective is made up of Māori owned wine companies: Te Pā Family Vineyards, Tiki Wine & Vineyards, Bird Wines, Kuru Kuru Wines, and Ostler Wine. That means a huge range of varieties.

For something truly festive you can’t go past the Rewa range of  Méthode Traditionnelle from Tohu wines of Te Tau Ihu, who have been blazing the way for iwi-owned wine for a while.

Tohu wines Rewa méthode traditionnelle.

Homeware

Keo make small batch earthenware, homeware and adornments. We’re in love with the ceramic ipu and horoi soap dishes.

 

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Some simple soap dishes heading to market tomorrow ? + Side view detail #horoi

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Taputapu create te reo Māori homeware for your whare. The tī, kawhe and mairo jars are an essential for your pantry.

Taiao Tribe (formerly Eco Society) eco subscription packs are a great gift for families – a monthly subscription box containing eco-friendly products from tooth brushes to pegs to chocolate.

Taiao Tribe eco box. Image: Facebook

Skincare and fragrances

It seems many small businesses are channelling the matauranga of their ancestors and putting knowledge of our native plants into practise with all natural skincare products.

Shaquille Whatarangi’s Pureora skincare range has lovely face masks and balms. Hau Botanicals, made by Mahuru Wilcox, sell a smaller but stunning range of body oils and balms.

Iho sell healing blends of essential oils, and Noa have a unique range of natural deodorants, sunscreen and muscle rub. The popular Frankie Apothecary range has Christmas packs of soaps, scrubs and oils.

L-R: Pureora Rose & Chammomile toner, Hau Botanicals wāhine body oil, Frankie Apothecary kūmarahou and kawkawa shampoo bar.

For something a bit fancy, Tiffany Jeans of Curio Noir makes intoxicating candles and fragrances in her Auckland store.

You maye seen the Aotea range of wellness tonics. They also make skincare such as mānuka oil, kumarahou soap and kawakawa balm.

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Got some more tips for Māori businesses and creators we should check out this Christmas? Head to our Facebook page and let us know.