Today is a day to celebrate our multicultural landscape, but it’s crucial we remember the hatred that made it necessary, writes race relations commissioner Meng Foon.

Today we mark Race Relations Day for the 19th time. It’s a moment to celebrate the more than 200 ethnicities living here. That number is a sign that Aotearoa welcomes diversity, with people from all over the world now calling this country home. The multicultural landscape is a strength, each community adding to the rich tapestry of Aotearoa, with the unique flavour, innovation and international connections they bring.  

It speaks to this year’s Race Relations Day theme: “Whiria te muka tāngata – flourishing interwoven communities of Aotearoa New Zealand”. Muka, the prepared flax fibre renowned for its strength for weaving, represents a common thread tying everyone together. There is a necessary balance of both recognising the commonality of our humanity while simultaneously valuing the uniqueness of our differences. 

Over the last few days events have been held across the country doing just this, highlighting how much positivity and light can come from an inclusive society.   

However, it is crucial to recognise the darkness from which Race Relations Day originated. This date was chosen to capture the anniversary of South Africa’s Sharpeville Massacre that saw 69 black protesters killed by police in 1960 during a peaceful demonstration. Racism and the apartheid system were the cause of those killings and they prompt us to look at ourselves.  

Here in New Zealand, we have had our own recent experiences of evil falling around this date. A little under a week ago we marked the third anniversary of the terror attacks against the two Ōtautahi masjidain that have brought to attention many of the issues we continue to face. These atrocious acts were rooted in Islamophobia and white supremacy that were permitted to reach murderous levels despite previous warnings from many both within and outside the Muslim community.   

At the time, the Imam of the Masjid Al Noor Mosque, one of the two places of worship targeted, said the Royal Commission of Inquiry report had confirmed authorities had been overly suspicious of the Muslim community instead of protecting it. Gamal Fouda told reporters that many had known for a long time that the Muslim community had been targeted with hate speech and hate crimes. We must heed warnings and fears expressed by vulnerable and marginalised groups if we are to avoid such tragedies in the future. We must continue to defend the rights of all to their culture, language, religion and belief and to a life of dignity for all. 

Historically, much of our race relations discourse has been around the treatment of tangata whenua, and validly so. During recent community hui gathering public thoughts around how the government should address racism, much of the sentiment, from non-Māori and Māori alike, was that the prioritising and addressing of grievances around tangata whenua rights benefit all those in Aotearoa and provide a foundation for more positive race relations across the board. We must strive to uphold the rights of tangata whenua outlined in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People. These rights include self-determination, equality, non-discrimination, participation in decision-making as well as the rights to culture, identity, language, employment, health, education, land and resources. There is a lot to do in this space but we are making progress.  

Issues around Te Tiriti o Waitangi are being openly discussed at boardrooms and dining tables alike, (although it would be good to move from discussion to action when it comes to honouring Te Tiriti rights). 

There is a wave of enthusiasm for te reo Māori, illustrated by the huge uptake in courses around the country and its increased use in mainstream media. Last week we saw the launch of the Aotearoa New Zealand history curriculum, which will finally provide compulsory content for our children to learn about the past so that we may live in a more empathetic present and brighter future. Te Akatea, the Māori Principals Association, has said the curriculum could transform society and “address inequities that have been generated by the previous curriculum”. The teaching of our history in its fullness is necessary and will help to promote social cohesion through a better understanding of what has happened in the past and how that history has influenced the present. We must be able to know our stories, tell our stories and learn from our stories. 

Things are happening, the world is changing, and we must be deliberate in the direction we want Aotearoa to go when it comes to race relations. As a son of Chinese migrants to Tairāwhiti who has fallen in love with te ao Māori, I have spent my entire life traversing and connecting multiple worlds. If I can do it, so can you. Build relationships and accept people and their cultures and see the best in them. Aotearoa New Zealand is close to paradise, but not just yet.