Editorial: Solution preferred over war of words

As sure as night follows day, every so often an academic will challenge the accepted norm around an issue, then sit back and watch chaos ensue.

It's particularly effective around issues of race or race relations, as has been evidenced again this week by the outcry following comments by Auckland University of Technology professor Paul Moon, who tagged the phrase "Maori child abuse" as racist, and one that placed a stigma on all Maori. He has asked media and government agencies to stop using the term.

His statement has been supported by Race Relations Commissioner Joris de Bres, although it has been criticised by Ngapuhi elder David Rankin, who claims the phrase is an "accurate reflection of what some Maori are doing to their children".

The key word here is "some".

Mr de Bres' assertion that the phrase implies all Maori are somehow guilty of, or are prone to, child abuse is questionable at best.

A more realistic descriptor might be to label the wording as a clumsy turn of phrase, open to misinterpretation and broad generalisations around how Maori parents treat their children.

Certainly in New Zealand anyone who gave the issue half a thought would quickly realise the vast majority of Maori parents don't abuse their children.

For any individual to automatically interpret the term "Maori child abuse" as an inference that all Maori are abusers is indicative only of their own prejudices and stereotypes.

While even Professor Moon has acknowledged Maori children suffer abuse at a higher rate than other ethnicities, he also illuminates a glaring double standard in making the point that media and government organisations never use the term "Pakeha corporate criminal" for white-collar criminals who were Pakeha New Zealanders.

However, surely the biggest tragedy around this discussion is that while some of this country's sharpest minds are engaged with issues of semantics, we're seemingly no closer to coming up with an effective method of reducing this country's shocking rate of child abuse, be it by Maori or Pakeha parents.

Talkfests are all well and good, but at this time of year when parents of all ethnic backgrounds are traditionally under the sort of pressure that can lead to them lashing out at their loved ones, surely it would be more valuable for thoughts to turn to practical solutions?