Editorial: Racism sadly prevalent

The Northern Advocate would not have published Al Nisbett's offensive cartoon depicting Maori or Pacific Islanders sneaking into a school to get free food, so they can have more money to spend on pokies and cigarettes.

The cartoon was published in a far different readership market to the Advocate - in short, Marlborough and Christchurch have much smaller Maori populations than Northland.

As an editor, I could see little to justify the publication of a cartoon offensive to a wide section of Northlanders, perpetuating a racial stereotype that the region is working hard to rid itself of.

It's a stereotype they are perfectly happy to perpetuate in South Island newspapers.

On our OE, my wife and I met some South Islanders. One of them was named Rangi. It was one of those ironic nicknames, you know, when someone tall is called Shorty. Or someone who is stupid is called Genius. Rangi was a nice bloke. He had ginger curly hair, freckles, and a front tooth missing. Rangi loved rugby and Speights.

Rangi did not like Maoris. He liked my wife though. She is Maori.

"Yeah, but you're different," he'd say to her, a pint glass clutched against his chest, the words "cut the cable" just visible on his T-shirt. I'd had to ask Rangi what "cut the cable" meant.

He explained it mean the power cable that "tied" the North to the South Island. The South Island should be set free, he reckoned.

I should have asked him what he meant when he said "yeah but you're different" to my wife.

Except I knew. Like many New Zealanders, he was ignorantly making widesweeping generalisations about Maori based on little or no first-hand experience, understanding or knowledge.

Genius.

Rangi is like many New Zealanders, who inflict a racist undertone to many generalisations about Maori. We promote ourselves as a country of racial tolerance and integration, living as one.

When the reality is racism - of one degree or another - is prevalent throughout the country.

In the South Island. In the North Island. In Northland.

Which is one more reason really, to not publish Al Nisbett's cartoon.