A.E. Thompson: Health NZ and the PSA sneak in a bit more racism while they can

Days after the new government was sworn in, the PSA has announced the latest employment agreement (yet to be ratified by members) for the 'Allied' health staff with Health New Zealand, i.e. non-medical health professionals such as social workers, radiologists and so forth. One item in the agreement states:

"Allied leading the way with an exciting new Tikanga clause, the first of any health collective agreement! Māori Pūtea/Allowance - A Pūtea will be paid where, by mutual agreement, the kaimahi Māori will deliver Pūkenga Māori on behalf of the service or organisation, where this knowledge is not recognised in their role or remuneration."

Exciting huh?

'Pukenga' in this context appears to mean 'skill' or 'expertise'.

'Putea' means 'sum of money'.

'Kaimahi' in this context means 'employees' and 'kaimahi Maori' means 'Maori employees'.

So this provision will pay Maori employees an extra amount for delivering skills in being Maori.

Possibly, the provision might apply in limited fashion. The wording "on behalf of the service or organisation" might imply that the payment will be for leading official ceremonies. Why then would the non-Maori officiator not receive extra money for the skill (s)he delivers in performing that role?

However, we can reasonably predict that this will become a standard bonus for having Maori ancestry. Any Maori will always be delivering skills in being Maori, whatever else they might be doing. Aside from reassuring (or in many cases discomfiting) Maori patients, their skills in being Maori will be constantly delivered in meetings, staffrooms etc so they must surely all be eligible for the extra race-based money.

Possibly there may be some requirement to be a particular kind of Maori other than 'Vanilla Maori' and with approved political views. However, that's not made clear and, anyway, who is to say what being a skilled Maori is? Surely the skill of having some Maori genetic inheritance while adapting well to European life and customs is a valid Maori skill. Indeed, the rort some public servants have achieved in bringing about this provision might be seen as showing excellent Maori skills.

No other race is considered worthy of receiving this extra payment. For example, African health professionals will undoubtedly bring to bear their skill in being African especially when treating patients of similar racial origin. The same will apply to health professionals from England, Scotland, Australia, Samoa and any other country. Indeed, health professionals' skills in being the race of those comprising high proportions of refugees will be especially important in providing effective services to those races, and in short supply. But never mind, none of those races are of enough worth.

We note also that the PSA continues to refer to Health New Zealand only by its clearly superior name Te Whatu Ora. Who needs a name that will readily convey the role of the organisation to the vast majority of the population, when you can use a poetic name in a language that only a few percent can understand? The term 'whatu' is translated as "the weaving process that brings together the aho (horizontal thread) and whenu (vertical thread)". Few New Zealanders will know that so consider yourself suitably edified.

We will probably see a lot more of this contempt for the democratic voice of the people unless the Luxon government acts as decisively as it has spoken regarding its coalition agreements.

A.E. Thompson is a working, tax-paying New Zealander who speaks up about threats to our hard-fought rights, liberties, egalitarian values, rational thinking and fair treatment by the state.