Some of you may be wondering why I persistently post on the efforts of New Zealand to interpolate local superstitions and lore into science classes and other government endeavors. This is not because I hate New Zealand, but because I love it. I hate to see the country brought down, especially scientifically, by sacralizing the superstitions of the indigenous population.
Yes, I admit that the local “way of knowing,” Mātauranga Māori (MM), does contain some empirical trial-and-error knowledge, though most of that knowledge should be conveyed in anthropology and sociology classes. But what’s going on in the country now is the world’s most pervasive form of “wokeness,” though it’s not purely performative because it actually damages the country. And the authorities have ensured that no objection to this ideological capture will be tolerated.
So my occasional reports about New Zealand on this site are meant to let Kiwis know what’s really going on in their country in the hopes that rationality and science won’t be held hostage to the 1840 Treaty of Waitangi. Many residents know already, but many also send me documents that can’t be criticized publicly because the sacralization of the oppressed has reached the point where New Zealanders who criticize the intrusion of legend, superstition, and local religion into the workplace are liable to be fired or punished. I can’t tell you the number of emails I get from Kiwis urging me on, but saying that I can’t publish their names for fear of reprisal. But since I’m in the U.S., I can at least mention this foolishness without fear of retribution. That’s why some NZ outlets, like this one, simply reproduce the posts I’ve written about what seems to be the world’s worst and most dictatorial form of DEI.
So here is yet another email from a New Zealander wanting me to report on this mishigass, but asking to remain anonymous. So be it. The other day I reported how the staff at some locations of Health New Zealand, a government health-promoting agency, were encouraged to say Māori prayers or chants (“karakia“) daily. This practice was originally reported on a NZ website, but the link was sent to me anonymously. The author, A. E. Thompson, noted that “voluntary” prayers aren’t really that voluntary if you’re pressured to say them:
So here is yet another email from a New Zealander wanting me to report on this mishigass, but asking to remain anonymous. So be it. The other day I reported how the staff at some locations of Health New Zealand, a government health-promoting agency, were encouraged to say Māori prayers or chants (“karakia“) daily. This practice was originally reported on a NZ website, but the link was sent to me anonymously. The author, A. E. Thompson, noted that “voluntary” prayers aren’t really that voluntary if you’re pressured to say them:
Sure, the email to health staff only used the word “encourage” but really, when your employer issues an email saying that, you know it will be expected and that ignoring or opposing it will be held against you and may cost you your job.
Pressuring state employees and even private company employees to participate in karakia sets a dangerous precedent in eroding separation between state and religion. As we speak, Muslim immigrants in Europe are deliberately imposing their religious practices on non-Muslim populations by having their distorting loudspeakers call dozens or hundreds of faithful to prostrate themselves in prayer on public footpaths and roadways (even though nearby mosques are plentiful). The practice reflects their belief that Islam is so important that everyone either needs to convert to it or be discriminated against or killed.
This is why, in the U.S., “voluntary” prayers are banned in school. This not only violates the First Amendment, but pressures kids to conform to public prayers lest they be ostracized.
Well, now New Zealand has done it again, this time in a hospice largely funded by the government, and in the southern part of the country. The hospice even suggests some prayers, which seem to be Māori. This was sent to me by someone who requests anonymity for fear of losing their job.
Note that this was sent to the staff of a hospice, not to the residents, and, as usual, it’s full of Māori words (I’ve bolded them) that are there simply as a performative act, since they impede understanding (everyone speaks English, but few, even Māori people, speak the indigenous language). In this case, most have already been translated into English. You can look the words and pharses up in the Maori dictionary, but karakia I’ll define for you (here’s part of it):
incantation, ritual chant, chant, intoned incantation, charm, spell – a set form of words to state or make effective a ritual activity. Karakia are recited rapidly using traditional language, symbols and structures.
It can also refer to Christian prayers, but note in the second paragraph that this effort is being guided by a Māori advisory group. Note as well that the introduction of the karakia are being timed to coincide with the new Moon (the phases of the moon have great significance for Māori life).
The email:
Kia ora team,
I’m emailing you all ahead of a change in the way we manage karakia for our IDT hui/meetings.
I want to acknowledge that karakia to begin and end our IDT hui/meetings started quite abruptly to begin with, and it is my hope, and that of the Māori Advisory Group (MAG), to provide some context and to guide this part of our day in a way that is supportive and makes sense.
Firstly I’ll speak to why work places might look to introduce karakia into everyday activities, such as the IDT meeting. Karakia are an integral part of te ao Māori (the Māori world).
On a functional level karakia:
– Provide a predictable structure to everyday interactions i.e. beginning, middle, end;
– Enable the everyday exchange of whanaungatanga (managing relationships/relationship building) and manaakitanga (hospitality).
– Support the normalisation of te reo me ngā tikanga Māori (Māori language and customs), which I believe in turn lends to:
— The development of skills that enhance our capacity to provide culturally safe care to Aotearoa New Zealand’s indigenous people.
— The development of perspectives that foster cultural humility in our engagements with all.
On a deeper level karakia:
– Support us to collectively connect with and focus in on the context (kaupapa) of the interaction;
– Navigate tapu and noa (separate but corresponding states of being within te ao Māori. Inappropriate association between things that are tapu and noa can impact all dimensions of wellbeing) safely.
– Fortify our holistic wellbeing by engaging with Te Taha Wairua (the spiritual dimension of wellbeing).
Making space for karakia within our workplace is particularly important given the intensity of the mahi (work) we are engaged with as individual clinicians, and as a collective. Our mahi straddles the ordinary and the extraordinary: we support patients, whānau and caregivers as they navigate the threshold between life and death, and support each other to provide this care.
We are going to begin refreshing the IDT karakia (or whakataukī – proverb) in concordance with Whio – the New Moon – as an opportunity to consider and acknowledge both the maramataka (Māori lunar calendar) and pūrākau (stories/legends/myths) inherently relevant to our work at the hospice.
Our hope is that incorporating such an initiative into OCH processes will support us to:
· Normalise the use of te reo Māori.
· Enable the everyday exchange of whanaungatanga and manaakitanga.
· Grow in our personal and organisational understanding of Māori world views within the palliative context.
· Equip the team with knowledge that may support us to be more culturally responsive.
· Foster a sense of interest/curiosity in learning more.
So, with this in mind, and given that the next new moon is July 6th, we will be setting this new initiative in motion on the next working day which is Monday 8th July. On the 8th I’ll speak to the initiative briefly, and then provide some context regarding the new karakia or whakataukī, and we’ll go from there. For those that feel comfortable joining in with reciting the karakia – please feel free to join in – otherwise, please feel free to sit back, relax and tune in to the kupu (words) and the kaupapa of the karakia, kei a koutou (its up to you)!
You will find copies of the karakia or whakataukī we are going to use for the next month attached to this email for your reference.
If you are curious about learning more please check out the piece I have contributed to this months OCHeye coming out soon!
The two karakia enclosed are both Māiru incantations: here’s a screenshot of one:
![](https://whyevolutionistrue.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Screen-Shot-2024-07-19-at-7.58.48-AM-768x1037.png)
Click to view
Yes, these are non-religious and could be considered as Māori haiku, but the point is that these are “suggested” incantations, and they are Māori. Note that these are being introduced to the hospice to bring it into “the Māori world”, and one of the stated reasons for the introduction is “The development of skills that enhance our capacity to provide culturally safe care to Aotearoa New Zealand’s indigenous people” and to · “Grow in our personal and organisational understanding of Māori world views within the palliative context.” Now of course one must be sensitive to the culture of hospice patients, and not insult or agitate them, but prayers aren’t the way—they should use Måori healers or spiritual leaders to do this—and I doubt that everybody in the hospice is of indigenous ancestry.
This is in fact one attempt to indoctrinate the staff with the spiritual aspects of Māori culture. Yes, the prayers are “optional”, but you know what that means, and woe to the person who writes to the boss to object to this effort! What is this doing in a hospice? Are there any atheists or Christians there? In the U.S., this kind of effort would be prohibited as discriminatory and perhaps a violation of the First Amendment. Chaplains are allowed to visit hospitals and say prayers with the patients, but hospital staff are not given “suggestions” to say prayers. But this admixture of superstition and government-funded institutions is not prohibited in New Zealand. Many residents object to it, but they’re so cowed that they can’t even voice their objections for fear of punishment. All over the country, speech has been chilled.
So it goes. I hate to think of what New Zealand will look like in thirty years, when this kind of ideological capture has become the norm.
******
I’ll add that in 2021 the leadership of the University of Auckland, Vice Chancellor Dawn Freshwater, promised that there would be seminars, panels and debates on the virtues of teaching MM as coequal to modern science in university science classes. That was three years ago, and absolutely nothing has transpired. I’m told that the Māori moiety of the administration has prevented any such debate, but I don’t know for sure. All I know is that when I wrote Dr. Freshwater reminding her of her promises, and asking when this important debate would take place, I got no reply.
Professor Jerry Coyne is an American biologist known for his work on speciation and his commentary on intelligent design, a prolific scientist and author. This article was first published HERE
18 comments:
The insertion of a Māori cultural dimension into a workplace by moral suasion is actually not cultural, but political in nature.
Section 21(j) of the Human Rights Act 1993 states that it is unlawful to discriminate against an employee on the grounds of any, or no, political opinion.
If I was in one of these workplaces, I’d be advising my boss in writing that I personally regard Māori culture (and its political insertion into my workplace) as a crock, and that I decline to endorse this agenda with my participation.
If these Nimrods then wanted a legal battle, just come at me!
Our little corporate state just can't do enough to promote and encourage apartheid policy eh.?
When are the people who try to introduce these obscene ideas stand up and be self identified ?
Don't they want to be known with the same notoriety as the likes of Hitler, Pol Pot, Xi, Stalin, Kim Il-sung et al who all forced such idealistic indoctrination, and any and all objections were severely punished.
We are heading the same way and sadly it's the younger voters who are oblivious to even recent history and it's consequences.
At least it is brief and there is a translation although few would be equipped to check it. A hopice would seem to e ba place where staff (including volunteers) need a placid frame of mind, not start the day by being wound up with maori twaddle, presumably led by some self elevating and possibly otherwise insignicant and maybe not energetic staff member.
Enough is enough. I'm probably going to have to start withholding some of my tax money as I do not want or support these self loathing woke racists with my taxes. We need to stop this racist imposing immediately. We also need to hold these racists to account.
In the rest homes I worked in a few years ago we would not have had time to stop and say poetry. The sole night carer of 26 people had to have 2 showered and cups of tea distributed to bedsides before handover at 7am. The morning shift moved off at warp speed to do the necessaries. They would have seen any delay as an impediment to getting through the work schedule on time. These days though, everyone lives in fear of speaking against any woke requirements. We voted against all this oppression so our new dear leader needs to be stamping this out. You can bet the determination for it has emanated from a government agency and indoctrinated woketards. They should be re-educated asap. David Seymour and Shane Jones need to get onto this. It may seem trifling but where will it all end?
MC
Massive complaints to MPs necessary - but probably too late.
One should be in no doubt:
1.National/Luxon have no intention of stopping Maorification.
2.They will do the maxiumum to stop a referendum on " citizen equality ".
3.If Seymour's Bill fails - then game over.
Very fast, NZ will become an ethnocracy ( as foreseen in He Puapua).
There are even enough " indoctrinated" people who think this might be " the best system for the future in Aotearoa." They will be very disillusioned in due course.
So just make sure that you move your assets out in time. Their confiscation is a certainty if the Left and Maori come to power again.
Karakia are prayers invoking such entities as ancestral spirits or other spirits. As a christian these aren't nothing but very possibly, in my belief system, they could be actual spirits of who knows what origin.
Some karakia invoke quite wrong things like war gods, utu etc which I certainly don't want to have anything to do with. I would have to excuse myself in order not to be contaminated by such influences. Especially when I don't know fully the meaning or subtlety of what is chanted.
Incantations and the like can induce fear or horror leading to nightmares and other undesirable and unpleasant consequences as one would find in occult or horror movies. This, for me, is not innocent nor neutral stuff and most certainly it should always be voluntary for anyone to participate in them.
It is complete foolishness to introduce this stuff into the workplace. Beliefs are very personal and private and sacred to each individual. I can only describe forcing contrary rituals onto people as evil and a violation of their basic rights.
In a workplace when karakia are to be spoken, one has no idea of what the content of the karakia will be. Most will still have no idea after it's been spoken, except they might recognize a few words like 'atua' and 'amine'. So we have people expected to support, at least through passive attendance and lack of objection, narrative the content of which is unknown to them. Very dangerous and a very unethical position to put anyone in. No informed consent there.
It is just Voodoo and needs to rooted out
Dear Mr. Coyne,
Please keep up the good work of exposing this woke and racist nonsense.
In the interests of truth, please stop using the word "indigenous" when referring to Maori. They are NOT "indigenous". They sailed here about 1,200 years ago from islands in the Easter Pacific, and are always boasting about their nautical prowess (even claiming they "discovered" Antarctica!).
They talk about their "homeland" being in either Hawaii or French Polynesia, and there is a place at the extreme N. tip of the N. Island where according to their mythology the souls of Maori dead leave on the journey to return to their homeland.
"Indigenous" can rightfully be applied to Australian aborigines who have been in Australia for 50,000 years and have no story about coming from anywhere else. NOT to Maori. They use the word to scam and guilt-trip gullible/woke non-Maori into giving them more rights and privileges than the rest of NZ citizens, just like the pigs in Animal Farm "some are more equal then others".
There are NO pure blood Maori left; all Maori today are a racial mix. the legal definition of a Maori is anyone who says they are. What a joke.
I sailed here in my yacht from the USA 30 years ago and I've been an NZ citizen for 26 years. If I had kids would my descendants be "indigenous in 1,200 years?
I too love NZ. Its my adopted country and I renounced my US citizenship voluntarily 5 years ago. But I'm completely disgusted at what's going on here now. We are headed for a tribal theocracy apartheid society, and many Kiwis are completely unaware of just how far the rot has gone.
The woke law school academics and activist judges are inserting unwritten tribal customary rules of behavior into the New Zealand legal system. Concepts such as "utu" (payback or retribution) will soon have equal legitimacy. Your son drunk driving with his buddies kills my pregnant wife in a head-on. Under Maori utu, I can, and indeed have a moral obligation, to kill you and your son to "balance" the situation. This is not a wild exaggeration. Here's a reference:
https://www.nzcpr.com/dismantling-the-constitution/
I'm not afraid to put my name here. I'm retired with no job to lose.
Pretty sure they’ll be some push back.
PS
From anon at 8. 55
As mentioned in one comment , this is a cultural issue (religion being considered cultural) - but which is now primarily political.
Politicians could easily resolve this matter by officially separating church and state - and so ban this issue as inappropriate in a secular environment.
But this will not happen - because politicians are very afraid of Maori.
I’m more suspicious than the writer of this post that these “non-religious” karakia are in fact religious pagan prayers.
Firstly, the concept of “secular” and “religious” spheres of life is alien to a pagan, pantheistic(?) framework. Secondly, we who are not pagan Māori do not comprehend fully the nuances of pagan karakia. What I can surmise, when I consult the online Māori dictionary, is that the word mauri in the “non-religious” karakia above has pagan religious connotations. Likewise the word wairua in the purportedly “non-religious” karakia commonly used at my workplace.
The word amine (“amen”) is used at the end of Christian Māori-language prayers. Accordingly, they are typically more straightforwardly understandable to non-Māori. But even though I am myself a Christian, I don’t think that prayers of any kind should be promoted by the administrators and managers in our workplaces. Our workplaces should be a welcoming and secure environment for people of all religions and of none.
LFC
St John foolishly called itself Hone Hato and immediaely lost significant donation funding and are now desperate for new funding . Probably not hard to work out where the southern hospice is , and it is up to Invercargill to fess up or divulge if it is actually Dunedin and not them , BECAUSE one or the other is going to lose the goodwill of the generous southern donations.
This maorification and divisive ideology just isnt needed especially when for most it isn't understood and for the people being cared for, compassion and care is required by the staff , not a maori witch chant.
I agree 100% with Sandy's comment above.
She has said it for me!!
Looking at comments above I do wonder why the majority of comment are "anonymous"
I believe that says a lot for the sad direction our society has reached where people are afraid to post their name to comments, for fear of being cancelled, job loss, persecution, etc.
Spot on comment by Basil Walker.
This sounds like a simple situation become complex for no useful reason - having some experience, over the years, with hospice (Auckland), I have always observed a dignified and genuine effort made by staff to understand and respect the patients/family of any culture. The palliative care teams are there for everyone.
Unfortunately this example from the south seems to be pushing undue emphasis to one culture (the Maori); rather inappropriate really when you consider what hospice are there for.
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