I am not interested in attacking people because of their skin colour. I am interested in talking about patterns that repeatedly show up in official statistics, court reporting, and real world outcomes in New Zealand and overseas. These are uncomfortable conversations, but discomfort does not automatically make something racist.
When I raise these issues, I am talking about trends, not individuals. No group is a monolith. No statistic applies to every person within a demographic. But refusing to acknowledge patterns because they are politically inconvenient does not make them disappear. It just guarantees they will never be addressed properly.
Here are a few examples that regularly trigger outrage when mentioned.
- Mass immigration from India is changing aspects of the traditional Kiwi way of life. That does not mean Indian people are bad. It means rapid population change places pressure on housing, infrastructure, social cohesion, and cultural norms. You can observe this without hating anyone, yet pointing it out now gets you labelled a racist almost instantly.
- White European men are over represented in convictions involving the download and distribution of child exploitation material. This is not an insult, it is a statistical reality backed by court cases and sentencing data. Ignoring this does nothing to protect children. Talking about it honestly might.
- Vietnamese criminal networks have been repeatedly identified in police operations and court cases as playing a significant role in New Zealand’s illegal cannabis trade, embedding themselves within the organised crime landscape.
- Indians are notorious for using and producing fake degrees which are then being used to apply for jobs and visas in New Zealand.
- Chinese groups have been repeatedly linked to the decimation of rockpools and coastal ecosystems. Anyone who fishes, snorkels, or lives near affected coastlines has seen this firsthand. Again, this does not mean all Chinese people behave this way. It does mean enforcement, education, and cultural expectations need to be addressed rather than ignored out of fear of offence.
- Māori are over represented in child homicide statistics. That is not an opinion. It is a grim and tragic fact that should alarm everyone, especially those who claim to care deeply about Māori wellbeing. Pretending this is racist to mention only ensures the most vulnerable continue to suffer.
- White men are overrepresented in sexual offending against children.
- Māori and Pacific students have lower average achievement outcomes and higher school disengagement rates.
- Māori and Pacific children are over-represented in Oranga Tamariki care and protection cases.
- Chinese importers have been repeatedly linked by Customs and Police to the illegal importation and distribution of tobacco in New Zealand, costing taxpayers millions in lost excise.
- White Europeans have higher rates of suicide by number, particularly among men.
- Pacific Islanders and Māori are over represented in violent offending statistics. These are not moral judgments, they are data points. Data that policymakers, social services, and communities should be confronting head on.
Calling this race baiting is easier than engaging with the substance. It allows people to feel virtuous without doing any work. But real progress does not come from pretending everything is equal and fine when it clearly is not. It comes from honesty, accountability, and targeted solutions.
If we cannot talk openly about trends without being shouted down, we will never fix the underlying causes. Silence does not protect communities. Truth, handled responsibly, just might.
You do not have to like or agree with anything I say. But accusing me of race-baiting every time I reference observable patterns says far more about the state of the debate than it does about my intentions.
Matua Kahurangi is just a bloke sharing thoughts on New Zealand and the world beyond. No fluff, just honest takes. He blogs on https://matuakahurangi.com/ where this article was sourced.
4 comments:
You need to say more to substantiate your comment that “Mass immigration from India is changing aspects of the traditional Kiwi way of life.” How exactly is it changing things here? You offer stats for your other points, but this one seems merely a statement of a political position or of personal discomfort. As such, it leaves you more vulnerable to the charge of race baiting.
It is an indictment of our society now where having any criticism of organisations for (lets say, fraud) gets you labelled a racist should those organisations be any colour other than white!
Fraud is fraud, crime is crime and dishonesty had no shades, but here we are.
Now of course if you happen to fit a certain demographic being criticised is seemingly a racist stance, go figure!
Thank you for your clear honest reporting of the realities of multi racial NZ.You’re a breath of fresh air.
The [il]logic involved is applying group characteristics to individuals. Innocuous example (and not to be taken too seriously!):
Dutch men follow football and eat raw salted herring;
Barend Vee is a Dutchman;
Therefore Barend Vee follows football and eats raw salted herring.
In fact Barend Vee despises football and the thought of raw herring makes him retch.
Stereotypes featured prominently in the White Australia Policy e.g. portraying the Chinese as members of triads and tongs as a justification for forbidding Chinese immigration.
Once it is understood that individuals are not microcosms of the populations from which they are drawn, we can have rational discussions about ethnically defined social groups in our society.
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