Roger Childs: New Zealand’s Growing Apartheid

Partnership is well established; we are emphatically two people divided by race.
- Dr John Robinson

The original apartheid

The policy of apartheid (an Afrikaans word meaning “apartness” or “separation”) became official in South Africa with the election of the Nationalist Party to power in 1948. However policies in the country, based along racial lines, dated back to the early 20^th century. The successive governments of the Union of South Africa passed many laws giving preference to the white minority – under 20% of the population – and discriminating against other groupings – Blacks, Asians and Coloureds. However from 1948 onwards apartheid was fine-tuned to base life in South Africa on the principles of “separate development”.

Clive Bibby: Apartheid by another name

 

Although the Oxford dictionary specifically refers to the segregationist policies of former South African governments when describing the meaning of the word “apartheid”, that shouldn’t mean that those same policies should not fit the description when operated in counties like our own.

In fact, the worst aspect of the current tidal wave of legislation being rushed through the House is the attempt by our government to hoodwink all citizens into believing that we need to have separate development for some sections of society in order to achieve the aspirational goals of a minority.

It is plain bullshit and we should totally reject this “apartheid by stealth” before it becomes permanently cemented in the laws of our homeland.