'Māori gratitude day' column "propping up the colonial state"

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2021-08-09 03:00

New Zealand

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Sir Bob Jones' controversial 2018 column continues the 'standard story' used to justify colonisation in New Zealand, according to two researchers in language and psychology who examined his column. They say the writing follows familiar patterns - like portraying Māori culture as primitive, positioning Pākehā as the norm, and confusing genes with identity by focusing on ethnicity as a 'blood fraction'. They say these standard stories not only negatively affect Māori, but also constrain Pākehā thinking, and their ability to be equitable Tiriti partners.