Oscar Kightley: 'Leeches' comment a bald, racist slight on all Pasifika

Saturday, 15 September 2018

OPINION: 'They are nothing but leeches on us. The Pacific Islands wants money from us.'

For this Pacific Islander, those words I read early in the week have overshadowed the rest of the news.

Heather Du Plessis Allan's comments that the Pacific Islands 'are nothing but leeches' on New Zealand reminds Oscar Kightley of racist commentary from the 1970s.

It would have been nice to write about New Zealand and Samoan rugby icon Sir Bryan Williams becoming the first Pacific Islander inducted into the international rugby hall of fame. Or the great news that All Blacks legend Ma'a Nonu is returning to play in New Zealand and has signed to play for my beloved Blues next year.

Or even to wonder why some people are so out-of-their-minds and threatened by the thought of young New Zealanders learning the Maori language at school.

* Sam Neill denounces du Plessis-Allen for 'leeches' claim

* What comes of New Zealand's Pacific aid money?

* Oscar Kightley: Freeloaders don't deserve death threats**

But having read those words – written in the 21st century, no less – I can't help but feel they require some kind of a response, and the new race relations conciliator hasn't yet been appointed to tell everyone when something is racist.

It's not surprising to hear that these words were said on a radio talk station – in this case Wellington's feed of Newstalk ZB's morning show – but it's the sort of thing you expect from the occasional uninformed caller. But these words came from host Heather Du Plessis-Allan. Yes, the actual host. And she's a veteran respected journalist and columnist.

Years ago, as research for a play I was writing about the Dawn Raids, I spent months poring through newspaper articles from the 1970s about immigration. Even back then, many of the racist folk didn't publicly say things this bald and disparaging. And that was a time when immigration officers would take police and dogs with them first thing in the morning to raid the homes of any Pacific Island people suspected of overstaying their visas. Even though 'overstaying' was something New Zealand was quite happy to overlook when workers were needed.

The statement on Newstalk ZB was part of a critique on why the Prime Minister shouldn't have bothered attending the recent Pacific Leaders forum in Nauru, because the Pacific Islands 'don't matter'.

For the record, I'm not sure the Pacific Islands really do want New Zealand's money that badly. They already have bigger countries like China and Taiwan jostling to give them money in exchange for political support on the international stage.

I feel that New Zealand's just trying to give them money now to make up for treating the Pacific in recent decades as simply a nice place for pina coladas by the pool, as opposed to the heart of our region of the world and the only place where this country can be an effective geopolitical power.

And let's not forget, New Zealand's biggest trade deficit is with the Pacific Islands. Those 'leeches' put nearly a billion dollars into our trade coffers every year, while we buy stuff-all from them in return.

Does Newstalk ZB in Wellington not think it has any Pacific Island listeners? Or do they think their listeners are all bigots who want to hear this stuff or they'll change stations? Certainly at the time I write this, there seems to have been no outrage from their advertisers, so who knows?

This broadcaster should know that when they slag off the Pacific Islands, they're also slagging off the nearly 300,000 Pasifika people who call New Zealand home. It's not like we're going to say: 'It's OK, she only means the islanders back there, not us.'

That radio station owes our Pasifika neighbours an apology. Still, the damage is done. As the Samoan proverb goes: E pala ma'a, ae lē pala upu. Even stones may decay, but words do not.