A series of Play School skits used in the documentary That's a bit Racist were effective in demonstrating why Manu might have some grievances over the actions of Jemima. Photo / Supplied
A series of Play School skits used in the documentary That's a bit Racist were effective in demonstrating why Manu might have some grievances over the actions of Jemima. Photo / Supplied
Opinion by Anna Murray
Writes about television for the New Zealand Herald.
"It's not up to Māori and people of colour to educate Pākehā people about racism," says the University of Waikato's Dr Arama Rata in TVNZ 1's new documentary That's A Bit Racist.
"It's something Pākehā people should be doing amongst themselves."
She's quite right, of course. And if anyPākehā do want a crash course in all the elements of racism that probably fly under their radar every day, they could do worse than watching this very slick and carefully considered show.
Covering many of the factors that are part of both day-to-day and institutional racism in New Zealand, the makers of That's A Bit Racist have spoken to academics, well-known Kiwis and small-town teenagers to gain a handle on how this most inflammatory of topics is thought about and discussed today.
Amongst other things, Sunday night's first episode looked at stereotyping and all the young, brown kids who are instantly suspected of being thieves when they step into a shop — or drive a car. There was a look back at the dawn raids of the '70s and plenty of other cringe worthy archive footage, such as a 1975 National Party election ad that didn't look much different to scenes from a 1950's feature, The Māoris are Coming.
The show also delved into New Zealand's historic land laws and colonisation, the details of which are still a mystery to many Kiwis and continue to have devastating effects today — although one defiant Murupara teen who features in the first episode provided more than a glimmer of hope for the future.
Yet somehow That's A Bit Racist also managed to inject a little humour into this taboo subject — and did so without watering down the seriousness of their overall message.
They did this through showing snippets from stand-up routines by comedians Josiah Day and Jamaine Ross and via the more light-hearted experiments conducted by the show's narrators, Shavaughn Ruakere and Jo Holley.
Ruakere and Holley hit the beach to sell ice blocks that were priced at $2 for Māori and $2.50 for Pākehā, an exercise demonstrating the pay gap that currently exists between the two groups. They then went to the park to ram home the point about the total cost of Treaty of Waitangi settlements versus one year of spending on the country's defence force or transport.
Anyone who waves away the comments made on That's A Bit Racist as politically correct nonsense might have trouble doing so after the second part of the documentary airs this Sunday. Photo / Supplied
The duo asked Kiwis on the street to identify the two men found on our $5 and $50 notes. It probably didn't shock anyone that everybody could name Sir Edmund Hillary but only a handful of people knew who Sir Āpirana Ngata was.
The show also ran a series of Play School skits, some of which felt far too simplistic, but were still effective in demonstrating why Manu might have some grievances over the actions of Jemima.
These lighter moments, combined with some confronting statements, emotional imagery and stark facts, created a documentary that should be appointment viewing for any Pākehā still confused as to why anybody would label our supposed fair and honest society as racist.
Because there really isn't anything in the first part of this documentary that many Kiwis don't know already — they probably don't need a TV show to tell them New Zealand is racist when they experience discrimination every day.
But if there is anyone who still waves away the comments made on That's A Bit Racist as politically correct nonsense, then they might have trouble doing the same when the second part of the documentary airs this Sunday — because some hard facts are coming their way.
In a New Zealand first, the show has called on Harvard University and their Implicit Association Test to reveal hidden biases and actually quantify just how racist Aotearoa is.
The results of this research were hinted at in the first episode, but the level of racism found in New Zealand will be revealed in more detail in the second part. My prediction? It's not going to be pretty.
• Part two of That's A Bit Racist airs Sunday 8.30pm on TVNZ 1.
