Giving Compass' Take:

• Rachel Simon-Kumar explores New Zealand's recent multiculturalism initiatives and how its history of discrimination should be addressed.

• How do we identify historical biases and support multiculturalism in our own communities?

• Read about building cultural tolerance in the classroom.

The devastating reality of extremist racism hit New Zealand on March 15, 2019 when a gunman shot and killed 51 unarmed Muslims during worship at a mosque in Christchurch.  “They Are Us” became the defining catchphrase following the attacks, setting the stage for a national resolve around diversity and inclusion.

However, the road from resolve to inclusion is far from straightforward. New Zealand’s multiculturalist approach, derived from its unique political and economic history, has delivered some successes but has also left uneven social cohesion.

Historically, Māori and other non-European ethnic groups were subject to discrimination. In 1886, a poll tax was imposed on every Chinese person who entered New Zealand along with a limit on the number of Chinese who could enter the country, calculated in relation to tonnage of cargo on arriving ships carrying the passengers. The representation of Asian migrants of the 1990s as the “yellow peril” in media and political rhetoric, and the demonization of Muslims in the aftermath of 9/11 are part of an ignominious racist history of the nation.

In the span of a decade, multiculturalism initiatives have achieved significant progress. A closer look, however, reveals that multiculturalism and migration in New Zealand have always been tied to—or, more precisely, sold on—the grounds of the economic benefits the country can garner.

Multiculturalism is strained between the instrumentalization of migration as an end to an economic goal, and a vision of a fair, equitable, and diverse society as its own ideal. Deep-seated racism as a barrier to social cohesion is currently at the center of discussions on multiculturalism and inclusion. While this is a critical focus, the turn cannot ignore the wider swath of structural anomalies that equally deserve attention.

Read the full article about multiculturalism initiatives in New Zealand by Rachel Simon-Kumar at Migration Policy Institute.