I am a twenty-six year old woman of mixed Samoan and European (German) ancestry born and raised in New Zealand. The racism I have experienced here has, for the most part, been subtle. When I walk into stores, especially with my mother (who is full Samoan, and dark-skinned) shop attendants either follow us suspiciously or ignore us completely, only offering assistance to or greeting white patrons. Because of my European surname and local accent, people often treat me nicely on the phone, only to blink at me in surprise and treat me differently when I present myself in person. When I opened my mouth to speak at a house party, a white girl there said she was surprised at how ‘normal’ I sounded and that she thought I was going to ‘beat people up and steal from the house’. In primary school, I was called a nigger by fellow pupils and my teachers did nothing about it when I reported it. There tends to be an automatic assumption in New Zealand that if you are brown or black, you’re poor, uneducated, aggressive and lazy. I went to a private highschool for girls in an affluent suburb of Auckland and girls there automatically assumed that I was there on a scholarship and lived in social housing. They constantly asked me if I could teach them how to fight, ‘do graffiti’, sing or dance, or how to improve at sports - none of which I was good at. I’m always fetishized by white men, and a white acquaintance of mine said that people who want to want to date or have sex with me must have ‘jungle fever’ - of course, they claimed to be ‘only joking’ when I protested. A friend of a friend asked me if I think I’m white because I don’t seem to fit any stereotypes and called me a ‘wannabe white’ and a 'nazi coconut’, 'fob’ (means Fresh Off the Boat), and a bunga all in the same night.
My grandmother moved to New Zealand from Samoa in the early 50s and while in labour with her first child, she experienced bleeding and was forced to sit in a corridor for hours while nurses ignored her. When her son was born, he had complications that could have been avoided had she been treated properly. Nurses there fed him milk and food that was too hot for him, and his mouth had blisters and burns. Unfortunately at around four months of age, he died. From then on, my grandmother did not give birth at a public hospital again and opted for a private catholic hospital with nuns - while they were still quite racist, she said they treated her much better for her subsequent births.
I love New Zealand, but I just find myself really disappointed, sad and angry at how racist it really is. White people who live here claim that its not as bad as other places, like the United States, but they always use that comparison or use the past to make up for the racism that still exists here today. I’m sick of it. Absolutely sick of it.
origamiaround
andulkaphoto
areudirty
germansingergirl
kianamaiart
