Maori Party: Christianity to blame?
According to the NZ Herald today, Tariana Turia has placed the blame for Maori smacking their children at the door of Christianity.
That doesn’t seem very appropriate, really. Whatever the case, we shouldn’t allow it to divert attention from the fact that violence in all families, including Maori, is significant and needs addressing at this time. There is a great deal of good work going on in this area, including the pioneering work that continues to be done by Te Whare Ruruhau O Meri. It’s time to close the legal loophole.
Anyhow, here’s what I had to say to the NZ Herald when asked about this:
According to some historians like Colenso and King there are records of early Missionaries noting with great approval the non-violent way in which Maori raised and disciplined their children.
It is possible that what happened was that mission schools introduced the use of the cane as a ‘good thing’, and that such practice would also have been learnt to a large extent from others involved in the colonisation process like traders and seamen.
So while Tariana is absolutely right to some degree about Maori child rearing during pre-colonisation, it’s not really appropriate to blame Christianity at large for the changes in Maori child rearing and discipline; there were many forces at work in this, connected more with the colonisation process. Certainly, the shift towards domestic violence and more violent forms of child rearing are not consistent with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
The Anglican Church’s position is clear on repeal of Section 59 – we favour it as a valuable step forward in the journey to a less violent society. And for that reason, we continue to support its journey through the House.
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