Through the Looking Glass

Professor Mutu Shifts the Paradigm

We always endeavour to give people a fair hearing before launching into a barrage of criticism.  Margaret Mutu not only deserves to be heard, she has some very positive things to say.  Professor Mutu of Auckland University  has been reported as saying there needs to be a cap on white immigrants to New Zealand because white immigrants tend to have racist attitudes.

Now while many have taken umbrage at her views we have listened carefully to her justification.
  She argues that Maori are the indigenous, original inhabitants.  Europeans and others came into New Zealand at the behest of Maori. This means that from the beginning of European settlement, Maori were hosts and everyone else were guests.  When asked whether this means that pakeha would always be second-class citizens in New Zealand, Professor Mutu replies in way that shifts the entire paradigm.  She argues that in fact this places pakeha in a position of particular honour.  Maori have a very strong cultural ethic of the duties of a host and, therefore, an obligation to be hospitable and take care of all others as their guests.  Rather than denigrating pakeha, she believes that her views put pakeha into a position of  particular privilege, placing Maori under special obligation toward them.

Traditional Maori hospitality requires that guests are honoured, fed, catered for, sheltered, and looked after.  Thus, we think that while Professor Mutu's ideas at first seem offensive, on reflection we find them to be far more congenial and positive.

To be sure, you cannot build a nation upon vague obligations.  Duties and mutual relationships always need to be coded into the law of the land to some degree.  Therefore, we are anticipating that Professor Mutu and all like-minded Maori will be advocating a codification of the Maori ethic and obligations of hospitality into the laws of the land.  This means that upon Maori will fall the obligations to provide for the health, education, clothing, welfare, food, and other creature comforts of all non-Maori--since all non-Maori in NZ are guests in the land, legitimately demanding hospitality.  The most efficient way to administer this, of course, will be through the taxation system.

Sounds good to us.  Cannot wait.  We feel a claim coming on.  All non-Maori would have a lawful claim upon the tangata-whenua--a claim which would ultimately devolve down to money.  If all non-Maori are guests of Maori and are here only at the permission of Maori, then it must be well past time for Maori to take up their responsibilities for the care and hospitable provision for all others. 

Professor Mutu is taking us to a new looking glass--one we have never seen before.  Looking through, we see endless possibilities.  Let's stop knocking her, and explore her ideas in a positive way.