Culture and diversity
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Lack of diversity and representation
Participants spoke about how, when communities are not diverse and are instead dominated by Pākehā and Pākehā ways of being, people of other cultural and ethnic diversities can struggle to feel belonging. They spoke about feelings of exclusion when there was little or no representation of different communities in leadership roles. They also shared that when no effort is made to celebrate cultural diversity and teach different languages - including Te reo Māori - it creates barriers to belonging in schools and communities.
There’s no representation, or hardly any representation [of South Asians/brown Asian women] in magazines, TV, books. You’re just not seen anywhere.
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There’s no representation, or hardly any representation [of South Asians/brown Asian women] in magazines, TV, books. You’re just not seen anywhere.
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About 5 women in Nelson wearing a scarf. Everyone stares, you feel like an alien.
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There is tokenism in representation - no real advisory panel. This community doesn’t have a diverse community. At the past March 15th vigil here, the service was such a narrow response — it was a song about Jesus and prayers about Jesus. So our kapahaka group stormed the vigil with our song, which was supportive, not religious.
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Most of the other cultures that people see are tourists which creates an us and them. The growing tourist groups here are Asians — Indians and Chinese.
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In Wanaka, we are a dominant white middle class community. We are not celebrating difference in the school, not teaching the real history of NZ in the school, we are not celebrating things outside the ‘norm’, not teaching Te Reo in the schools.
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Not enough cultural diversity: mainly white background people live here. It’s a bit one-sided. I try to infuse with more cultural diversity.
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Lack of shared cultural understanding
A lack of awareness and respect for cultural differences can create misunderstandings, isolation and exclusion. Participants who migrated to Aotearoa New Zealand shared struggles with understanding and being understood and accepted by the dominant culture. Participants also talked about how incorrect assumptions about their culture/s can make them feel rejected and alienated.
I don’t know why I have the conflict with Kiwi culture. I don’t know, I be nice and polite, say hello, and all I get is rejected rejected rejected.
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I don’t know why I have the conflict with Kiwi culture. I don’t know, I be nice and polite, say hello, and all I get is rejected rejected rejected.
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I wrote to the principal and said, “why bring up the culture when it’s someone with tanned skin?” He [my son] already told the teacher he was cold. It had nothing to do with culture. Even this small thing can be alienating. My older son doesn’t even look that ethnic.
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I went to my doctor, I was so stress. He say, “you have stress.” He said, “come, we will talk together.” I worried about my kids - they are teenager, I worry they have girlfriend, they drink. He is NZ doctor, but he say, “it’s okay, I only drink small alcohol.” He [did] not understand, in my culture our sons don’t have girlfriend, they don’t drink alcohol.
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A lot of people here might find me arrogant or rude, because of cultural differences. I met a person this summer, and last summer too, he said “I travelled to the Middle East, I didn’t like it all. The people are very different”. You can’t expect other people to culturally behave the way you are.
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I enjoy wearing cultural clothes even going to supermarkets because that's who I am. I hope to give others a message that those with similar backgrounds should do that if they want to.
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Having multiple cultural identities
When you have multiple cultural identities, but you are in spaces that don’t have much cultural diversity, it can be hard to feel welcome - and easy to feel and be excluded or marginalised. Understanding your own multiple identities can also become more complicated. Participants talked about how monocultural European environments excluded their identities, meaning diverse people were not seen or heard. Participants also shared their struggles of trying to integrate their different cultural identities - and of feeling like they don’t quite belong to any.
Got involved in group of bilingual psychologists, but I was treated as I wasn’t brown enough. Even though I had studied it.
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Got involved in group of bilingual psychologists, but I was treated as I wasn’t brown enough. Even though I had studied it.
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Both my grandmothers are Māori and Scottish. Like [xx], I don’t feel like I belong anywhere. So who am I? I don’t really know. I didn’t pay attention to tikanga or whakapapa when growing up — I was too white to be Māori, too brown to be Pakeha.
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I found Wellington very diverse, and welcoming and people were very kind. Lots of students, which added to the diversity. Even with that, it’s very mono-cultural, and strongly European. As a Pākeha woman who has worked in bi-cultural way, and a faith space that was bi-cultural (Pacifica), I felt that I didn’t quite fit [in Wellington].
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Reminded me that belonging is not only belonging to my own culture. I’ve felt at times that I don’t belong to that either [Indian], because they see me as Western. I have a tattoo on my hand. I have specific things that they don’t do.
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I have grown up in NZ and have had rejection from both sides of my culture. Where are you from? I went to India and people asked where you are from? It can be very confusing for those who have dual identity. For NZ, I find it hard to say I’m a new Zealander. People from New Zealand would question me, but if you were anywhere in the world people would not.
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Lack of cultural activities
Not having space for cultural celebrations in the community can create exclusion and reduce feelings of belonging. Participants shared how essential it is to have visible and authentic cultural activities driven by those representing that culture. Schools were mentioned as common places where non-white cultures are not well celebrated - and how this filters down to children who feel they do not belong.
When I grew up, they didn't celebrate and my mum didn't know about Diwali. It wasn't something I grew up with, I grew up very Kiwi. I feel like there is something missing there so I gravitate toward my Indian culture.
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When I grew up, they didn't celebrate and my mum didn't know about Diwali. It wasn't something I grew up with, I grew up very Kiwi. I feel like there is something missing there so I gravitate toward my Indian culture.
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We have quite a Māori population here, but there’s no heartbeat. Places like the high school need to have something for the Māori students. There is kapahaka [at schools] and for some Māori students, this is the only reason they want to go to school.
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My sister said one of the barriers to their sense of belonging was denying a cultural learning session. It was unknown. Board of Trustees felt challenged because they never had Māori or Pasifika or Asian on Board of Trustees but those were the people going to the school. They used bullying tactics.
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Keeping Indian kids connected to their roots [is an issue]. A couple of girls in my group teach and do some Indian dance together.
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The lack of identity and lack of visibility: the sense that people don’t feel like they can question and feel like there is a lack of cultural competency is a huge issue. This is perhaps a big issue.
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I think in the area I live in there is a cultural disconnection within the district.
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