Chapter 6: Antiracism in Aotearoa New Zealand: Perspectives of a Māori Woman and a Pākehā Woman on Maintaining Mana

Racism is a longstanding problem in Aotearoa (New Zealand) initially embedded during British colonization. Māori, the Indigenous peoples of Aotearoa, have never ceded sovereignty and always resisted colonization and all forms of racism. Pākehā (white settlers) have been the main beneficiaries and perpetuators of racism.

Racism is a violent system of power that has a negative cumulative effect on health and has an intergenerational reach. Preventing, resisting, disrupting, and eliminating racism has long been a focus of Indigenous and other social activism in Aotearoa. We introduce this chapter with an overview of some of the herstory of both Māori and Pākehā resistance to settler colonization and systemic racism.