In 1973 the NZ Prime Minister, Mr Kirk, in his speech to the United Nations Association of NZ described as "one of the great international issues—perhaps the greatest—of our time"—

"the fact that a vast gap exists between the rich nations and the poor and that it is widening, not narrowing... Couple it with the fact that the poverty line coincides largely with a colour line and you have a highly explosive situation......" (Evening Post. 2.4.73)

Some six months earlier, in October 1972, a NZ aspect of this issue was referred to by the Chairman of the Auckland District Maori Council—

"For many Polynesians the statements that "we are one people" and "we are all equal" are becoming more and more hollow as the gap between them and the Pakeha widens in the economic, educational, housing and welfare the major issue....." (Dr Pat Hohepa of the Auckland as voices of concern are raised, accusations of creating racial disharmony are made.

"Statistics indicate that Polynesians are not achieving parity with the Pakeha in realms of education, health, housing, occupational distribution, social and cultural pursuits enhancing the quality of life, respect for the law etc., with housing, in the past few months being the major issue...." (Dr Pat Hohepa of the Auckland University Anthropology Department, speaking at a Victoria University Seminar on "Crime in a Multi-Racial Society").

In mid 1973 the Social Welfare Department's Report on Juvenile Crime in NZ confirmed Dr Hohepa's fears—

"Crime seems to increase with an increase in affluence.. (p. 17) "....recorded crime is most prevalent amongst lower socio-economic groups in the community and.... these groups contain disproportionate numbers of Maoris. In other, words, proportionately more Maoris than non-Maoris have low incomes, inadequate housing, unskilled jobs, and lower levels of education, and it is important to know the extent to which the high Maori offending rate is simply a consequence of these differences...." (pp. 39-40) "If it were found that an increase in "Maoriness" paralleled an increase in the rate of crime, it would be reasonable to conclude that we indeed had a Maori crime problem. While the available evidence suggests that this is so, it is based on social workers' evaluation of the degree of 'Maoriness' and without more precise research we cannot be completely confident about this conclusion....." (p. 39)

This report concludes with a criticism of present (Pakeha) methods: "We are not holding delinquency in check, let alone curing it, by our present methods" (p.39). It opens with an introduction referring to what might be called "confused values" or double standards of parents and adults in general (p.7) and points out that "some of these offences are clearly more serious than a good deal of juvenile crime".

On 10.8.73 a NZ Herald Education feature arising from this report dealt only with Polynesians and unfortunately (however well-intentioned) gave its readers to understand that "Maori" crime is due to the "confused., values" of Maori parents resulting in "double standards" among the young:

"There has been a recent resurgence of Maoritanga, a strengthening desire of Polynesians as a whole to identify more closely with their culture. The energy behind this movement is largely from young Polynesians, particularly young Maoris.

"From their parents they have received a confused set of values. But they should understand that the confused values of their parents were caused by an almost overnight transition from a rural to an urban environment.

"Confused values have led to double standards among the young....."

To counteract the negative effect of such public statements by this form of Pakeha paternalism, it is necessary to show that in addition to the confused values and double standards (mostly urban) referred to in the Introduction to the Report, institutional racism itself breeds a whole set of double standards and confused values which too many New Zealanders are at present dangerously unaware of.

(Compare Wards, pp. 390-393 on the effect of Sir George Grey's "policy of trickery and deceit", aug-menting Maori resentment and reducing European understanding so that the latter were finally "faced with problems which, by precept and training, were beyond their powers of understanding.")