Art schol has expanded my perspective of my degree. It allows me to chew on the concepts introduced, and analyse them in a Sara-Esque, conflict-driven way. This is particularly true of my learnings in Maori History and Law.
‘Conflict’ has multiple definitions, in the Oxford dictionary, there are three.
1: ‘A violent situation or period of fighting between two countries’
This reminds me of the various physical conflicts we learnt about in high school history. Learning about the World Wars and New Zealand’s involvement solidified the idea that we are a peaceful nation who helps internationally when needed. The issues of the two Treaties of Waitangi were glossed over, and until this year I thought there was only one. I was oblivious to the fact that there were New Zealand Wars, the attack on Parihaka and the Waikato Land Wars were devastating to learn about, especially after living here for 19 years. Only through my subject choices have I understood the lasting effect of colonisation on our country, something many other students are missing out on. The lack of representation in the education system is astounding. Before we learn about international wars, we should be learning about the wars within our shores. Without this knowledge, young New Zealanders are growing up blind to the issues in our society and without the ammunition to quell them.
2: ‘A situation in which there are opposing ideas, opinions, feelings, or wishes; a situation in which it is difficult to choose’
We each experience conflict both internally and externally. As a kid, I thought that my parents and I were pretty woke. The classic “I have Maori and Pasifika friends”, “I live in South Auckland”. Growing from this has left me with feelings of regret. White guilt is a common thing amongst Pakeha who chose to educate themselves on indigenous issues. It comes hand in hand with the importance of recognising our privilege and is remedied by using that privilege for change.
3: ‘A situation in which people, groups, or countries are involved in a serious disagreement or argument’
This definition encompasses the common conflicts we experience in everyday life. Conflicts have broken out at home because of my growing ideas of our society. My patriotic ideas of New Zealand began to change from the ideas I inherited. When correcting a family member on Maori pronunciation (he says “meow-rie”), I was met with “this is how I was taught to say it” and “I don’t care when people mispronounce my name”. When attempting to educate my neighbour about The Last Land grab and the unfairness of the Treaty Settlements, she said: “well my father’s farm was sold for a pittance”. The frustration of ignorance without a willingness to learn turns into fits of rage as I yell across the table at my oblivious family.
Systemic racism is a huge issue in New Zealand. Instead of having “much healthier ‘race relations’ than America and Australia” like my Nan says, we are just as bad. We hide our issues behind a collage pepeha project in Year 10 art and decorative kowhaiwhai on our motorways. The wider conflict in New Zealand and the world is one between ignorance and knowledge. Ignorance is not bliss, but knowledge is power.
