default-output-block.skip-main
National | Jacinda Ardern

PM backs Jackson's racism claim: All departments have work to do

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says every government agency in New Zealand has work to do to “weed out” issues related to institutionalised racism.

It comes after Māori Development Minister Willie Jackson claimed last week that institutional racism is in every area of New Zealand society.

Ardern said, “you’d be hard-pressed to find an agency that doesn’t acknowledge that it has work to do in making sure that we as a government in all our forms in all our agencies are living up to our role as Treaty partners.”

She says the agencies are making sure that they are weeding out unconscious bias and a range of issues that manifest in the way they do their day-to-day business.

“So I think every government institution would acknowledge that they have work to do.”

Claims by Jackson

In his claim, Jackson said Māori have been “singled out, underfunded and sidelined”.

"It's not just in the justice system - it's been in the health system, we've talked justice, we've had Oranga Tamariki, it's in the media - we've been sidelined in the media," he told Newshub Nation Māori.

"So, in every area of New Zealand society, we have institutional racism. It's one of the reasons I came into politics, I got sick and tired of our people being singled out."

Jackson warned that this "institutional racism"  won't end until there is more funding for "by Māori, for Māori" solutions, and cited Oranga Tamariki as an example.

"We had all the criticism in terms of the racism... this government has responded," Jackson said.

The minister said an all-Māori board, a Māori chair and an interim Māori CEO have been appointed to the state agency. He also said planning was underway for "by Māori, for Māori" funding.

“We've got a prime minister and a government committed to change," he said.