Aotearoa New Zealand is a country in the south of the Pacific region, made up of two main islands, North Island and South Island. Our population is about 3.4 million. Our country has a history of bicultural journeys. The two main languages are English and Maori. The Maori people are a Polynesian race who first settled here over a thousand years ago. "Maori" is the word used by these people to describe themselves. "Pakeha" is a word commonly used by Maori to describe the white people who began to arrive in great numbers one hundred and fifty years ago. In 1840 the Treaty of Waitangi was signed by many Maori Rangatira (chiefs) and representatives of Queen Victoria, Empress of the British Empire. That treaty recognized a relationship between Maori and Pakeha, protecting the rights and sovereignty of Maori people, while recognizing the sovereignty of the British Crown.

The chain of unjust race relations

New Zealand for many years was called Godzone, the idyllic place where people lived in cultural harmony. In reality, New Zealand has been a place of cultural homogeneity to the cost of the cultures of the Maori and other peoples. "Do things our way or drop out." Government policy led to land being changed from a communal treasure into a privately owned property for sale or accumulation. Children learning to read used material designed for children growing up in England. At times in our history, the use of Maori language has been discouraged if not banned in schools. Kiwi culture too often has been Pakeha culture with a different name.

Recently there has been a growing awareness of the need to honour Maori language and values. Young people are now being exposed to a wide variety of perspectives, not just the British colonial view. Land confiscated a hundred years ago is being returned or recognized in compensation. Maori people are being given the option of developing their own education system from preschool through to university level.

Now we have a tension between assimilation and ethnic isolation. In our attempts to give one another "sovereignty" we could easily destroy valuable partnerships. In some cases young people find themselves trapped in ethnic "slot car tracks", with choices limited by ethnicity.

In the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, New Zealand became host to a large number of immigrants from certain Pacific Islands, particularly Samoa, Cook Islands, Niue, Fiji and Tonga. Our identity as a Pacific nation was something that could not be avoided in the cities and towns where these people settled. Auckland, for example, has become one of the largest Polynesian cities in the world.

This is where the Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand came into the network provided by the Council for World Mission (CWM). The Pacific Island Congregational church formally joined the Presbyterian church in 1969.

In the 1990s our society has had the challenge of a growing number of Asian immigrants. People arriving from Taiwan, Hong Kong and Korea have changed the face of education and business. Young people in Auckland schools are facing peers who expect to work very hard in comparison, and in many cases are well off. All of a sudden we have people from a new ethnic grouping who do better at the Pakeha system than those brought up in it. There is a growing feeling of resentment against people "taking our jobs".

The financial burden placed on the younger generation

Most of our parents grew up under a social welfare system in which health, education and superannuation were provided for all, regardless of socioeconomic background. The changing financial climate has put an end to a lot of this. "User pays" is the catch-cry of reports on our welfare systems. Sure, there were a lot of inefficiencies and abuses before. New Zealand could afford to sustain these under boom years. But now that the difficult times are here, the younger generation cannot even hope for consistent health care, a job, or a secure future. Maybe it was coming to us!

Opportunities for youth are too often linked with our parents' income. For many young people the reality is that health is a commodity to be bought. You go to the doctor when you can afford it, or if your parents can pay the bills. Youth levels on the unemployment benefit have been slashed because of the perception that young people can live on next to nothing. Education is becoming a privilege for those with good credit rating. People training as lawyers, doctors, dentists, physiotherapists finish their training with debts the size of a small house mortgage. Those who don't have parental support during their tertiary education may receive small bursaries. We have university students entering marriages of convenience to qualify for the higher bursaries provided for adults.

How do young people look at the injustice?

"Cynical" is one word that could describe a whole generation. "Depression", another! New Zealand has one of the highest rates of recognized youth suicide in the world. A lot of that comes from a feeling that life has let young people down. Our society is at heart a materialist, consumerist society, and those under thirty-five don't have the means to buy what's on offer! Many young people do not have strong value systems that give them a sense of purpose or strength.

There are small networks of young people who recognize injustice and dare to defy it. But on the whole, young people are not active in a struggle for justice.

The days of protest movements seem to be over. For people struggling to get an education or find a job, the pressure for conformity and success is strong. "Join the system before it beats you." Motivation is hard to find. Whereas Baby boomers, people born between 1945 and 1960, are used to challenging the institution, younger people seem just to ignore it.

What is the role of the church in the struggle?

The Joint Public Questions committee of the Presbyterian and Methodist churches continues to research matters of justice in Aotearoa New Zealand. We have two youth representatives on that group. Part of their role is to keep the church informed and active in matters of justice. Information and issues papers have been published recently on Maori sovereignty, immigration and health.

Part of my role as Youth Ministry Coordinator is to build networks of youth leaders and young people around Aotearoa New Zealand. Part of that is politicizing - encouraging young people to be heard at a local, regional and national level. Through our regional and national training events we hope to empower leaders to be youth advocates, people who stand up and are heard, people who keep their eyes open to injustice and challenge it.

At our national gathering of youth leaders and young people, Youth Assembly, we have developed an approach that addresses ethnic injustice. Some Pacific Island and Maori leaders pointed out that our decision-making disempowered significant groups within the church. In response, a caucus system was developed. We established three tikanga, or groups of people, for Maori, Pakeha, and Pacific Island. During Youth Assembly time was set aside for issues to be discussed in these groups. We now have the freedom of talking as one large group or as small interest groups. Unity in reconciled diversity.

As a result of our changes, young people are able to gather with people of similar backgrounds to share concerns and achievements that would otherwise be ignored. Decisions are now made by consensus rather than by the mighty majority vote. We are now working on developing similar caucuses for teenagers and those with an Asian background. Of course there are some frustrations. It is not so easy to make clear-cut decisions. Sometimes we have to wait. At least we don't have to pretend that we all think alike!

Are there injustices in the church?

Yes. Many young people are given the unspoken message that they must learn and adopt the culture of the older generation or get out. I have heard that message spoken as well! We are told that there are lots of other churches who offer contemporary worship. Why not join these? And so we have an exodus of leaders. Very few young people stay in the Presbyterian church into their twenties.

Youth suicide worries people. I hear a lot of rhetoric about stopping it. But at the end of the day, church systems are set up to look after people in the upper age brackets. Baby boom leaders have recently taken the reins of power, and they are the ones calling the shots. I hope that when my generation start calling the shots, they will be aware of the chains of injustice binding the younger generation.

Jenny’s story

Jenny Ratana-Koia, 29, is a young Maori woman who is breaking the chains of injustice in her life.

Jenny grew up in a small country area where the only Pakeha were the teachers at the local school. From the attitudes of those around her she soon learnt to look up to white adults and expect little of herself. The Pakeha children in her class made it known that they were not allowed to mix with her kind, leaving her with the feeling that she was not good enough to be accepted in wider society.

It was at the age of 12 that Jenny first met a Maori woman in a position of authority, a teacher at the local Intermediate School for 11 and 12-year-olds. Looking back, Jenny realizes that this woman was an important role model who gave her hope that she could offer something more than just labour in a factory.

As a teenager Jenny attended Turakina Maori Girls College, a Presbyterian school. Here she found peers who were going through similar situations, and yet from different walks of life and different parts of the country. She gradually became more confident in the value of her Maori heritage. Many of the teachers were Maori, although the principal was white and male.

It was at Teachers College that Jenny made the breakthrough. She realized that she had allowed herself to fall to the "tall poppy" syndrome, so prevalent in New Zealand society. Anyone seen to be confident, take initiative, or excel is quickly cut down. During a meeting of students Jenny witnessed the enthusiasm of another Maori young woman for organizing a student event. Jenny was challenged to become a change agent rather than just a passive victim of negative thinking.

Jenny is now a teacher herself. She believes that attitudes have changed enough to allow young Maori to hold their heads high, and try for new horizons. Turakina Girls College now has a female Maori principal. The children in her classes at school are encouraged to be proud of their heritage and to share across the cultures.

It is in the church that Jenny now looks for freedom. She sees young people being chained by the negative talk of a few. Young people and their leaders need help and encouragement rather than put-downs. Despite all this, Jenny and her peers are moving beyond the "tall poppy" syndrome and starting new ventures with the new generations coming through. She leads a youth group in her local church and edits a magazine for Maori youth and youth leaders in the Presbyterian Church. This year she is attending the general assembly as one of two Maori youth representatives.

Duncan Macleod is National Youth Ministry Coordinator of the Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand.