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Multicultural settler colonialism: Tyler Ritchie, From Migration to Manaakitanga: Rethinking Multiculturalism in Aotearoa New Zealand, PhD dissertation, Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington, 2025

16Sep25

Abstract: Aotearoa New Zealand is an increasingly diverse country that relies on social cohesion between Indigenous, settler, and migrant groups. As a result, migrant groups have called for the adoption of multiculturalism by the government, but this concept has not been examined from Indigenous perspectives. This dissertation examines the perspectives of Māori, the Indigenous peoples of Aotearoa, on the ways they experience and understand multiculturalism in their day-to-day lives. This work sought to fill a gap in the wider literature by conducting three qualitative studies that examine the relationship between indigeneity and migration. In Study 1 I conducted exploratory research that examined what whānau Māori thought about multiculturalism. Through focus groups across Aotearoa, twenty-nine participants shared that they experience positive relationships with migrant groups and value diversity in their communities. However, they also highlighted a lack of capacity to manaaki migrants due to colonisation and the undermining of their right to self-determination. Study 2 investigated whether migration influenced the perspectives of Māori on multiculturalism by interviewing Māori migrants to Australia. Six participants felt significant shifts in expressing their Māoritanga as migrants, and they reported that the presence of multicultural policy was undermined by racism toward both migrants and Indigenous Australians. Study 3 aimed to examine the multicultural policy context in Aotearoa, finding that at present policy was not perceived as particularly effective by those across the migration sector. Case studies developed from interviews with iwi, NGO, and local government representatives highlighted a need for more involvement of Māori and increased co-governance when developing multicultural policy. Following this, a Critical Tiriti Analysis illustrated gaps between the existing policy and articles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Together, these studies provide evidence that a conceptualisation of multiculturalism in Aotearoa must be reimagined. Importantly, this concept should reflect (and promote) a national identity that centres Māori as tangata whenua and makes clear the responsibilities settler and migrant groups have under Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Considering the lack of policy that supports social cohesion, this research highlights the value of centring Indigenous perspectives and concepts such as manaakitanga in multicultural literature. Ultimately, only through decolonisation will multiculturalism be successful in Aotearoa New Zealand.


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