One of the main strands of thought in the feedback on my reflections on the evictions of First Nations Australians from their communities and the response of Māori was that we had no responsibility nor obligation; it wasn’t our issue. I’ve always taken the position that we have an imperative to respond to the suffering of others by offering relief and fighting for justice for their situation. That imperative is our common humanity. Others have explained the imperative in other ways; famously Pastor Martin Niemöller wrote (in a number of different forms):
First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Socialist.Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.
Well, in Australia, they have started to come for New Zealanders.
Tukaka Whakatutu, in a hard-hitting interview on National Radio, revealed that up to 75 New Zealanders and Pacific Island peoples have been deported from Australia to a high security camp in the jungles of Christmas Island. Whakatutu had his Australian visa automatically cancelled because he was sentenced to a prison term of longer that 12 months after he was found guilty of arson and drunk driving after he and his employer burnt down his workplace to claim the insurance. Whakatutu has lived in Australia for over six years, he has a partner and six children, but under the new draconian Australian legislation will be deported to Aotearoa New Zealand at the end of his sentence.
It is the opinion of advocates for prisoners like Whakatutu that these men are shipped to Christmas Island to discourage them from challenging their deportation through the courts both by making access to lawyers more difficult and subjecting them to inhumane detention conditions.
Whakatutu expressed sympathy for other nominal New Zealanders who had known no other home than Australia who were facing deportation, such as Angela Russell. Russell has lived in Australia since she was three, she is now 40 and has raised a family in Australia. She was sentenced for a series of petty crimes, but because her total record adds up to over 12 months of imprisonment, is also facing deportation.
These are two of multiple New Zealand citizens caught in the dragnet of new powers granted the Team America-styled Border Force. This amalgamation of Immigration and Customs in Australia has been granted such broad authority that a retired conservative judge in Australia who reviewed their legislation stated that a Border Force officer could kill a person they had detained with impunity as they only needed to state that they felt that was the force necessary to control the situation. Border Force were the butt of jokes following their attempt to conduct an operation in central Melbourne; they are far from a joke. Border Force are a para-military unit at the forefront of a new White Australia policy.
Unfortunately in Aotearoa New Zealand, we keep responding to each instance of new legislation that impinges on peoples’ rights in Australia as though they are isolated outliers instead of seeing the birth of fascism in Australian politics. I use that word advisedly: fascism is an authoritarian and nationalistic right wing system of government and social organisation, an accurate one line description of the government of our closest neighbour.
To date, they have: supported states to remove indigenous people from their traditional land with the likely intent that said land is open to the mining industry; opened concentration camps for refugees in off-shore islands and other poor, servant states; cynically used the 100th anniversary of the invasion of Turkey at Gallipoli to build nationalistic fervor; railed against full rights for homosexual and transgender members of Australian society; condoned the demonetization of Muslim Australians and joined an imperial war in the Middle East. And now they are seeking to deport long term residents to continue their trend of treating New Zealanders as second class citizens.
Our own government’s response has been flaccid. John Key admitted he had no ideahow many New Zealanders are facing deportation, has received no information on the matter from Australia and couldn’t understand how the Australian approach would assist the deportees, their families and Aotearoa New Zealand in anyway. So Key intends to… ask Malcolm Turnbull about it.
Now some may say that these New Zealanders facing deportation are criminals and the only injustice is that we have to have them back in Aotearoa New Zealand. Possibly the same people who would comment that First Nations Australians are to blame for their own poverty and failure to integrate, and that refugees are not really refugees but migrants trying to jump the queue. Such selfish, hateful responses barely deserve a comment. If you have decided that love of the poor and suffering is a weakness, I pray for your sake that you have money and success all the days of your life, for there is unlikely to be anyone waiting to catch you if you fall.
If concern for our common humanity means nothing, then perhaps we should be concerned because Australia is our closest neighbour in an economic and social sense. We have significant numbers of New Zealanders living there, including perhaps 170,000 Māori. If we are silent on the developing fascism there, we are abandoning a part of ourselves. Nation states that pursue the path the Australian government is taking are seeking dominance of others, to clear away difference. At some point, as Pastor Martin Niemöller stated, they will arrive at the door of someone you love. Even if that someone is only yourself.
Graham Bidois Cameron is of Ngāti Ranginui, Te Arawa and Ngāti Hinerangi descent. He has worked and volunteered in community development for 15 years, and lives in Tauranga Moana. He is completing his Masters of Theology with Otago University.
“John Key admitted he had no ideahow many New Zealanders are facing deportation.”
“I KNOW NOTHING” said Shonkey in a similar manner no doubt as Sergeant Shultz would have said in “Hogan’s hero’s.
See Shonkey’s mode of operation is to admit to nothing when he is cornered like he has been now.
“ALL CARE & NO RESPONISILITY” FITS WITH SHONKEY.
Maybe this guy should have thought about his six kids and the fact he was only on a ‘visa’ before deciding to commit a serious crime?
I have sympathy for his children, but this sense of self-entitlement that you have some intrinsic right of citizenship because you have worked in a country for 6 years is just ridiculous.
The irony of it all is that we have refugee’s who would literally give their right arms to come to Australia, and who would work hard and not commit serious crimes. No sympathy.
^ Must be a right wing ocker…
Bitter that Abbott just got rolled…or Julia?…
How about fucking off back to Aussie instead of leaning on the NZ taxpayer to support you in extending your bullshit Aussie right wing shit over here…
Oh wait…your a Kiwi…in which case you like Kiwi’s in Aussie being made second class citizens…got a minimum wage job for them to come back to when their deported , have we?
Who the fuck are you to comment on the majority of Kiwi’s in Aussie who shoulder a disproportionate amount of tax and see nothing in return for that ? – and instead get treated as second class citizens.
What are you ?…some sort of Arselicker?
Maybe we should look to all the Aussies over here who get to vote sooner than they should do and draw a welfare cheque if things don’t go to plan , ya bastard? – or get to study in this country AND get a student loan paid for by US.
Fuck off back to Queensland if you don’t like it here – go on – piss off!!!
We don’t need your right wing bloody bigoted Aussie bullshit here – fuck off.
Ya bloody bludging prick.
The irony of your juvenile rant is you actually raised the crux of the matter….they aren’t citizens.
If someone came here from Australia on a working VISA, raped someone, would you be up in arms if we deported them back?
Plane tickets are cheap, citizenship is earn’t.
So much for that ‘ANZAC Spirit’. It’s now a brand we just use to promote stuff.
I lived and worked in OZ for many years. My comfortable life is derived from those years spent residing there and the many opportunities afforded to me and my family in Australia. Bigger population more going on. It’s that simple. But it’s a fact if you’re not white your’e fucked in the Lucky country. Oh and Aussie’s hate us cos w’ere smart. Have no illusions about the reality of being Kiwi in ockerland and you’ll do OK.
I’ve stopped buying Aussie produce now. I didn’t like the way they treated us over there and felt that it was a bit hypocritical to be buying their stuff while they treat our citizens like second class citizens. I know it’s hard to avoid Aussie products when most of companies here seem to be owned by them, but every little bit helps.
A small point. We don’t descend from ngati mea we are members of ngati mea the word descent distances you from your iwi like your tipuna were but you aren’t
Remind who it was that gave away New Zealanders residency rights in Australia….
Yes, that’s right: Helen Clark
Actually if you take a look at the Australian’s constitution, New Zealand is considered a state of Australia, so technically New Zealanders living in Australia should have citizenship, and they’re abusing the rights of their own citizens, and Helen Clarke had no authority and ability to do that, only the Australians can change their own constitution.
[…] It seems extraordinary that Key hasn’t been briefed, didn’t really know the details and had nothing much to say about 75 NZers being detained by Australia… […]
I reserve the right to have no opinion on wether or not such people should be deported; but the Christmas Island hellhole (so full they can’t feed everyone, no access to lawyers ect, while your no parole is a bit much guys)
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