APF Community Contact us
News : Good practice

New campaign says ‘give no voice to racism’

Graphic: Entry page of the campaign website

Based on real-life experiences of racism, the campaign aims to raise awareness of racist behaviour and the harm caused to those on the receiving end.

The Human Rights Commission is urging people in New Zealand to 'give no voice to racism', as it launches a new campaign featuring celebrated film maker Taika Waititi.

Based on real-life experiences of racism, the campaign aims to raise awareness of racist behaviour and the harm caused to those on the receiving end.

To bring the reality of racism to light the campaign uses an online, interactive Voice of Racism (www.VoiceOfRacism.co.nz) to relay a range of racist comments and actions, alongside the inner thoughts of people experiencing those comments and actions.

"Every day in Aotearoa, people experience racism which hurts them, prevents them from reaching their potential, or from living their lives feeling welcome and secure," said Race Relations Commissioner Meng Foon.

"The Commission encourages all people in Aotearoa to experience the Voice of Racism for themselves so they can understand the impact of racism and reflect on how their own words and actions may be contributing, even unintentionally, to racism," he said.

"People may think one joke, one comment, one assumption, one stereotype doesn't matter, that they are trivial, but they do matter – and the cumulative effect on people experiencing these is huge."

The Commission is grateful for the continued contribution of Taika Waititi who gave his time to perform as the Voice of Racism. The new campaign builds on the first Give Nothing to Racism campaign, in 2017, which also featured Waititi.

In raising awareness of the harm caused by racism, the campaign also hopes to spark discussion about how racism affects people's fair and equal access to health, employment, justice, housing and education.

Funding was allocated by the Government in response to various and ongoing concerns in society about racism, including the Christchurch mosque attacks on 15 March 2019.

Alongside the interactive Voice of Racism, there are resources to support people who have experienced racism and to help explain the impact of the remarks and actions and the harm caused.

Date: 20 July 2020

Source: New Zealand Human Rights Commission


Image credits

  1. Entry page of the campaign website - New Zealand Human Rights Commission