Waikato Times published an article and survey on whether ethnicity is a factor in Crafar Farm opposition, or is it simply, foreign investments.
I personally have a little reservation that Kiwis think ethnicity is not a factor in Crafar farm opposition. When James Cameron said he will come and purchase not long after the Crafar farm saga, everyone was supportive, and thinks he is going to generate economic benefits to NZ. He never ever said he will be here to make more movies and employ any New Zealanders. He is simply here to purchase a land for holiday home.
And when this showed up again few days ago, comments online was rude and racist. New Zealanders think this country can live without foreign investments. New Zealand’s debt is over $71.6billion, and borrowing over $300m per week. Our credit rating gone from AA+ to AA. The cost of Canterbury recovery is high. How do you think we can pay the debt off without turning into another Greece?
I had an interesting chat to someone who knows Crafar farm owners and said this debate has made it difficult for them. 1. They needed the money; 2. They don’t need the whole world to know that their farm is in receivership. The offer by iwi group was clearly too low to meet the debt owned.
I do support a New Zealand sale – only if they are able to meet the price. This issue about not selling anything to Chinese foreign investors s is giving New Zealand a very bad name; and also lost billions of dollars that foreign investors were going to invest.
New Zealanders need to be much more honest with them and admit that yes they have prejudices, and they do have issues with foreign investments, particularly with the Chinese. It is not wrong to accept that everyone have assumptions and prejudice of other people. It’s inate and important for survival. Realisations are the first step to move forward.
Absolutely a large part of the opposition to the sales is about ‘race’ (that biologically false but socially real descriptor) – the ‘shifty Asian other’ is not an image well received in a post-colonial country still firmly enchanted with its white nation-building myths. How the Waikato Times imagined a survey would capture this very deep-seated bias is astounding.