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Story: Ngā mātua – Māori parenting

Blaming culture

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Blaming culture

In this 2006 cartoon by Chris Slane, a man shakes a baby representing Māori culture, and accuses it of being bad. Māori children are statistically more likely to be abused or neglected than children of other ethnicities, and some New Zealanders simply blame Māori culture for the problem, rather than looking for socio-economic or historical reasons.

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Alexander Turnbull Library

Reference: DCDL-0003956

by Chris Slane

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page

Cindy Kiro, Ngā mātua – Māori parenting – Abuse and discipline, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/cartoon/29245/blaming-culture (accessed 26 June 2026).

Story by Cindy Kiro, published 10 May 2011, updated 1 June 2017.