Source: (2005) Website of Dr. Michael Kidd, New Zealand.Downloaded 23 February 2005.
This essay will look at the commonality and differences between Maori and Christian responses to restorative justice in the spirit of 1 Cor 13 :5 – love is not rude. The history of race relations between European (Pakeha) and Maori in NZ has been one of forced Maori assimilation up until comparatively recently, but the case exists for a new paradigm of biculturalism where the two cultures learn from each other. Thus the less dominant culture, the Maori, can have input and a sense of belonging even though different in many fundamental respects:1)
Traditional societies depended on …feelings of obligation…it was gifts that bound
people together…such networks…are the safety net that sees an individual through
the crises of life 2)
The Maori constitute the tangata whenua (people of the land) which has basis in the Bible recognition of man’s dignity and rights to expression of cultural identity.3) In the area of criminal justice this has been the reverse situation for Maori, however the Gospels have much to say which celebrates difference and praises cultural expression. (excerpt)
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