Through New Zealand there is a large problem with Maori social issues including things like racism and gangs. These problems are seen from the narrative point of view from young Maori men through texts such as “Wild pork and watercress” written by Barry Crump, and films such as “The Dark Horse” directed by James Napier Robertson, and “Boy” directed by Taika Waititi, and the “The Yellow Brick Road” written by Witi Ihimaera. Problems like gang life, violence, poverty, dysfunctional families and racism have major effects on some of the main characters in the texts and films,  which change or have a intense impact the characters lives. In these texts and films we can also see how there are some positive role models and mentors. A common thing all the boys share is potential to do great things. Other positive characters help these young Maori men reach their potential. Typical rural settings, colloquial language and kiwi humor is also used commonly thought these texts and films.

In the text “The yellow brick road” written by Witi Ihimaera shows the Maori issues such as racism, violence and poverty. The “Yellow brick road” is a story of a poor Maori family from a small town in the North Island called Waithu. The story is seen through the eyes of a young Maori boy called Matiu, who doesn’t know about and hasn’t experienced racism and violence and believe everyone is equally treated, that he is the same as everyone else. In Matiu’s family their is his father, mother and older sister, who are driving in an old frail car to  “The emerald city”, Wellington where they hope for a better life, filled with wealth and safety. On the trip there they are then faced with violence and racism by other people and families driving past who are all Pakeha’s. For example after one of the ropes, which is holding down there items and luggage on the roof, snaps a box falls out on the road which contains all of Matiu books, his favorite book falls into the middle of the road, he goes to retrieve it when an oncoming car slams on the brakes to stop themselves from hitting Matui. This is where Matiu and his family receive the greatest amount of racism and have the biggest effect on their family. The angry man yells about how to drive properly and not letting kids on the road, and leaves angrily saying “You Maoris are all the same. Dumb bloody horis.”. This effects Maitu as he starts to wonder if all the Pakeha in Wellington are like this and if they’ll like and accept him and his family. However Matiu’s family just wants to start a new life where they can be happy together as a family and only want positivity, but the Pakeha don’t see this and think Maoris are a problem and no good to society. This is one of the many issues Maori’s are faced with, and can teach us how stupid racism is and how everyone should accepting of each other, and that everyone deserves a chance.

Throughout the film “boy” directed by Taika Waititi, Maori issues such as dysfunctional family, gangs, and violence as well as potential are seen continuously in the film. Boy is a young boy round the age of 11, he lives in a house with large family of children all younger than him, his grandma is the only one looking after them. His mother had died giving birth to Boy’s younger brother Rocky. Boys father is named Alamein. Alamein left boy and his hometown of Waihau Bay, to go out in to the city to try and make some money, and makes a gang with only 3 members in it. Boy has this built up image of his father thinking that he is amazing, wealthy funny and perfect, but when Boy meets him later on the film he is not what boy believes he is. Something Boy has a lot of that is mentioned throughout the film is his potential to do great things and be a good person, but due to the environment and his father he starts to go down the wrong path. Boy’s potential is first mentioned by one of the teachers at his school talking about boys father “ I went to school with him yeah he was a good student, like you, full of potential” boy replies saying, “what’s that word mean, potential” the teacher has to go unfortunately. This show’s how if Boy takes the right path and makes friends with the right people, he can take a different path to his father, Alamein. This shows how everyone have some potential, it just depends on the person and what they decide to with it. It also teaches us to make friends with people that will help you in life rather then friends who will put down, also to make choices that make you happy and you won’t regret. These are things which Alamein didn’t do and he regretted some of the decisions he made but paid the price for them. This is how Boy shows an issue of Maori children having the potential to do great things but growing in the wrong environment and making friends with the wrong people, can send you down an negative chaotic path instead of a positive peaceful one.

“The Dark Horse” directed by James Napier Robertson how’s Maori issues such as gang violence, dysfunctional families, and potential of a young Maori man who gets caught up in gang life. In the film Genesis, also known as Gen is Maori man with some mental health problems. In the film Gen and his brother are around their 40’s, but the young man I am focusing on in the film is, Gens nephew Mana. Mana lives with his father who is the leader of a Gang. Mana gets wants to be be like his dad and be part of his gang, however Mana doesn’t know all the nasty things that go in everyday gang life. Mana suffers from the Maori issues of gang life and not being able to reach his potential because of his father and the people in the gang. Gen tries his best to save Mana from the path his father took. Gen sees how Mana enjoys coming and playing chess with Gen’s club and would rather be playing chess then committing crimes and violent acts in the gangs. One example of violence in Gangs is when Mana gets patched on his 16th birthday. The chest tournament is on the same day he was getting patched and so he missed out on the patching and decided to go to the tournament. Its when he returns Mana gets beaten and bruised, colored black and blue. Gen comes in and talks to one of the violent gang members who is taking care of Mana, but does the opposite, and says “ How many times you been pissed on, how many times before you stop crying” the gang member replying in “ fuck you, Fuck you mother Fucker” I believe Gen is talking about how The gang member isn’t happy with the way he’s living. He asks how many times, which I believe he is really asking how long before he can accept that the gang life he lives in is filled with anger violence. The gang member reply shows, that he understand what gen is saying but doesn’t have the courage to admit it. I believe this shows us how Gen is trying to stop Mana from going into the Gang life, stopping Mana from getting pissed on and beaten up, like what happened in his patching. This can teach us how important it is have the right people around us and not to live  life with violence and anger as it only leads to unhappiness.

“Wild pork and watercress” is a New Zealand text written by Barry Crump, which represents a Maori issue of acceptance at the start of the text. The text is focused around a young Maori boy aged 13, called Ricky baker. Ricky is a child without parents, he never knew his dad and his mom left Ricky at a very young age, not knowing how to properly raise him she left Ricky as a baby. Ricky struggles to find a home as no one wants him, he got passed around family to family. Until he meets a farming family, an older couple in around their 50s or 40s. At the this farm, Aunt Bella accepts Ricky and does everything to make him feel happy and welcomed. Because Ricky has never been treated in such a warm and kind way, he does not how to feel about it at first, but as the story goes on aunt Bella starts to bring the kind and fun icky, instead of an angry disobedient Ricky. Ricky baker is actually a smart kid but is never recognized for the positives he does. In the text Ricky says “ By the time I’d been at school for a few years I could read miles better then most of the other kids but I wasn’t much good at anything else, they decided I was a slow learner. They shifted me round from class to class, trying to figure out where fat Maori boys who can’t play rugby or learn simple stuff fitted in. I knew they had all wrong, but there wasn’t much I could do about it.” This shows how treating people the wrong way can start to make someone feel stupid and out of place. It also shows how stereotypical Pakeha can be and how affect young Maori boys with lots of potential. It shows the Maori issue of nonacceptance of of Maoris who couldn’t do certain things get treated differently, which then causes them to act in negative ways and have negative thoughts. This was resolved when finally  Aunt Bella accepts Ricky for who he his and treats with kindness and fun, this causes Ricky’s negative behavior to turn positive. This can teach us how we need to treat everyone equally despite their ethnicity. We can also learn to treat people positively and focus on their positives an acknowledge those, and not focus on the flaws someone has, and instead of acting negatively on the flaws help someone overcome them.

I believe that everyone should be treated equally in our New Zealand society and Pakeha and Maoris should do a better job of spreading positivity and try their best to resolve Maori issues in the New Zealand community. In all these texts and Films there’s one General theme of Maoris issues in New Zealand. This is seen through the dysfunctional families, gang life racism and violence, which is spread across the country by both Maori and Pakeha. These are caused by poverty violence and racism. This negativity In New Zealand will continue to happen throughout the country unless the people of New Zealand try to stop this. To help resolve this this we must learn that everyone deserves a chance at a life with happiness, and positive, also to make friends with the people around us that make us feel happy and safe. This is how the people who view these texts and films can make a difference to The New Zealand society and spread positivity in the country.