Background
Racism is a social structure that underpins forms of interpersonal and institutional discrimination that has harmful effects throughout Aotearoa New Zealand. The effects of racism are evident in inequitable wellbeing outcomes for Māori, Pacific peoples and minoritised ethnic groups in terms of health, education, housing, employment and justice. Working to End Racial Oppression is an interdisciplinary research programme that investigates the systems that produce and reproduce racism, and seeks to establish transformative responses to reduce racism.
WERO research examines the impacts of racism in employment and income, housing and neighbourhoods, institutional practices, and the psychological impacts of experiences of racism.
Our Goals
Exploring racism and its impacts requires a focus on the systems that create advantages and disadvantages for different groups. WERO research explores systems through which racism is (re)produced through analyses of: the settler colonial racialisation of differentially positioned communities of colour (including tangata whenua, tangata Moana, and migrants of colour); the maintenance of settler colonialism through historical narratives; the role of privileged populations in excluding racialised minorities; the significance of employment and housing systems in maintaining inequalities; and the role of mainstream and social media in exacerbating inequalities.
Working to End Racial Oppression also aims to provide solutions. WERO includes a focus on developing responses to racism in the form of toolkits to audit and address institutional racism; protocols to promote inclusive online communication; strategies for building relationships between racialised communities; and guidelines for the ethical remembering of New Zealand history.