Polynesians in Industry

Mana (Auckland), Volume 2, Issue 1, 6 April 1978, Page 3

Polynesians in Industry

by

Fred Atiga

This paper was presented to the P.J.C. Fellowship Conference at Christchurch, St Paul’s Trinity Pacific, February 17 to 19 1978.

The Trade and Industry Department’s Productivity News No. 39 of July 1977 had the following statement in print: “Pacific Islanders play an important role in New Zealand Industry. Many firms would not be able to function effectively without this workforce. Problems with communications, motivation , and adj ustment to a new way of life that Polynesians experience, must therefore affect the Productivity of the companies who employ them.’’ This is basically a statement of fact, except that the emphasis seems to rest somewhat upon the effects of the Pacific Islanders’ problems on the Productivity of the companies who employ them. It ignores the flip-side of the coin where ‘Productivity’ for some companies would be ‘Nil’ without this so-called workforce.

The fact as can be seen from a wider angle is that, not only would many firms be unable to function effectively without the Pacific Island workers in their employment, there also are those companies who have accepted it that they will cease to function and shut-up-shop if the migrant workers, Polynesians and their problems in this case, ' were not there to handle certain manual jobs which the average kiwi worker is reluctant to perform.

This reluctance of “Home” workers to do certain jobs is not new or peculiar to New Zealanders. History proves it to be a common human reaction practised by ‘Tangata Whenua’ of many lands throughout many generations.

Migrant Labour employment and exploitation has been practised by man since time immemorial — take a look at the Old Testament times — even by the Egyptians in building the Pyramids — no wonder Sadat is having a tough time with Begin.

To name a few instances closer to home, in the 1800 s, Chinese and Solomon Island Labour were employed in Western Samoa to tend the Rubber, Cocoa, and Copra industries; because the ‘Tama-a-le-eleele’ were too cunning and easy-going for the early Planters and Developers. Similarly Indian Labour was utilised in the Fijian Sugar-cane fields, and the Japanese in Hawaiian Pineapple production. Migrant Labour employment is an accepted international practice; In the Australian six million workforce, 1.4 million of

them were born outside Australia. Migrant Labour is a roaring trade with the E.E.C. Bloc. The Americans are having a lot of fun with the Mexican and Puerto Rican Gate-crashers and overstayers. The African Continent of course is a different story; they practise Migrant Labour Exploitation in reverse. So what about the Pacific Islanders in the New Zealand Workforce? We have now established the fact that the Pacific Island workers play an important role in New Zealand Industry. Their work contribution is vital to the productivity of many of the major industries in New Zealand, and sustain that certain balance within the total structure of the country’s workforce. Moreover, History is repeating itself in the multiplication of the population of people from the Pacific Islands in Godzone either by birth, legal entry, oroverstaying.

And thus we come to the crux of this paper — ‘The integration of many different cultural backgrounds to form a productive workforce.’ Since the leading character in this ‘Workforce’ drama of life is a being called Human, let us look at its form of an ‘lndividual Man,’ this being the only common meeting ground for us all, all being Human Beings; apart from that, each of us is a solitary, and peculiar being, the product of a unique history. We grow as our individual natures demand. Dr Loren Eiseley said: “Man is a solitary and peculiar develop-

ment.” Albert Einsteein said that one of the few things he felt sure of was the “Uniqueness of the Individual”. Not only is every man unlike every other, but he changes with time. He is not really the same man today that he was last year. For this reason, we cannot really develop mutual understanding of our cultural differences, by means of canned, assemblyline methods, by which we can be rightly accused of‘Stereotyping’ people; however, we can help each other by telling of our individual upbringing and personal experiences of life as we found it. This should set us on the trail of lateral thinking which in turn should help us in our appreciation of other people, their values, mannerisms, actions and reactions.

The majority of Western Samoa’s population is under 20 years of age.

Last year was Samoa’s driest year since 1909.