Racial Segregation in New Zealand

During the mid-1920s to early 1960s, barbers in South Auckland refused to cut Maori hair, except for one barber who had a special chair to prevent the spread of disease among European customers.

At the Strand Theatre, Maori people were not allowed upstairs and were segregated from Europeans, allegedly due to complaints about their smell and behavior.

Only one bar in town served Maori people alcohol, and at one point, Maori women had to be served outside behind the bar in a field.

Taxi drivers refused to pick up Maori passengers, and on the bus from Puu Kukui to Auckland, if a European boarded a full bus, Maori people had to stand, and if they didn't, they would be yelled at.

In the late 1940s, the school in Fukui had separate toilets for Maori students, who were monitored in the hallways, and if they used the wrong toilet, they would be hit with a strap.

The swimming baths at the school were segregated, with Europeans and Asians allowed to use them from Monday to Thursday, and Maori people allowed on Fridays, after which the water would be changed.

In December 1937, four government agencies sent representatives to Fukui to investigate reports of racial segregation, and they confirmed that not a single person in town would rent to Maori, forcing them to live in a slum area.

The government representatives also found that no Maori children attended school in Fukui, and no businesses would allow Maori people to use their toilets or public amenities like the telephone.

As a result of the segregation, Maori people were forced to live on the market gardens, away from the European community, and lost their connection to their ancestral land.

In the late 1800s, Maori people lost their land unjustly, were forced to work as indentured servants, and lived in slums on their ancestral land.

The racial segregation led to the deaths of hundreds of Maori infants and children who could have been saved.