When it comes to gender and race, Dr Parmjeet Parmar believes it’s different.
“So, men and women are genetically, you know, inherently different. But races are not and we have fought hard to be inclusive.”
Parmar emigrated from India in 1995, and attained her PhD in Biological Sciences at Auckland University. A National Party MP for two terms, she is now the Act Party education spokesperson. Parmar sat down with veteran reporter Cameron Bennett on Te Ao with Moana for a frank discussion about Māori and Pasifika dedicated spaces of which she has been a critic.
It all began when the ACT party shared a photo on X of a sign at Auckland University, which read, “This is a designated area for Māori and Pasifika students”.
When Bennett put to her that universities provide a wide range of spaces including queer space, breastfeeding rooms and women’s space, Parmar replied, “So, this space is on the basis of students’ race. And what disturbs me, what I’ve heard is the suggestion that for Māori and Pasifika students to succeed, somehow, they need to be isolated from non-Māori and non-Pasifika. And that, in my view, sends negative messages at so many different levels.”
Bennett asked Parmar who the victims were in this situation. The MP replied it was “all student”’ and suggested that by staying in the common rooms, Māori and Pasifika students missed out being exposed to other cultures. When asked about evidence to back up her claims, the Act Party spokesperson was unable to.
“So, the thing is, if you don’t get exposure to some cultures, some ethnicities, obviously you’re going to form some views about them. This is going to create mistrust and create friction. But when people work together, they understand each other, where they’re coming from, it’ll create that environment of harmony. And that is what I would like to see.”
Watch the full interview on Monday at 8pm on Te Ao with Moana (Whakaata Māori)