MIGRANT NEWS FEB 2022

w w w . m i g r a n t n e w s . n z I w w w . f a c e b o o k . c o m / w w w . m i g r a n t n e w s . n z I email: migrantnews@xtra.co.nz
P a g e 0 9
Sound the warning bell:
Lead, mercury found in
skin whitening products
By Staff Writer
Two years ago, Migrant
News reported that
worldwide people have
been urging beauty companies
to change and
remove skin whitening
(also known as lightening)
products (www.
migrantnews.nz/changein-beauty-industry).
And now there is more
bad news both for
importers of these products
and consumers.
Medsafe has issued a
warning that high levels
of mercury and lead have
been found in some skin
whitening creams.
According to the
Authority, a case of possible
mercury poisoning
was reported in the Upper
North Island recently.
“The sample of the product
used by the patient
was tested and found to
have 24900 parts of mercury
per million.
“Two other brands of
similar products that
were tested were also
found to contain high levels
of mercury and of
lead, as did a second sample
of the original product
tested.
“This is in breach of
international conventions
limiting mercury in cosmetic
products to 1 part
per million.”
Subsequently, Medsafe
warned the public not to
use Goree Beauty Cream
with Lycopene, Goree
Day and Night Beauty
Cream Oil Free and
Golden Pearl Beauty
Cream.
“Medsafe cautions that
anyone purchasing similar
products either here
or from the internet
should take particular
care as the presence of
mercury is often not disclosed,
as is the case with
these products, but it is
often included as an
added ingredient.”
Along with the public
warning, Medsafe has
seized a quantity of skin
whitening creams containing
mercury from a
trader in Auckland.
However, other traders
may also have imported
and sold these products
and individuals may also
have personally imported
the products.
The alert was published
on Medsafe’s website to
inform those using the
products about the associated
health risks and to
inform traders of the
issue.
EXPLAINER:
What are the signs and
symptoms of mercury
poisoning?
Mercury is a dangerous
chemical and although
naturally present in the
environment, it is rare.
The signs and symptoms
of mercury poisoning
vary widely depending on
the route of absorption
and period of exposure
but include toxic effects
on the nervous, digestive
and immune systems, and
on the lungs, kidneys,
skin and eyes. It can also
affect the development of
unborn babies.
What are the signs and
symptoms of lead poisoning?
A variety of symptoms
can be attributed to lead
poisoning depending on
the level of exposure and
the age of the person
involved. Lead poisoning
may affect neurological
development in children,
and affect the gastrointestinal
and nervous systems
and have other
effects in adults.
What are the environmental
concerns?
The mercury in these
products may end up in
wastewater, from where it
can enter other waterways
and then the food
chain, through fish.
Editor - You can find
more information about
this topic at: https://www.
medsafe.govt.nz/safety/
Alerts/skin-whiteningcream.asp
We welcome your comments
relating to this article.
email: migrantnews
@xtra.co.nz
The Treaty and the History belong to us
By Priyanca
Radhakrishnan
Waitangi Day continues
to fascinate me as much
today as it did when I first
moved to Aotearoa New
Zealand and started learning
about this nation’s history.
It is an opportunity to
reflect and take stock of
the Crown’s relationship
with the Maori and think
about where we are headed
as a nation.
For me it is an opportunity
to reflect where
migrant and ethnic communities
fit into the social
fabric of our Nation.
In 2016 I had the privilege
of joining the Labour
Party team at Te Tii Marae
for the Political Day that
precedes Waitangi Day. It
was a special experience.
Waitangi, in the Bay of
Islands, is a beautiful
place.
Unfortunately, when we
were there for the Political
Day 2016 it was bucketing
down with rain. We stood
for about an hour in the
(above) Asian family during their first visit to
the Waitangi Treaty grounds
rain waiting to be welcomed
onto Te Tii Marae.
AMAZING VIBE
Waitangi has an especially
amazing vibe during
Waitangi Day celebrations.
The Treaty grounds are
taken over by about 150
stalls.
It was a convivial event
with music, laughter and
children playing.
I was pleasantly surprised,
because all the
media reports that I had
read about
Waitangi
focused on the
protests and the
sometimes hostile treatment
of politicians on the
Marae.
It was a surreal experience
to be in that place on
a day that holds such historical
and political significance
for New Zealand.
I feel very strongly that
we have a responsibility as
migrants to learn New
Zealand’s history and
understand the place that
the tangata whenua occupies
in that history. For too
long now there has been a
struggle between biculturalism
and multiculturalism.
CONFLICTING IDEAS
Some people consider
biculturalism to be restrictive,
because it excludes
ethnic communities.
Others
consider
multiculturalism
to be a
threat to
the bicult
u r a l
framework
within which
New Zealand
operates.
They are concerned
about the effect of multiculturalism
on the status
accorded to the tangata
whenua, the people of the
land.
I believe that we need
both.
As popular Public
Lawyer Mai Chen said.
“We need to start talking
about multiculturalism on
a bicultural base.”
THE TREATY
I learnt about Te Tiriti O
Waitangi relatively recently.
It was when I was studying
a paper that dealt with
the issue of race-relations
that I learnt about its two
different versions; the
original in Te Reo Maori
and the other translation
in English and the way that
it has shaped Pakeha-
Maori relations.
I learnt about the land
wars and confiscation; the
struggle that Maori went
through to preserve Te Reo
Maori and their culture.
It was then that I started
to understand the Treaty
settlement process and the
protests on Waitangi Day.
A public meeting that I
attended in Pt. England
highlighted the importance
of learning Maori history.
The meeting was called
to hear the views of residents
on a government Bill
that would enable the sale
of a third of the Pt.
England Reserve to Ngati
Paoa as part of their
Treaty settlement process.
There were various
views expressed, both for
and against the sale of the
land.
However, there were a
couple of questions that led
me to realise that there was
a need for more education
around the Treaty settlement
and negotiation
process – why it is happening
and what it entails.
As New Zealanders, we
are all in this together.
As migrants, Aotearoa’s
history has become ours.
The onus is on us to find
out about the historical
injustices and to understand
the attempts being
made to address those
wrongs.
Naku te rourou nau te
rourou ka ora ai te iwi.
With your basket and my
basket the people will live.
Priyanca Radhakrishnan
is the Minister for Diversity,
Inclusion and Ethnic
Communities.
This article was first published
in 2017.