Case Study: Launching the Voice of Racism campaign The Voice Of Racism campaign was launched in July 2020. It was the second phase of the Commission’s flagship Give Nothing to Racism campaign, featuring the voice of Taika Waititi of Te Whānau-a-Apanui. The website (voiceofracism.co.nz) is based on real-life experiences of racism in Aotearoa New Zealand. Hundreds of thousands of people have spent time on the website, which raises awareness of racist behaviour and the harm caused to those subjected to it. A broad range of high-profile New Zealanders, organisations and sports teams supported the campaign such as the All Blacks, NZ Police, actor Sam Neill, the All Whites, the Black Sticks, the Black Ferns, Department of Corrections, fashion designer Karen Walker, TVNZ and many others. Their social posts and supporting videos reached thousands of people, drawing their attention to the website. The Commission’s own promotions reached 3 million people on social media alone. To coincide with the campaign launch a number of retailers, including Countdown and Z Energy, signed a pledge to take a stand against racism and discrimination in their workplaces. The Voice of Racism campaign was developed using Government funds provided in response to concerns about racism, including the Christchurch mosque attacks of 15 March 2019. The website features more than 400 real-life racist comments and actions alongside the inner thoughts and feelings of people experiencing those comments and actions. This is also intended to spark discussion about how racism affects peoples’ treatment in the health, employment, justice, housing and education sectors, areas with well-documented histories of people being treated differently because of their race and ethnicity. The comments and actions were identified through research and testing of individuals who experience racism on a regular basis. We thank them for their support. One response to the campaign from the general population has been denial of racism, which is one of the forms of racism identified in the campaign. The website suggests that when denial is an issue, people should be encouraged to acknowledge this, to learn and understand racism’s impact. Advertising for the campaign indicated that visitors to the website might be uncomfortable, and that people could expect to feel challenged. By listening to these difficult experiences of racism, it’s hoped that the general public will be more aware of the prevalence and harm of it. We hope all who visit the website will grow their empathy and understanding and in turn commit to standing up to racism. The Commission plans to extend the campaign by promoting it with specific sectors and organisations. We aim to explore with them how they can use what we have learned about their operations and how this could be employed, for example, in staff training and development and as a general resource, and as an expression of their commitment to standing up to racism. Patua te kaikiri! Hei oranga mō tātou katoa o Aotearoa. 15