"I Don’t See Colour" - Well… Maybe You Should.

I hear it all the time: “I don’t see colour.”

It’s usually said with good intentions - people trying to express that they treat everyone equally, no matter their background.

But here’s the thing - that mindset is flawed.

Because while we might share a common humanity, we are not all the same. Our cultures, histories, experiences, and tikanga shape who we are. To say you don’t see colour is to say you don’t see those differences at all.

But why wouldn’t we want to see them?

Respect Comes From Recognition

Imagine stepping onto someone else’s marae for the first time. You wouldn’t just walk in and do things the way you do at home. You’d follow the kawa (protocol) of that marae. You’d listen, observe, and respect their tikanga because you are manuhiri (a guest).

Being a good guest means recognising that different places have different ways of doing things.

It’s the same when stepping into another culture.

To truly respect someone, you have to acknowledge their reality - their experiences, their worldview, their tikanga. You don’t have to agree with everything, but you do need to recognise that their way of doing things may not be the same as yours.

And that’s a good thing.

When we acknowledge differences, we make space for understanding. When we pretend they don’t exist, we erase them.

Seeing Colour is a Privilege

I’ve been lucky enough to travel and experience different cultures.

And every time, I go in knowing I’m a guest. I don’t walk into a cafe in Paris expecting it to be like one back home. I wouldn’t visit a temple in Japan and assume their tikanga would be the same as my marae. When I walk through the streets of South Africa, I expect to hear different reo (languages) being spoken.

Why? Because I see the colour of those places - their customs, their traditions, their foods, their languages. And I love that.

I love experiencing new cultures. I love learning the tikanga of different people. I love the richness that comes from diversity.

Yet here in Aotearoa, some people believe that not seeing colour is a virtue.

But let’s be real - the world is full of colour. To ignore that is to ignore the deep significance of different cultures.

What We Should Be Saying Instead

Instead of saying “I don’t see colour,” what if we said:

✨ “I see your culture, and I respect it.”
✨ “I acknowledge our differences, and I will treat you with dignity.”
✨ “Your tikanga is different from mine, and that’s okay.”

That’s what real respect looks like - not pretending we are all the same, but recognising and embracing our differences.

So yes - I do see colour.

I see the richness of different cultures. I see the tikanga that makes each group of people unique. I see the stories, the history, and the beauty in the way different communities live their lives. And I hope you do too.

So lets stop saying we don’t see colour and instead, try and see the world in full colour.

Ngā mihi

Anton