Race Relations Commissioner: Social media radicalises, amplifies extremism

Q+A with Jack Tame

A year into her role as Race Relations Commissioner, Melissa Derby reflects on the threats to social cohesion and race relations in New Zealand. She says social media tends to amplify extremist content, and she worries about people becoming radicalised online. . As an academic, and before her appointment as Commissioner, Derby had publicly questioned the impact of notions of systemic racism, particularly with regards to Māori. Q+A asks her about these views and her opinions of affirmative action. . She also says the Government's approach to the Treaty Principles Bill debate "probably wasn't helpful" given "the unilateral nature of that". . Join Jack Tame and the Q+A team and find the answers to the questions that matter. Made with the support of NZ on Air.