Social Work for Sociologists: Theory and Practice

Bicultural Practice: Beyond Mere tokenism ● 107

themselves to people who did not understand their culture. It also sought to
impart to Māori social workers greater self-determination, so that issues could
be discussed from two positions (Māori and non-Māori) of equal strength.
In 1993, the ANZASW set up a bicultural code of practice that aspired
to acknowledge the Treaty of Waitangi and to empower both Māori social
work clients and Māori social work practitioners. The code stated that Aote-
aroa/New Zealand should be a bicultural society and “one in which Maori
and Pakeha contribute equally to policy, decision-making and have equal
access to resources at all levels of society” (NZASW 1993, 21). ANZASW
committed itself to achieving biculturalism through the introduction of a
competency assessment that assessed social workers’ adherence to the bicul-
tural code of practice. The code also defined bicultural standards of ethical
conduct, the right of Māori clients to have a Māori social worker, and the
principle that social workers should advocate for policies and practices that
are informed by the Treaty of Waitangi. The code also stated, “Monocultural
control over power and resources needs to be relinquished so that Maori can
achieve liberation” (NZASW 1993, 18). The 1993 bicultural code of practice
was superseded by the 2008 ANZASW Code of Ethics, which endeavored
to more closely align itself with international codes of practice. As a conse-
quence of that internationalization, the code now has, on paper at least, a
lesser commitment to bicultural practice. Nonetheless, the ANZASW com-
petency standards and code of ethics, as well as the competency standards of
the Social Workers Registration Board, do require social workers to demon-
strate knowledge and skills necessary for working with Māori.

Multiculturalism, Biculturalism, and Monoculturalism

At this point, it is important to differentiate between biculturalism and the
common understanding of multiculturalism. Many societies have a plurality
of cultures and ethnicities living within their borders, and the term multicul-
turalism is often used internationally to recognize these diverse populations
in a society. People of these diverse groups may set up their own cultural
institutions, such as places of worship and community centers, and may start
businesses or restaurants that meet the cultural needs of their populations.
Berry and Kalin (1995) described this version of multiculturalism as having
three defining aspects: cultural diversity is valued within a society, all cultural
groups are allowed to maintain their cultural expressions (but only in so far
as they remain within the laws of the land), and all cultural groups are able to
participate equitably within society.
To New Zealand Māori, this description of multiculturalism does not
carry the same expectations as does our understanding of biculturalism. We