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Reparations In New Zealand : Planet Money A wool magnate gets pulled into a fight with the government over reparations. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.

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Reparations In New Zealand

Reparations In New Zealand

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February 8, 2020, Wellington, New Zealand: Mavis Mullins, Chairperson Rangitāne O Tamaki nui a Rua, speaking at the Pūkaha return ceremony. New Zealand Office Of The Governor-General hide caption

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New Zealand Office Of The Governor-General

February 8, 2020, Wellington, New Zealand: Mavis Mullins, Chairperson Rangitāne O Tamaki nui a Rua, speaking at the Pūkaha return ceremony.

New Zealand Office Of The Governor-General

Mavis Mullins runs a sheep-shearing company that handles over 1,000,000 sheep. She's also a charming, disarmingly honest straight-shooter. One day her cousin pulled her into a cafe with a request: Help us fight with the New Zealand government for reparations.

Mavis is Māori, part of the indigenous population of New Zealand. And over the past 35 years, the government of New Zealand has been building a system to try and make amends to Māori for past betrayals. These reparations usually take the form of a check, land, and an apology. In today's show we follow Mavis Mullins through that process.

Music: "Cold Heart," "Strelitzia Number 5," and "You Got Me Started."

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