Social injustices have plagued Aotearoa and humanity. A lack of understanding and wanting to understand has created barriers between people. Minds are closed off, refusing any trickle of difference that is presented and deeming it as ‘bad’. Ridderinkoph’s (2004) study discovered that the human brain generally processes differences in  behaviours and opinions as a problem, therefore pushing conformity. Essentially, there is a fear of differences, a fear of what is not understood (pp. 129-140). Conformity can hinder social cohesion because there is ignorance of the importance of diversity and differences within a society and it discourages change (Sunstein, 2019). The unique nature of humanity is extremely significant because it rebels the norm of conformity and drives the idea that everyone has a distinctive take on issues that should be accounted for. We are all different from the way we see the world, how we grew up, our traditions, spiritual beliefs, and so on. There is beauty in our diversities and differences that should be celebrated. A lot of the time, people listen to refute, not to understand (Parrish, n.d). This is what contributes to disparities of social cohesion– closed mindedness which entails a lack of compassion, empathy and understanding. This contributes to harmful stereotypes which ostracises people. Social cohesion refers to the degree of connectedness, trust and sense of concord within communities (Berkman, et al., 2014). Social cohesion is important because it contributes to a wider sense of wellbeing, stability and is vital in creating a society where individual’s feel secure and supported by their community. In creating this environment, the overall progression of a society can be expedited (Ocharo, 2023). For social cohesion to exist within our country, we do not have to assimilate as New Zealand history has forced us, we instead need to have an open mindset and openness to other people’s perspectives. This can enhance inclusivity, diversity and emphasise connections between people because of the belief that people have a right to their own opinion and it doesn’t belittle one’s own (Cherry, 2023). In understanding where people’s opinions derive from, there can be help in persuading people to change their mind into more progressive thinking. The collected progression of Aotearoa society can happen when there is an apprehension of the systemic issues that have culminated in the divisions we see in abundance in Aotearoa. We need to be more than just tokenistic… Please see this link for the balance of the essay.