A day in the life of....

"If racism is something you're sick of hearing about, imagine how exhausting it must be living it every day." – Jon Stewart


One of the most important issues to address, in all colonised countries is racism and I do not say this lightly people.


Yesterday I sat at Waikirikiri Marae, Ruatoki and listened to stories of invasion of the peoples of Taneatua and Ruatoki communities. For those on my FB page who do not know what occurred there then please LEARN about it. As this is the place that the Labour Party had been actively spying on for 5 years. On October 15, 2007 they sent the police in and terrorised the people. The people's experience of that day has come to be labelled as nothing more than 'collateral damage'. The people included Kaumātua - young children coming home from school and men who had been or were working on their farms.




This Pākehā found yesterdays hui filled with much sadness and I came face to face once again with the history of racism. I felt the veil between 2014 and 1860 lift as a kuia spoke of the invasion of the crowns forces.


 
So again I want to encourage all my Pākehā friends to VOTE for change - a change that does not include merely a change the government, but a change that can bring about the annihilation of racism. This is why I encourage all my friends to vote Internet MANA as your party vote in 2014 - if you cannot then ask yourselves if you want history to continue to repeat itself? Is it not time to step up and become the partners that Māori believed us to be under Te Tiriti o Waitangi .
We cannot change the past but we can give all our children the future they deserve.

Vote to change this government

This government has shafted people at the bottom of the economic pile for so long, that when you door knock there is a sense of despondency so deep, that when you offer solutions that will see communities raised from their poverty, some people cannot hear this message, because they are so busy looking after themselves and their own.


The crippling poverty that has left many families struggling was seen first-hand today as I door knocked my area and talked to some very angry people, people who seemed to have lost their sense of community cohesion. This loss I believe comes about because of their impoverished isolation. As I attempted to field demands for help I found that many of my answers were falling on deaf ears. People have been left stranded - scrapped to the bone. Any talk about building stronger self-sufficient communities drew the occasional scoff from people, people I realised who had been there and done that too many times to remember. More than once I was told that they cared little for the community it was them and their family they needed to look out for.


Previously I would have viewed these ‘what about me’ statement as selfish - but not today. There are people in my rohe who are living between nothing and not a hell of a lot. They are people who have found themselves shut out and abandoned not once but many - many times under consecutive governments. They are the people who are last on the hiring list and first to be laid off. when companies need to ensure their investors receive healthy dividends. They are the people who have watched as each election left them scratching around for loose change to pay for essential items.
The first time I experienced this this type of ‘fuk the world’ was at university. As fees increased and my debt grew, I like a lot of other students stopped looking out into the world and connecting the dots. I was too busy trying to stay ahead of the debts and demands. As the government tighten the reigns, our supervises began to demanding that PhD candidates finish sooner rather than later so that the money hovering around our shoulders would fall into their coffers.


Even those of us who were extremely political began to put our heads down eager to finish and leave the country in the hope that we would make some real money. It was not that we did not care – it was that we could not afford to care.

Accumulating debt whether it is student loan – credit debt – or getting behind on the bills - ensures that people stop thinking about others, instead focusing solely on themselves. In so doing, they are less likely to think about others or ways to improve the situation they find themselves in. Over time keeping one’s head down becomes the norm.


So how do we help people lift their heads up and see that they have the power to change the situation they are in, especially those who have seen governments come and go and nothing really changes??? Today it was about not merely focusing on the election. Instead I took a bit more time out to talk to people. Being given a few more minutes seemed to help.


I know we (MANA) are meant to be on the ground running – as the left have a huge job to do and it must be done – but for a few more minutes and some real empathy and a nice cuppa tea, I felt that I saw people not just voters today. I even suggested to one woman that instead of yelling at me she might like to come along one day and yell at Paula Bennett – with me - if need be.
The government has created such levels of disparity and in that disparity some people have found themselves so isolated that they have given up. However, in some cases a few minutes of my time and some rude jokes about Pulled-A-Benefit and ShonKey can help lift a smile and maybe – just maybe one more visit will see some – if not all head to the polls this election….and as I said to one women – if you cannot really bring yourself to give your party vote to Internet MANA - then please make sure you vote left to ensure we get rid of this government!!!!




MANA UP MANA HARD People