Month: October 2013

Spying on the same people who you want to be buying

New Zealand’s involvement in spying on other countries as part of the Five Eye Network represents a form of national schizophrenia. There is a disjuncture between the fervent desire of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Government Communications Security Bureau to be seen as friend of the USA and the passionate drive to open the doors… Read More Spying on the same people who you want to be buying

grahamcameron

Pākehā-fication of Māori Media AKA Stop with the accountability already!

I have just finished listening to Julian Wilcox, head of news and current affairs for Māori Television, being interviewed on Radio Waatea about the storm that has rumbled away in the last fortnight after Native Affairs investigated the mismanagement of funds by Te Pātaka Ōhanga directors and management (who are also, of course, the Trustees of Te Kōhanga Reo… Read More Pākehā-fication of Māori Media AKA Stop with the accountability already!

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Trying to hang in there with Church

Our Anglican church that we attend has a small attendance of about 40-60 people (depending on the day), consisting of a handful of families, mostly elderly Pākehā, and perhaps seven Māori. Each Sunday we meet (to be fair, our own attendance is spasmodic but we feel connected) in one of two regular services (a ‘traditional’ early morning or ‘family’ mid-morning service) from the… Read More Trying to hang in there with Church

grahamcameron

The Empty Nest: why we should remove the Kōhanga Reo trustees

I’ve been at our kura’s wānanga reo in Manaia on the Coromandel Peninsula for the week, so I am few days behind everyone else in the twitterverse (which is an eternity in Twitter time). So it was only yesterday that I watched the Native Affair’s Feathering the Nest, the second part of their investigation into the… Read More The Empty Nest: why we should remove the Kōhanga Reo trustees

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How I learned to love the violent arm of the State

On The Vote last week, they debated our confidence in the NZ Police. In a result at odds with the Police’s own polling, 56 percent voted no confidence in the Police. Some of the other bloggers I follow called it “astounding,” and went on to say it was, in their opinion, a more accurate reflection of a fundamentally broken and untrustworthy organisation. I… Read More How I learned to love the violent arm of the State

grahamcameron

The Snip II

It has been very interesting going through the process of a vasectomy. I was complimented by my counsellor and thanked profusely by my wife for doing it. People were sensitive to not inquire as to the reason I was not available once I had said I had day surgery. Closer friends who had already the… Read More The Snip II

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The Snip I

I had a vasectomy five days ago. I’m writing this reflection in two parts: the first part is what happened and all the questions you really want answered that aren’t in the brochures; the second part is exploring the systemic issues as to why we don’t talk about vasectomies. My wife and I have four children. We’ve… Read More The Snip I

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