Month: October 2017

Why my tamariki are feeling hopeful about the new government

[The original article was published at e-Tangata on 22 October 2017] The announcement of the new government by Winston Peters on Thursday night felt more like a Melbourne Cup than politics. I livestreamed Radio NZ’s Checkpoint as I charged around Countdown with my tamariki picking up a few extras for dinner — but nothing happened… Read More Why my tamariki are feeling hopeful about the new government

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Why learning te reo Māori doesn’t have to be a political act

[This article was first published in the Spinoff Ātea on 18 October 2017] Ni hao! It’s Chinese Language Week. There has been some attempt in our local media to wrap their lips around the unfamiliar sounds of Mandarin, a few pieces about the local Chinese community, but mostly pieces about the importance of business with… Read More Why learning te reo Māori doesn’t have to be a political act

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The war you’ve never heard of: Africom and the death of La David Johnson

Amidst the exhausting and unending controversies in Trump’s presidency, the tone deaf phone call made by President Trump to the widow of La David Johnson has only stayed the distance because the President and his previously squeaky clean Chief of Staff have chosen to lie and degrade the widow and congresswoman Wilson who both confirmed… Read More The war you’ve never heard of: Africom and the death of La David Johnson

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He toa takitini: if anything needs fixing, it’s our communities, not young people

Morocco Tai died on 9 October. He was 15 years old and driving a stolen car. He died when the car collided with a tree during a police pursuit. His two passengers are both in hospital, seriously injured. I do not know Morocco Tai, but I do know young people in my community of Merivale,… Read More He toa takitini: if anything needs fixing, it’s our communities, not young people

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Subject to Garner’s Gaze: racial determinism out here on the edge

Duncan Garner got a rough run of it on Twitter over the weekend after the publication of his 7 October column about a visit to Kmart that prompted some thoughts about immigration. Accusations of racism have led him to quit Twitter, to highlight some of the nastiness on his Facebook page, and to angrily refute… Read More Subject to Garner’s Gaze: racial determinism out here on the edge

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That sinking feeling: the Edgecumbe review and our climate change blinkers

An independent report led by Sir Michael Cullen into the failure of Edgecumbe’s stopbank has reported that Edgecumbe residents were not sufficiently warned of flood risks and no evacuation plans were in place. The media is fixated on blame, and given the impact on the lives of local residents, it seems an obvious question to… Read More That sinking feeling: the Edgecumbe review and our climate change blinkers

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