‘He’s the one who came home’

[This originally appeared in E-Tangata on 6 May 2018] There’s a photo of my great-grandparents, Erueti Bidois and Ataraira Edwards, on the day they got married, in 1917. They sit uncomfortably: Erueti is in his best suit and Ataraira is wearing what I’ve been told is her senior school uniform, probably from St Joseph’s Māori… Read More ‘He’s the one who came home’

May 25, 2018May 8, 2018 grahamcameron

Are indigenous people united under the United Nations?

[This originally appeared in the Spinoff Ātea on 29 April 2018] Law professor Valmaine Toki is purported to have described the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues as a “huge Waitangi Tribunal.” Did she mean unpopular, underfunded and ignored or an opportunity for indigenous peoples to tell our story and achieve some semblance of… Read More Are indigenous people united under the United Nations?

May 22, 2018May 8, 2018 grahamcameron

What it’s like to be a solo mum searching for a rental

[This originally appeared in the Spinoff Ātea during their Rent Week series] It was reported in January that Tauranga now outranks Auckland as New Zealand’s most unaffordable city and in the city’s pressured rental market, landlords these days have their pick of tenants and of rental price. If those landlords track the national average, 80% of… Read More What it’s like to be a solo mum searching for a rental

May 18, 2018May 8, 2018 grahamcameron

Māori need to do more for our Pacific cousins

[This originally appeared in the Spinoff Ātea on 26 February 2018] As our Pacific Islands cousins face the unprecendented impacts of climate change, they are looking for allies who will support them by taking concrete actions to limit global warming to 1.5oC and will also rehome the now inevitable climate change refugees from low lying… Read More Māori need to do more for our Pacific cousins

May 14, 2018May 8, 2018 grahamcameron

The waka-jumping bill is bad for democracy

[This orginally appeared in the Spinoff Ātea on February 8 2018] Labour’s Electoral (Integrity) Bill has passed its first reading. It’s likely to pass despite some criticisms. It demonstrates how far our political parties in Parliament have wandered away from us, the voters in the electorates. In a system where party loyalty reigns supreme, what… Read More The waka-jumping bill is bad for democracy

May 8, 2018 grahamcameron2 Comments