In late November we became involved in political action on our local maunga in Tāmaki Makaurau – Ōwairaka/Mount Albert. We had heard on the news that a small group of local residents had gathered half way up the mountain to stop a tree-felling firm from carrying out the instructions of the Tūpuna Maunga Authority to […]
Local Body Elections
October 19, 2019 by Leave a Comment
We are especially delighted that our friend Lyn Riesterer , of Whakatohea descent, became Mayor of the Opotiki District Council – she is the first gay Maori woman Mayor in Aotearoa. Lyn has been on the Opotiki District Council for two terms, and was Deputy Mayor in her second term. Her background is in education […]
Mulame: Lema Shamamba’s Exhibition
October 19, 2019 by Leave a Comment
We went to the opening of Mulame in Objectspace Gallery in Rose Road, Ponsonby. The exhibition, curated by Ane Tonga, comprises a series of framed, embroidered panels by our friend Lema Shamamba, depicting aspects of life in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and it is powerfully political. Since she came to Aotearoa ten […]
A Fearful Future…?
October 19, 2019 by 1 Comment
Canadian writer Margaret Atwood has just published The Testaments, the sequel to her 1985 classic The Handmaid’s Tale, to great acclaim- including a nomination for the Booker Prize before it even arrived in the shops! We went to the Bridgeway in Northcote to see the English National Theatre film of an interview with Margaret Atwood […]
Te Wiki o Te Reo Maori
September 19, 2019 by Leave a Comment
This year, to celebrate Te Wiki o Te Reo Maori, we joined a hikoi up Maungakiekie (One Tree Hill) with a couple of thousand young people, their teachers and family members. At the top of the mountain there were prayers, haka, waiata and the call of the conch. We talked along the way […]
Spring Round About…
September 19, 2019 by Leave a Comment
Alcohol and Drug Court supporters’ dinner We’ve heard about the great work of Auckland and West Auckland Alcohol and Other Drug Courts for a while now. But Justice Department money doesn’t cover all the costs of court clients…such as rental deposits, transport costs for appointments with potential employers or Work and Income, repairs for damaged […]
Good Judgement
August 19, 2019 by Leave a Comment
If you’ve ever wondered what the induction of a new judge into the court system in New Zealand might be like, you might have imagined rows of dark-suited lawyers, and elderly be-wigged Pakeha men presiding. When we were invited to the swearing-in of Auckland barrister Faumui Penelope (Lope) Ginnen as a Judge in the Manukau […]
Best Book, Best Writers, Best Bookshop…
August 19, 2019 by Leave a Comment
(Charmaine’s unabashedly personal views…) A Teaching Life, by Carol White, has just been published by The Cuba Press. It has been eleven years in the making, since Carol retired from her position as Co-Principal of Selwyn College, in East Auckland. I was delighted to be asked to write a foreword to it, and then to launch […]
Earthsong Eco Neighbourhood
Public Good