Elections 2020 in Aotearoa

October 19, 2020 by 1 Comment

      Sunday 18 October – the day after our  elections How lucky we are to live in a country where a warm, eloquent and truthful woman Prime Minister has been able to hold our nation together during the difficult times of the last three years.  We  hoped that Jacinda Ardern and the Labour-led […]

Filed Under: Culture and heritage, Environmental issues, Gender issues, Our Local Community, Social Justice Issues, Treaty issues

Reflections on Westminster-style democracy..

October 19, 2020 by Leave a Comment

Our government structures are based on those of England, unsurprisingly.  Early settlers from England, Scotland and Ireland assumed their right to install the systems of government they were used to.  After the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, they flooded the country with immigrants (historian James Belich describes the settlement process as a […]

Filed Under: Charmaine's thoughts, Culture and heritage, Our Travels, Social Justice Issues

Protest Action…Saving Trees

October 19, 2020 by Leave a Comment

  Save Canal Road Native Trees… For more than 100 days now, protesters have been occupying a property  in Canal Road , Avondale, to prevent the felling by a property developer of  the remaining twenty-three 100-year-old native trees.  The surviving trees include rare natives like black maire and kawaka; half the trees which grew on […]

Filed Under: Our Travels

Out and About

October 19, 2020 by Leave a Comment

Bubbah at the Basement Theatre… Our first theatre outing after Covid Lockdown was a Basement Theatre production: Bubbah: My Ode to South Auckland, described  as “South Auckland stories by South Auckland people”, written by Bubbah in her garage with her team of Maori and Pasifika mates, describing life as it happens in their ‘hood – […]

Filed Under: Culture and heritage, Gender issues, Our Local Community

Books and Writers

October 19, 2020 by Leave a Comment

  Four more really interesting autobiographical books by women authors in Aotearoa have been published this year:   Alison Jones, a Professor in Te Puna Wānanga, the School of Maori and Indigenous Studies at the University of Auckland, and early in her academic journey she did important research at AGGS , which helped to change […]

Filed Under: Our Travels

1.Te Wā Tuku Reo Māori: The Māori Language Moment

September 19, 2020 by Leave a Comment

This month’s  most creative event  in Aotearoa   was undoubtedly Te Wā Tuku Reo Māori:   This year,Te Taura Whiri i Te Reo Māori , the Māori Language Commission, decided to celebrate Māori language Week in a new way because of Covid-imposed limitations.  Their goal was to encourage one million New Zealanders to sign up to […]

Filed Under: Culture and heritage, Social Justice Issues, Treaty issues

2. Te Wiki o Te Reo Maori

September 19, 2020 by Leave a Comment

The Maori Language Moment signalled the beginning of Te Wiki o Te Reo Maori , our annual Maori Language Week, which was celebrated in a variety of ways. The media… All media made special efforts to highlight te reo this week.  It was great to listen to fluent te reo on radio, to watch a […]

Filed Under: Charmaine's thoughts, Culture and heritage, Tanya, Treaty issues

3. Keeping in touch..

September 19, 2020 by Leave a Comment

Over the last few years we two have  developed some favourite activities to help us  understand our changing country: an hour or two each morning listening to Dale Husband on Radio Waatea (603 AM)- his news and interviews from 7.15am onwards include a wide range of Māori contributors.  Dale is always thoughtful, courteous and informative, […]

Filed Under: Culture and heritage, Social Justice Issues, Treaty issues