For the last month we have known that a dear friend, Joan Macdonald, was dying. We saw her on the morning of Friday 12 August. She was sleeping deeply; we talked quietly to her, saying our goodbyes, and spent some time with her daughter Beth before we left. Joan died that night, peacefully. On Friday […]
Walking for Peace
June 19, 2016 by 4 Comments
We’ve just been to Taranaki to join the Pakeha Hikoi for Peace– a walk from New Plymouth to Parihaka in support of Mayor Andrew Judd’s campaign for Maori representation on New Plymouth District Council. The council’s proposal to include one Maori ward for the next Council election was defeated last year by a Citizen’s Referendum. […]
Treasures in the Hokianga…
June 19, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Toi Te Rito Maihi, one of our favourite artists, is having a retrospective exhibition at Village Arts Gallery in Kohukohu until 26 June, so we decided to spend a few days in the Hokianga. Her exhibition is inspiring – she is so talented in many different media- drawing, writing, poetry, painting, print-making and , of course, […]
The 1980s – the forgotten decade that changed NZ forever
May 18, 2016 by Leave a Comment
On Tuesday 17 May, Charmaine spoke at one of Ika’s Salon evenings… Laila Harre, the owner of Ika Bar and Grill, asked Charmaine to describe some of the huge changes in Auckland and Aotearoa in the 1980s, their effect on her personally and politically, and on the students and staff of Auckland Girls’ Grammar School […]
Te Ara Reo Maori
April 19, 2016 by 2 Comments
Both of us love watching Maori Television. The channel offers more local content than any other (82% compared with 51 per cent for TV One and 50 per cent of TV3’s prime time hours, less on other channels) and the largest number of documentaries- 555 hours in the last year. And although many programmes in te reo are sub-titled in […]
Learning Our History
April 19, 2016 by 1 Comment
Our congratulations to those in schools and in the media who are challenging historical ignorance in order to promote greater understanding and cooperation among Pakeha, Maori and other cultural groups. There are some fine, well-informed teachers, and some schools genuinely committed to a well-grounded education for being a New Zealander today. In particular, we want to draw attention to […]
Polynesian Panther Women
April 19, 2016 by Leave a Comment
On March 23, the Auckland Women’s Centre hosted a wonderful forum, “Women in the Polynesian Panthers and their Legacy”. It was deeply moving to hear three women speak about their experience of joining Polynesian Panthers to fight racism in Auckland in the 1970s. It was also inspiring to listen to the daughters of two former […]
Who Owns Our Water?
April 19, 2016 by 3 Comments
When I saw this heading in huge capitals on a one-page article in the NZ Herald… SHOULD ONE RACE CONTROL NEW ZEALAND’S FRESH WATER? my first thought was “could this be an article about how Pakeha colonists have taken over the country’s natural water sources and used, abused, bought, sold, polluted , drained and destroyed so many, […]
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