Aro-Mind

Here are my four issues concerning Donald Trump and why I feel that he was not appropriate to be President of the United States.  1. A life spent in pursuit of private wealth and influence, not in public service. Trump was raised in a wealthy family and is wealthy himself. His whole life has been spent in pursuit of private wealth and influence and not in 'public service', a commitment to create as much good for as many as possible. The 'centre of gravity' for Trump is private wealth and influence -private good. (This does not mean to say that just because someone is in public service that they are necessarily altruistic either. However, the structures and context of public service institutions are oriented toward public good and service.) 2. A member of an elite, wealthy class that is incapable of adequately representing and advocating for diverse interests. In keeping with his position within the elite, wealthy class, Trump has no understanding (nor, it appears, does ...

One of my current responsibilities is Chairperson and Trustee of  Te Pou Theatre  in West Auckland. Te Pou is 'Auckland's Māori Home of Theatre' and it has been a delight to be part of a passionate and committed team who are developing new tikanga Māori inspired approaches to theatre.  We have been undertaking strategic planning throughout 2020 and as part of that process, I wrote the following notes about theatre and Māori theatre. This is some 'thinking out loud' and is not meant to be a comprehensive and exhaustive philosophy of theatre. Rather, it is a list of ideas to provide some context (in my own mind) when thinking about Te Pou Theatre going forward. Why theatre? Why conduct theatre? Theatre is concerned with storytelling and offering communities and audiences distinctive experiences through storytelling and associated performing arts, activities and experiences. Storytelling is a critical dimension of human life and society . Quality storytelling contribut...

I started using the phrase 'Māori as a net national opportunity' during my time (2003-2005) at the then Ministry of Research, Science and Technology (and while writing Vision Mātauranga ). I don't know if I was the first to use this phrase; however, I know that I began to use this phrase after reading the 2003 report by the New Zealand Institute for Economic Research entitled ' Māori Economic Development: Te Ōhanga Whanaketanga Māori '. On pages 11 to 13 of this report, the writers describe three broad conclusions that they had drawn from their analysis of the 'Māori economy. And it was while reading these three conclusions that the idea of 'Māori as a net national opportunity' came to my mind. The first conclusion (on page 11) reads as follows: The first is the striking conclusion that the Māori economy has a higher savings rate than the New Zealand economy... The second conclusion, on page 12, reads: The second, perhaps unexpected, result is that, in a...

Here is a brilliant TED talk by Nigerian novelist  Chimamanda Adichie  who, among other things, points out how America, through its power and privilege, has many stories about itself. Hence, people’s perception and understanding of America is nuanced and multidimensional. By contrast, Africa has few stories (known in the minds of others) and therefore people’s (that is to say non-African) understanding of Africa is limited and simplistic. This TED talk is well worth viewing.

Iwi throughout the country receive approaches from local and regional authorities to say that a company or a public authority (like a local Council) is proposing to create something that requires the approval of the local authority (ie: they need a resource or some other kind of consent) .  When this happens, the local authority is often required to consult with local iwi/affected Maori, particularly if the proposal is relevant to the Resource Management Act 1991. Example proposals include: A company or a council wishes to build a marina A company wishes to exploit a natural resource The Government wishes to build a new road A company wishes to expand its aquaculture business Unfortunately, when proposals of this kind arise, too often iwi are consulted late in the process (often ‘after the horse has bolted’) which means that their influence can only be minimal. When iwI are consulted in this way, this reflects either that in the minds of the Council and/or proposers, the iwi a...

I have long held the view that the real barriers to Māori progress today lie within ourselves. I recognise that there are very real and significant external barriers preventing Māori people from achieving our goals. The recent Māori health inquiry before the Waitangi Tribunal is the latest example of a project providing significant evidence of these external barriers, this time in New Zealand's health system. The current Royal Commission concerning Abuse in Care is another venue where external barriers working against Māori health and wellbeing is being discussed and analysed. I do not wish to suggest that there are no external barriers to Māori development for indeed there are. However, I do wish to highlight the barriers that we Māori create for ourselves, the barriers that exist within ourselves. Second, I wish to say that it is these internal barriers that represent the most significant ways by which Māori aspirations are denied, Māori hopes are dashed, Māori plans are th...