Good Magazine Blog & Scoop - 16 January 2009

Reflections From the 2009 Parihaka Peace Festival

The setting sun falls like a drop of melting gold out of a long white cloud settled above the skyline. Grass shimmers and flags rustle furiously atop of rolling hills; framing the setting of night. The roots-rock-reggae band Kora stands motionless mid song: the spirit of Parihaka alive in their silence.

Humming at the foothills of Mt Taranaki, the fourth Parihaka Peace Festival is about much more than music. The annual international peace and music festival lies deep within NZ history, and is a reminder of the areas importance to our country.

More than forty years before Gandhi practiced non-violence resistance to the British Empire, the Maori of Parihaka bore the brunt of wishing for peace. The spiritual leaders, Te Whiti O Rongomai and Tohu Kakahi, employed non-violent resistance to defend their land in 1881. Protesting men were sent into exile as slave labourers, many toiling to their deaths building roads near Dunedin.

As well as celebrating the birth of passive resistance this January, Taranaki plays host to its 125-year jubilees. These celebrations mark the year 1884, and the successful removal of Maori from the region’s most fertile land. For today’s fruits not to be bitter, indeed for them to be jubilant, the deeds of the past must be acknowledged.

Parihaka marked the end of the land wars, but also the beginning of a movement which continues today. Eventually the Parihaka leadership returned, and now the festival attracts 12,000, mostly young people to its peace camp each year. The gathering is auspiciously devoid of the passionless, ritual chorus of "cool" and "awesome" being muttered to a foreground din of amplified techno "music."

Sustainability and the coupling of traditional knowledge with innovation give the festival its roots. An eco forum buzzes with activity next to the hangi area, as sure a sign as any of its prominence. Old stories are abounding for willing ears. Like the love torn relationship between Taranaki and Ruapehu, or Chinese vessels remembered long before Captain Cook.

Speakers address topics ranging from the foreshore and seabed to the modifying of smart drive washing machines to produce electricity from wind and water. Carvers transform large scattered boulders into art. The festival is an array of elements that are all interconnected, politics, permaculture, flax and family.

Despite the howling winds of ranginui (the sky father) eventually closing the main stage, spirits are high and the music quality. Shrouded in smoke, Katchafire welcomed in the first night, followed on the second night by two very tight sets from Unity Pacific and Kora. Tigilau Ness, of Unity Pacific, brought everyone closer, closer still, to hear the old masters rhymes. Kora jammed some new material that gave fans hope of an album in the works.

The concept of Koha drew crowds into Auntie Olive’s aromatic healing tent, which becomes booked out faster than the hangi tickets sell-out. Olive’s tent sways and battles with the wind while the healers remain steadfast and stoic, reminiscent of past kin.

The third day saw Wellington outfit Harbour City Electric as crowd pleasers on a smaller, more intimate main stage. With a powerful lead singer and solid melody they look set to be the next pretties flying out of the capital. Closing out, Cornerstone Roots sang to the festivals ideals with the song Mankiller, which deals with a potent subject.

Parihaka is no ivory tower. The oldest kaumatua greet strangers warmly. Canadians look on dumbfounded as large Maori men hongi, before they too test the waters. The festival mixes healing and warm eyes with a fierce independence extolled from army fatigued rastafarians and proudly worn Tuhoe t-shirts.

Parihaka symbolises the strength and unity of righteousness. A sentiment so widely acknowledged that pictures of Parihaka’s profits hang next to those of Martin Luther King at the King Centre in Atlanta, Georgia. This event is not successful because of a big budget and corporate hosts; volunteers and word of mouth ground it.

The message is just that: we are the people. The importance of Parihaka is the message of its prophet: the building of a movement of working, knowledgeable people. The achievements and ideals of this movement need to be reinvigorated as we collectively face an unending war for resources, and worldwide recession.

Parihaka promotes the values of peace, sustainability and prosperity; this should be the future of our country and an example to the world. From the lands that gave Michael Campbell the freedom to fly into histories pages, exists a yearning for freedom from the morass of economic empire – morass that ties us to consumption and to the stifling of our dreams.

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0901/S00204.htm

http://good.net.nz/blog/guests/parihaka-peace-festival-2009

Scoop Media - 30 October 2008

Image: Moderator, Sir Paul Reeves (left), Vivian Goldsmith (far right)

Scoop Report: The Irony & Agony Of An All Party Education Debate

An education forum in Auckland this Tuesday allowed a Labour stand-in education spokesperson to perform a faux pas at election time: speaking ones mind.

Attended by all the major parties, the forum erupted into laughter as Vivian Goldsmith – a teacher standing for Labour in East Coast Bays – said she "did not pay school donations" herself and called on parents to protest against them.

"We [she and her partner] send our requests for fees directly to the minister every time we get them," she said.

She then encouraged people to lobby Chris Carter, Labour Minister of Education, on the issue of school donations, saying education should be free of charge.

"I think more people should take the challenge like I do and let the Minister know," she said.

United Future education spokesperson Judy Turner followed Ms Goldsmith and said, "current laws bar schools from demanding fees", adding that it was a murky area as many schools struggle financially.

Earlier Mr Carter had been at the forum, organised by the Quality Public Education Coalition, and before leaving he said government spending on education had doubled since 1999.

After her remarks about mounting a protest against school fees, Ms Goldsmith returned to the Labour Party "manifesto" on education.

But only after the cheers of the crowd died down.

The forum has been the only education debate of the 2008 election attended by all party spokespersons.

Two main topics emerged: lack of funding for schools and teachers, and the need to provide equality of access to quality education, regardless of decile rating.

Mr Carter warned the meeting to remember the "demoralised, under funded education sector that Labour had inherited", and not to buy into National's, "emotional slogans".

"The Labour Party is absolutely committed to a quality, well resourced education system," said Mr Carter.

Labour do not stand for private-public partnerships in schools, he said, as this creates "winner and looser schools", he said.

Mr Carter dismissed calls for more funding for private schools. He said he doesn't believe in "boot camps for kids", these only make kids "more alienated and angry".

He also disagreed with "top teacher remuneration" as this creates a hostile climate for teaching.

Anne Tolley, National Party education spokesperson said her party would match Labour's 1.75 billion of education spending, but drive out overt bureaucracy.

Although first to leave - looking a little campaign fatigued - she put effort into rebuking Labour's "pay-jolt" for teachers election policy, saying it had not been priced and during troubling economic times it was not fair to make such promises.

New Zealand's education standards had been slipped from 14th to 24th in world rankings, she said.

Mrs Tolley wants national standards for numeracy and literacy, and countywide tests in place for both.

Ms Goldsmith says the current curriculum [NCEA] needs time to develop, but is very enthusiastic that modifications underway will address any public concerns.

National want to "get tough" on children and parents regarding truancy, and give schools assistance to deal with disruptive students.

Green Party Education Spokesperson Metiria Turei won over the crowd.

She was disparaging of National's "90 day fire at will bill" and said protecting the teaching workforce was paramount.

Ms Turei said the secondary school sector was "clunky", lagging behind, and needed more money for cross curriculum education on sustainability.

Further applause welcomed her comments that international corporations were, "driving out our early childhood centers", and that school vouchers were a form of privatisation.

The need for quality public education, regardless of ability or wealth, was a point emphasised by both Mrs Turei and Maori Party list candidate, Bronwyn Yates.

Neither was supportive of private-public partnerships, and both stressed the importance of Kaupapa Maori and retaining Kohanga Reo.

Mrs Yates raised the issue of equality, saying many children feel alienated by not being able to afford extras at school such as trips and sporting equipment.

She says New Zealand needs to tackle institutionalised racism, and, " an extreme make-over of the schooling experience" is needed.

ACT Party candidate Peter Tashkoff became defensive early on, following a hostile reaction to theACT party's voucher scheme.

He said a 300 per cent increase in the bureaucratic education structure had occurred under Labour. Labour, he said, have abused power by micro managing services throughout New Zealand.

ACT say the 4600 officials and bureaucrats running the education sector must be cut back to 500.

Mr Tashkoff believes vouchers will "empower families" by allowing every parent to send their child to a school of their choosing.

Heckled by the crowd Mr Tashkoff said, "You are a room full of people who are part of the problem".

Many candidates raised funding issues for special needs. Their comment came in the context of a complaint lodged by IHC with the Human Rights Commission against practices that prevent disabled students participating fully at school.

Labour's Ms Goldsmith agreed delivery of special needs funding was fractured, saying Ongoing and Reviewable Resourcing Schemes (ORRS) needs to be rethought.

"Under National, special education won't have to wait until three weeks before an election to get some attention," said Mrs Tolley.

Judy Turner, United Future education spokesperson, said she "cautiously" wanted to look at how teacher pay can be developed, but didn't agree with performance pay for teachers.

Another major issue highlighted at the forum was the problem of children disengaging throughout secondary school.

To combat this Mrs Turner proposed withdrawal scholarships, claiming 10 per cent of children fell into this category.

Scoop: http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0810/S00411.htm

Te Waha Nui - 3 October 2008

Yoo-hoo. Are you there Osama?

Movie Review: Where in the world is Osama bin Laden?


Upon discovering you are a father-to-be, what more could you possibly want than to go on a gung-ho campaign to discover the location of Osama Bin Laden?

Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden? discusses the “war on terror” through the lens of a pretty typical American guy wanting to better the world for his unborn.

That Bin Laden is “the most dangerous man in the world” allows Morgan Spurlock, director of Super Size Me, the premise to locate this arch-villain.

Finding Osama takes Spurlock from the sprawling cities of Morocco and Egypt to the middle of the cavernous Afghan mountains to enquire: “Yoo-hoo? Osama?”

He courageously ventures where Osama has gone before: the same cafes, houses, schools, streets and mountain caves.

Surprisingly, Spurlock’s “in over my head” endeavour goes pretty much to plan.

His journey begins in the blasted lands of camel-riding dictators, Egypt – one of America’s closest allies in the “war on terror”.

Taking Franklin D. Roosevelt’s quote, “he may be a son-of-a-bitch, but he’s our son-of-a-bitch”, Spurlock puts the spotlight on US military aid and its support of dictators in the Middle East.

Slick animation sums up the US relationship with less-than- squeaky-clean dictators in the Middle East, and satirises Fox News sensationalism – portraying Osama as a video game villain that virtual soldiers are sent to destroy in the name of freedom.

By sharing Egyptian tea, food and laughter with regular folk, Spurlock wonderfully captures the state of affairs on the ground.

In Morocco, a country rocked by terrorist attacks linked to the Al Qaeda network, his “where is Osama?” questions are met with hostility.

Locals tell him the US has given Bin Laden a foothold by which to legitimise his operations in the Middle East.

They say the US has provided live American soldiers to use as target practice, and the ongoing war creates slums of poverty from which Al Qaeda can recruit impressionable, desperate young Muslim men.

The nation of Jordan gives Spurlock first-hand experience of the problems that can arise when Church and State are intertwined.

But with Spurlock’s canny ability to quickly build rapport, even radical clergy can crack a smile.

He had less success in Jerusalem, almost coming to blows with members of one Jewish sect and being left baffled by fundamentalism on all sides.

Next, in Afghanistan the scale of destruction and hardship is clear, but the people are still welcoming to the now fully bearded American.

This film is not just an extended ‘where is Osama?’ skit.

It draws on a wide bank of knowledge: from professors, journalists, taxi drivers, and radical clergymen.

In Israel, one man tells Spurlock the situation is similar to a game of musical chairs, in which someone has been left without a seat.

Such simple strokes of street dialogue help to provide a human understanding of the conflict.

Bin Laden is vilified more often than praised through the journey, along with the United States, but not Americans per se.

The film reveals that the basic aspects of life are common no matter what your beliefs or situation are: desiring education for your children, peace, and quality of life.

Spurlock has produced a brilliant graphic portrayal of the tragedy wrought by ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

Te Waha Nui- 17 October 2008

Big Plans in store for Aotea Square

CHANGE: Kaumatua Takutai Moana Wikiriwhi, councillor Greg Moyle and Mayor John Banks unveil a plaque to commemorate the historic redevelopment of the heart of the city, Aotea Square.

Auckland’s inner city dwellers will lose their favourite lunchtime haunt and weekend market, as the hoardings go up in preparation for Aotea Square’s redevelopment.

Auckland Mayor John Banks officially launched the redevelopment on Tuesday ahead of schedule, with Ngati Whatua asking that the changes to the square reflect the history of the area.

Kaumatua for Ngati Whatua Takutai Moana Wikiriwhi blessed the small gathering with prayers and a waiata, before saying a major issue for the square was to ensure it reflected togetherness.

“It doesn’t matter who you are, or where you are from; Auckland is full of different people, and we need to work together.

“We should work hand-in-hand to ensure what is done captures the hearts and minds of Aucklanders,” said Wikiriwhi.

Four art works, Mountain Fountain, Te Waharoa o Aotea, Te Wero and Sir Dove-Myer Robinson, have been moved into storage and 60 trees will be removed over the coming weeks.

A final design will be confirmed in December and the council said the trees would be replaced in the final plan.

It said that some of the artwork will be reinstated. Banks said Aotea Square’s history is intertwined between Pakeha and Maori and the very spot where the square is located used to be a flax grove on the banks of a river ran from Karangahape Rd to the sea.

Greg Moyle, head of the square’s redevelopment committee, said the area would be a proper platform for events such as the Lantern Festival, and the Indian Diwali festival which is being held at the Viaduct Harbour this weekend.

“This is the only opportunity for the inner city to have a big open space,” said Moyle.

Britomart lost the opportunity to turn the space into something that could be used for major events.

Moyle said there was the option of creating a better flow between Aotea Square and Karangahape Rd, by creating a corridor to Myers Park.

“These things need to happen one slice at a time.”

He says with Q Theatre “hopefully” coming to fruition, it will “make sense to have a better connection with Myers Park”.

“We plan to make a true inner city open space. We can have concerts, festivals and it opens up so many opportunities,” said Moyle.

The redevelopment’s main goal is to repair the Civic car park roof and reduce clutter in the square, such as trees and planter boxes.

The square will be designed to have two stages for concerts; one in front of the Aotea Centre, and another facing the square from the Queen St side.

Banks said the square would represent “the heart and soul of the Queen city of New Zealand”.

He promised the redevelopment would be delivered on budget and on time – October 2010 – which the Rugby World Cup committee will be banking on.