The longer I live the more I am convinced that genuine community driven initiatives are too often increasingly misunderstood by many in bureaucracies. A recent decision by MSD has saddened me greatly. Today I wish to focus on The Loft which serves community initiatives in the Linwood and … [Read more...]
The Loft Social service defunded
In the Press on Saturday it was reported that The Loft, a valuable social agency in the East has had its funding declined by MSD. We will follow this one up as this is an agency which is relied on by a large number of people from a vulnerable portion of our city. In the weekend there was an … [Read more...]
Let us quietly reflect on this the 4th anniversary of the Mosque murders
Four years ago, we were in a state of anxiety and grief. How could this happen to us in Christchurch. How could innocent members of our community be gunned down in our city? I well remember going to collect my grandson from Christchurch East school the day of the massacre. There are a large … [Read more...]
A Citizen in Christchurch
A few weeks ago we had the legendary community organiser Vivian Hutchinson at Tuesday Club. Here is his reflection on the visit: Read article in full here I'M A VISITOR from Taranaki, and I suppose I am here because Garry Moore and I have worked together on many projects over the years. … [Read more...]
It’s time for us all to think hard about the way we are farming old people
For years I have heard my wife speaking, as a nurse, complaining bitterly about the treatment of old people in retirement villages. Everywhere we witness great building schemes building new huts for old people to live in. The places make me sick. The thought of creating holding pens for old people … [Read more...]
Here’s something to smash myths in our society
Generites: usually young female Māori/Pasifika parents who are moving off/not on benefit and juggling multiple responsibilities to improve their families lives... Here is a site worth linking into: https://thegenerator.org.nz/ … [Read more...]
Garry’s Thoughts 18 May 2021
As somebody who has been in the thick of change much of my life, I have formed some pretty strong views on Institutional behaviour. In both the public and the private sectors. However, because how institutions have been run the past thirty or so years, we have ended up with significant loss of … [Read more...]
Anti War Songs
Like most people who watched Peter Jackson’s digital version of the WW 1 war films I went to bed wondering why the hell any politician would send anybody ever to war. The film was horrendously graphic. Looking at the young men heading to their deaths and hearing the voices of their fellow soldiers … [Read more...]
Let’s celebrate what amazing places libraries really are
One correspondent I really enjoy reading in the Sunday Times is Brannavan Gnanalingam. I find his comments refreshing and honest. Last weekend he wrote an article labelled “I love libraries”. Here are a couple of extracts from the article: It’s weird that libraries feel like anachronisms. … [Read more...]
Patrick O’Connor’s thoughts and challenges on the necessary follow-up needed post the Massacre in the Muslim community]
Last weekend Christchurch--Otautahi hosted the remembrance ceremony 2 years after the shocking tragedy of March 15th. 51 dead, as many injured, many present at the two Mosques not deemed "injured " but extremely distraught at what they experienced and witnessed --- is that … [Read more...]
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