What a year this has been for us all. This government has continued to make decisions which has widened the gap between the haves and the have-nots. The South Island has been put on the back burner. Personally, Rosemary and I have both had health challenges, but are completing the year in a … [Read more...]
Abuse in Care
This courageous report Whanaketia – Through pain and trauma, from darkness to light | Abuse in Care - Royal Commission of Inquiry was a sobering summary of how victims of our society were abused by State and Church institutions over decades. It created quite a stir when it was released, and its … [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...]
Covid vaccinating has highlighted how tapping into sections of our society which are disengaged demands different techniques
One commentator on the links with the disengaged: I wrote last week about one of the indicators of those who have been often rejected by society are the non-covid vaccinated. During the week there were two additional articles which backed up my thoughts. The first was by Glenda Hughes a former … [Read more...]
The complexity of handling Covid:
It has been interesting to observe how different people cope with directions from Governments. I’m somebody who normally resists being told anything is compulsory, but I reckon the Government has got the Covid19 thing about spot on. The article from the Guardian below was quite sad. It was about … [Read more...]
Methodist Mission debate on the challenge to end poverty:
What will it take? What policies are needed?Is there the political will to make it happen? Hear and discuss the issues with our expert panel: Trevor McGlinchey (Ngāi Tahu), Executive Officer, NZ Council for Christian Social Services, and member of the Government's Welfare Expert Advisory … [Read more...]
A lesson from the film “The grapes of wrath”:
Rex Gibson sent me a summary of the end of the film, “The grapes of wrath”. It reminds us that we, the people, are what it is all about. Governments and bureaucracies often operate by telling us what they think we need to know. This is especially the case with Central Government. The lesson from … [Read more...]