Can't we all just be kiwi?
Dec 31, 2025
Q: Why can't we all just be kiwi?
A: Because the pain is still too raw for some and the injustice continues to deepen. It is not right when someone else defines what it means to be me as Māori and how we can or can't practice our traditions and how we are allowed to add value in a modern world.
Q: Can't we just move on....its not like Māori were treated as badly as Aborigines?
Q: How would YOU know, I ask? Would you like to hear my family's story?
A: Its time we just moved on, leave that in the past where it and the people who did those things belong and become one.
Q: How can we move on until the truth is acknowledged, not in $ (there will never be enough) but in all our hearts and the deeds we undertake from here on in. We start by stop trying to erase / fail to support all that it means to be Māori? IF we want to move on we must acknowledge the truth, put things right as best we can, rather than continuing the hurt by attempts to understate the injustice or doing the bare minimum to maintain power all the while ignoring the 'partnership' word as we move into this new future. The upper and lower jaws need each other in order to work.
Imagine if all the flowers were told they must now forget all they have learned about survival, adaptation and their responsibilities to the bees and the moths. If they want to thrive from now on we will only provide the necessities of a good life to flowers that conform to a new single colour, shape and fragrance so all flowers can feel valued equally. What of the gift of the rose, the humble daisy or our own gentle mānuka blossom?
Our diversity and respective differences are the super powers that we will need to navigate the difficult path ahead for all of humanity. We throw them away and start anew at our own peril.
I want to work as one team but I will not do it at the expense of who I am. I want to be valued for all that I bring to the table including my differences, challenges and gifts and I want you to be valued for yours also. Please try to understand me in my world and I will promise you the same!
