I love Aotearoa New Zealand deeply. I feel lucky to live here, and there is no place in the world I would rather be. I belong here. Well, I hope I belong here. Why the hesitation? Firstly, our history. A foreign power, Britain, came into this land, imposed their government, took 95% of the land,…
Continue reading →Many if not most of us tangata Tiriti understand that Te Tiriti o Waitangi is our founding document which provides aframework for us all to belong here – see why Te Tiriti is important to me here. And, many if not most of us tangata Tiriti are also unhappy about the many backward steps currently…
Continue reading →Have you read “Thunder”, the glorious, bitter-sweet short story by acclaimed author Patricia Grace? If not, make yourself a cuppa and click the link above to have a read – it will take less than 10 minutes. Then come back for a discussion about what this story tells us about the bubbles we live in,…
Continue reading →Aotearoa New Zealand’s founding document, Te Tiriti o Waitangi, (also referred to as the Treaty of Waitangi), is a hot topic currently. Te Tiriti is very important to me as a Pākehā New Zealander, and here, in seven sentences, is why. Te Tiriti is the agreement signed in 1840 which sets out a peaceful relationship…
Continue reading →“What is the crucial work we must be doing as Pākehā to be part of Te Tiriti justice and decolonisation?” That was the question posed to 14 of us who were invited by the wonderful Emily Beausoleil to contribute to this year’s Joan Cook Memorial Essay, an annual offering set up in memory of Treaty…
Continue reading →If we are lucky enough to live comfortably, why wouldn’t we share some of what we have? Two key ways of sharing financial resources are through philanthropy and taxation, and I frequently blog about philanthropy, but this time let’s talk about tax. Personally I see tax as a good thing, and I am willing to…
Continue reading →When I was asked to speak on Steven Moe’s Seeds podcast, my friend and colleague Haimona Waititi from Tūmanako Consulting suggested that I share some of the missteps I have made as part of different organisations trying to better support Māori aspirations. So, I talked on the podcast and shared three personal stories of situations…
Continue reading →Giving is good – but there is a darker side to fundraising and philanthropy which it is useful to be aware of. Examples include organisations soliciting funds for questionable purposes, and donors, businesses or funding organisations using their money to influence democracy in ways which are unethical and/or untransparent. Unfortunately, according to this excellent Radio…
Continue reading →Christmas has come and gone again. Ah, Christmas. It’s when we express our love of others through the giving of gifts, right? No – wait – isn’t Christmas just a commercial thing, where we buy stuff which usually isn’t what the other person actually wants? Hmmm – it’s a tricky thing Christmas. Now, reread the…
Continue reading →Here are two uncomfortable power dynamics in philanthropy: Funding processes can be a kind of “Nonprofit Hunger Games” where frontline community organisations compete against each for favour and “the win.” The power to decide who wins usually sits squarely with funders, yet funders are rarely directly affected by key social issues. It doesn’t have to…
Continue reading →