A Study of Resistance

And I felt sad thinking about the symbolism of Ōtara’s maunga being quarried, destroyed, erased, so that all we have is stories of the settlers, and the volcanic geology, but so little of Tangata Whenua. There are so many gaps in the ways we understand our place in Aotearoa.

I felt sad seeing the site of this maunga today, and hearing about how Gideon Smales the Pākehā settler who became the ‘owner’ of this whenua was a “good man” and built a Wesleyan church and spoke te reo Māori. His land title expanded from 100 to 1000ha. The dispossession is eye-watering.

Went on a guided walk around Te Puke o Tara, or rather the site next to where Te Puke o Tara once was; this volcanic cone stood 89m above sea level and was quarried to nothing 50 years ago. There was a pā here, huge kumara pits, and now it’s an industrial pocket of East Tāmaki.

Big beautiful full moon tonight 🤲🏽 I’m letting go of the despair of this coalition government & choosing to focus on a future that survives this flop era. One term government 💨

✨ We deserve better leaders, higher standards and deeper reserves of empathy and understanding. We can and will do better!

BLOCK THE BAN! Join us in protest against the government's attacks on trans rights and access to healthcare. Solidarity with our transgender, takatāpui and MVPFAFF+ whānau! 10AM SUN 7 DEC MYERS PARK @blocktheban

10am at Myers Park this Sunday in Tāmaki Makaurau:

Protest against the government's attacks on trans rights and access to healthcare.
#nzpol

For tips on staying safe see: www.instagram.com/blocktheban/...

One term government.

Bookmark this, screen shot it, share it & air drop it to your drunk uncle this Xmas when you have him cornered around the dining table with sane people.

Māori Queen launches multi-million-dollar investment platform Te Arikinui said she was proud to launch the initiative as a "declaration" that Māori were ready to invest.

Māori Queen launches multi-million-dollar investment platform.

Leaders lead.

#nzpol

I found a flowchart which helps you navigate the IT landscape

I made 34 felt salusalu (Fijian garlands) for a big event last week and seeing highlights on One News last night was such a sweet buzz 😊 I love making these and this order had over 1700 individually cut parts. Wouldn’t have been able to do it without my excellent studio assistant, Taniela 🤲🏽

When I shared insights to my work, serving communities in Ōtara encountering households that have 6 working adults (up to age 70+) & multiple children in a multigenerational home, the vast difference of worlds/worldviews emerges in these conversations… these two worlds exist less than 10km apart.

Also needed a wealthy white man perspective on something and I realised in his proposed solution that I have NO IDEA how asset-rich, land and property owning, generationally wealthy white men think 😂 Thankful for the opportunity to tap the source for insights lol

Spent time listening to an 80 year farmer last night, hearing his views on climate change, urban sprawl, waterways and protections, cattle and land. Broadened my perspective, and a lovely reminder of the richness of life when elders speak and younger folk are open to listening.

a man in a black shirt is crying while sitting in a theatre . ALT: a man in a black shirt is crying while sitting in a theatre .

I started my professional career as a public servant & have returned to working in this space 20 years later… today in a hui I was blown away hearing the ways people in #SouthAuckland work to serve, inspire and uplift our communities. The dedication, nuance, integrity… absolutely fucking inspiring.

YouTube video by DJ651 The Remixes DJ651-Ria,,Fiji-Knocking,Hey Girl (King George Mashup)

This remix is like a warm bath for my nostalgic heart 🤎

#IslanderTingz

We don’t choose our names but if my surname was Slaughter… and worked with children… I might be doing a lot of reassuring…

About - Te Kura Rau Iti Principal’s Welcome Nau mai, haere mai ki Te Kura Rau Iti —A kura to call home It is with pride and excitement that I welcome you to Te Kura Rau Iti. I’m honoured to lead our kura as we prepare to ope...

This new school opening in Ormiston, south Auckland next year sounds like what ChatGPT would produce if you asked it to use kupu Māori enough to look convincing of character but not actually to represent a depth of connection or care…

Special character indeed.

tekurarauiti.school.nz/about/

Can I get a Black Friday discount on my rent though 🫴🏽

This. This is disturbing.

The use of AI in the representation of Indigenous Pacific people is so fucking disturbing.

There is a full page photo of Julia and I after she tattooed my hands, which is why I am fist bumping myself 😅🤪🤜🏽🤛🏽

I’m intrigued how Lars Krutak writes about this nuanced field of Melanesian female tattoo revival… 🧐

Indigenous Tattoo Traditions A beautifully illustrated history of Indigenous tattooing practices around the world

My amazing friend Julia Mage’au Gray’s practice is discussed in this new title by Princeton University Press.

I side-eye most yt anthropologists who write about and publish picture heavy books about Indigenous bodies, culture & practices. I’m yet to read this. Hopefully it doesn’t make me cross.

I still think about this read, because it applies to the men talking mess about Klay Thompson.

Sitiveni Rabuka's government moves to restore customary control of surfing areas The Commercial Use of Marine Areas Bill 2025 has been given the all-clear to be tabled in parliament, which resumed on Monday.

Good news.

The Pacific ocean is full of entitled white people, just saying.

That every comment in this article is supportive of trans kids right to access puberty blockers tells you everything you need to know. In the medical community, this isn’t even a debate. No one thinks a ban is right.

The government plans to remove the requirement for school boards to give effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Too bad, say hundreds of schools, because they plan to uphold their commitments anyway, as Awanui Te Huia explains.

Auckland Women’s Centre: Gender-affirming healthcare saves lives

Auckland Women’s Centre: We stand in solidarity with gender-diverse rangatahi and everybody scared, or despairing about the government's shameful, discriminatory ban on puberty blockers last week. Yet again, this undemocratic government has shown themselves to be wildly out-of-step with community values and realities by preventing vital, life-changing healthcare for people who are not cis male.

Auckland Women’s Centre: What can you do about it? • Check-in and reach out to whanau and friends who might be particularly reeling, even those not directly affected • Attend the protest! A Block the Ban protest is happening at Myers Park on Sunday 7th of December • Email your local MPs (seriously, this can work) and ask them to push back, for the safety and wellbeing of rangatahi, their whanau and all of us

Courtesy of @akwomenscentre.bsky.social 🙏🏳️‍⚧️

I endured an English public school. But that’s not the only reason I’m unsurprised about the Farage allegations | Musa Okwonga Let’s put aside the schooldays accusations and look, instead, at the Reform leader’s path since then. I think a pretty clear picture of the man emerges, says author and podcaster Musa Okwonga

#NowReading

via @okwonga.bsky.social 🙌🏽

The Lonely Plane This poem is for a collection titled 'Poetry & Prose at the Museum' a project that bought 8 poets and 2 writers to interact with objects in the Museum.

The Lonely Plane - a new poem by Peter Sipeli