Hone and Mana are saying get out there and clean up the beaches but I can't see how putting people at risk through contamination with this toxic mess is going to help anyone. But it is impossible to do nothing, especially when you can see the destruction in front of your eyes. If I was up there I would be out there doing my bit too, so I fully understand the reasoning, the heart that says - we must do SOMETHING.
The Mana Party
“I am grateful to those MANA supporters who have already joined the clean-up crews and I am calling on our supporters to ignore the government’s calls and join the team at Papamoa to clean up our beaches”All I can offer at this stage is a song
I met up with Aaron a few months ago here in the bay and as we looked out to sea he asked what the kai moana was like - ka pai I replied. I wish it was ka pai for the people and environment near Tauranga. I've got two assignments due tomorrow and my head is struggling because my heart is torn and raw and hurt. We must stop this happening again and stop their plans for more destruction and exploitation. We have no choice - we just have to do it, we have to stop them.
3 comments:
ae ra!
its really sad. I too feel torn. While its not my back yard, and I don't whakapapa to that land, I walk around Dunedin with heavynes in my heart.
Of course, we shouldn't have to clean up the mess of the government/capitalism, but at the end of the day its us thats gonna hurt if we dont, so it makes sense that folks up there are doin what they can, and I'm sure I would too - though I'd be pissed off.
I guess it brings up an age-old dilemma. I think its important that we know we our labour is being expropriated when we do that stuff. I havnt heard what Hone says about it, but I hope he would put it in that context: put blame where it belongs (with capitalism, Eurocentrism, anti-earth culture) and show that our ability to stop this kind of thing lies in our ability to resist capitalism etc.
I mean, although I agree that they should, I think 'demanding' the government clean it up is kind of disempowering. We all know this kind of thing will happen again if they carry on down the road they're goin.
naku noa,
Hana
I agree with both of you. I really want to do something, but shit, I can't even write about it.
I hope it is a wake up call for Parata ma. It's a fucking horrible one, but how much worse would it be if something went wrong with deep sea drilling. Whatever we think about politics, economics, whatever, we need to put Papatuanuku first. When we break her laws, there's a long time paying for it.
And like Hana says, we can't leave it to the government, they will do the least they can do to protect our environment. We have to work out what needs to be done, and do it ourselves, like Te Whanau-a-Apanui, like indigenous activists (and allies) everywhere.
Thanks for writing about this--your posts say what I can't manage to.
mauri ora
kia ora kōrua,
Ae people power is the answer, and community. I feel like we may have hit a tipping point and their exploitation plans are dust - but the structure of this society is still crooked and still creating much inequity, so that must be dismantled too and the sooner the better.
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