Rally Against Poverty – join Metiria Turei and Marama Davidson

Written By: - Date published: 6:25 am, September 16th, 2017 - 20 comments
Categories: benefits, class war, Economy, greens, Metiria Turei, poverty, welfare - Tags:

Saturday 16 Sept 2.30pm, Otara Town Centre, South Auckland.

Let’s all come together to rally for our communities that have been at the forefront on the fight to end poverty. Now, more than ever, we need to continue the conversation that Metiria started. We know that an Aotearoa where no one lives in poverty is possible. Where Government serves the interests of people, not big business. Where everyone has access to a warm, dry, healthy home and beneficiaries aren’t treated as second class citizens.

Metiria will be joining me, because we must continue to speak the truth about poverty.

More than ever, New Zealanders living below the breadline need a voice. For too long they have been ignored and sidelined in our communities. For too long, privilege and money have determined who can have a say and it’s time to say enough.

Together, we will make sure that Aotearoa knows what we want: To end poverty.

Here is the link to our plan to fix our welfare system:
https://www.greens.org.nz/policy/social-policies/mending-safety-net

Facebook event page.

20 comments on “Rally Against Poverty – join Metiria Turei and Marama Davidson ”

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  1. roy cartland 1
    8 September 2017 at 8:31 am

    <3 Marama

  2. mary_a 2
    8 September 2017 at 7:58 pm

    “More than ever, New Zealanders living below the breadline need a voice. For too long they have been ignored and sidelined in our communities. For too long, privilege and money have determined who can have a say and it’s time to say enough.”

    Well said Marama. Her statement is the reason I will be giving my party vote to the Greens in this election.

    NZ Greens are desperately needed in a progressive government alongside Labour, working towards relieving the God awful pain inflicted on the nation’s growing impoverished!

    Party vote Green.

  3. greywarshark 3
    8 September 2017 at 8:39 pm

    mary-a
    I agree with everything you say. Don’t know what roy cartland means?

    Get people above poverty level, and give them and the economy a boost. Let’s milk the dairy farmers for a change, and get more of their bounty back into the low income streets, for shoes, medical care and prescriptions, opportunities to go on two weekend camps a year with parents (fresh air and some enjoyment), educational help and uniforms etc., special transport cards for bennies.

    • Macro 3.1
      16 September 2017 at 10:57 am

      grey – What Roy is indicating with his comment is this “❤️ Marama”
      If you twist your heard to the right and look at <3 you will see that it is sort of like a heart. In some online message boards that translates into the emoticon I have used above. I'm sure Roy is not the only one amongst us who thinks Marama is pretty awesome.

      • greywarshark 3.1.1
        16 September 2017 at 12:52 pm

        Thanks Macro
        I just didn’t recognise the icony thing. I have tried attempts at creative lettering too but this needed explanation.

        Marama is okay, and I think I heard that she was from the Rawiri Paratene whanau so double okay.

        • Macro 3.1.1.1
          16 September 2017 at 1:38 pm

          If you go to the edit menu in Chrome (or whatever browser you use) choose the Special Characters – then you have a whole raft of things you can insert.
          Or you can go here* and use these which Lynn has thoughtfully provided:
          https://thestandard.org.nz/faq/smile/

          *Note that I didn’t use the link thing because I wanted to show you that it was a link to a page on The Standard. 🙂

          • greywarshark 3.1.1.1.1
            16 September 2017 at 2:23 pm

            Thanks Macro – I remember I had the problem once when I tried to refer to The Standard’s icons system. Thanks for help

  4. Carolyn_nth 4
    16 September 2017 at 7:57 am

    Train to Papatoetoe. #31 bus from Papatoetoe Station, Opp 27 Shirley Rd
    Stop 6480, to Otara Town Centre.

  5. Macro 5
    16 September 2017 at 11:00 am

    Would love to be there – but unfortunately have an important prior arrangement. However a rep from our family is travelling up with Catherine D for the afternoon, so will hear all about it. 🙂

  6. Macro 6
    16 September 2017 at 1:30 pm

    Sounds like it is going to be a fun event – bands and all sorts of things going on! Gee wish I was there. 🙁
    However I’ve got a fun event to attend tonight so shouldn’t be greedy..

  7. Carolyn_nth 7
    16 September 2017 at 6:56 pm

    It was great to be at the rally, and hear from people dealing with those who are homeless and on benefits.

    A tweet from a guy I don’t know with some images from the event.

    And the event was a corrective for anyone still thinking the Green Party is solely of and for white middle class folk.

    When I arrived at Otara Town Centre, there was a group of young brown women with Green Party, and “I stand with Metiria” placards, out on the corner of the main road.

    There was an array of speakers, poets and a singer or two.

    Metiria sounded like she hasn’t missed a beat since standing down from GP leadership. She got a strong positive and loud response. And talks like she will be keeping up the struggle to end poverty for a very long time.

    A woman spoke of her work providing food and materials for the homeless in South Auckland. She said she wasn’t political, but was becoming political, largely because of the work of Marama Davidson in the area/Manurewa, with the homeless and beneficiaries. She said Marama worked beside her, giving food to the homeless, without seeming to be scared of, or negative about them.

    • Carolyn_nth 7.1
      17 September 2017 at 8:54 am

      One of the important things that one of the speakers said was that voting is not the end of political participation: that what happens between elections is very important.

      Over the last few years, coverage and public awareness of homelessness and poverty has grown. This is probably due to a mix of the way these are impacting on the middle classes, and on the visibility of homelessness on our streets. A bit part has also been played by organisations like the Child Poverty Action group, and Auckland Action Against Poverty.

      The volunteers working in South Auckland with the homeless and beneficiaries have also strengthened political understanding of the issues on the ground – and increased the GP profile in Sth Auckland, and amongst those who work with the homeless and beneficiaries.

      The guy from Auckland Action Against Poverty said that they have worked every Friday providing advocacy for about 130/50 people outside the WINZ office. The queues for support start at 5.30am. The people requiring support are predominantly brown women, showing the impact of the failure to honour Te Tiriti.

  8. Pete George 8
    17 September 2017 at 7:46 am

    A very modest amount of interest here and a modest turnout at the rally – RNZ say 150 – suggests that it may not just be the welfare system that’s broken, but the Green system looks to be in need of reassessment and repair.

    Revolution rarely happens from the political fringes. In a democratic country you have to win popular support, and Green popularity has collapsed with their poverty power play.

    Greens could still end up in Government, but that would be with a whimper and thanks to Labour.

    To have a popular people’s movement you need to first promote popular policies and become popular. And have a popular leader helps, as Labour have discovered. Shaw is very capable but not charismatic.

    It’s worth remembering that a real battler for the battlers, Sue Bradford, got beaten by Metiria and deserted the Greens.

    Marama Davidson has been an MP less than two years and was fast tracked up the green pecking order, but I don’t think she will be widely popular.

    She has failed to fire this campaign, maybe that’s lack of experience, or maybe her style of social justice campaigning just isn’t attractive to the strugglers in our society. She couldn’t pull much of a crowd in Otara – most of those in attendance were probably party faithful trying to put on a show.

    A lot to think about for the Greens and their future – if they’re prepared to look and think outside their bubble.

    • Union city greens 8.1
      17 September 2017 at 8:22 am

      @ Moderators

      This post isn’t going to encourage debate. It’s just a bitter, revenge troll post.
      Can you not just ban this sad old fart now and be done with it?

  9. Carolyn_nth 9
    17 September 2017 at 8:49 am

    The Rally got some very good coverage from the mainstream media. There were quite a lot of video and photo cameras present.

    Newshub

    RNZ: Turei tells Green’s poverty rally welfare system broken

    NZ Herald, which said:

    “When did we decide that our country would be so mean? So unfair?” Turei said. “That solo mothers and their babies and the working poor grandparents taking care of grandkids should have to suffer so much just for a decent life?

    “We never decided that. That was never our choice, was it? And now we’ve got the opportunity to fix it.”

    Turei said the Greens were the only party taking poverty seriously in New Zealand. In a subtle dig at National and Labour, she said her party would go further than just measuring or reducing poverty.

    It’s interesting that the mainstream media tend to focus on the presence of the celebrity Robyn Malcolm. I guess she provides a connection that the MSM can relate to. But I’m disappointed the MSM did not also report on the devastating stories we heard, and the courageous work of advocates and volunteers on the ground.

    Malcolm’s message was a very good one, however. She spoke to the comfortable middle classes and poverty-deniers. From the NZ Herald article:

    Malcolm also spoke at the rally. In a speech which veered between comedy and anger, she said the idea that New Zealand was prosperous and happy was a myth.

    “Has anyone seen that stupid Air New Zealand ad that they play on the planes at the moment … with some B-grade Hollywood stars representing New Zealand?

    “I sit on the plane and think what country are they talking about? They’re all wearing white and looking at rainbows and clear waters and clear streams and everybody’s happy and lovely and everybody’s got their happy, lovely plate of kale and we’re all just a lovely bunch of wealthy, happy New Zealanders sitting down here at the bottom of the world.

    “And it’s bulls***.”

    She cited an Australian documentary-maker who recently visited New Zealand and said he had no idea there were so many homeless people in Auckland.

    “I was reminded of one of those – I can’t remember his name – … from the Business Roundtable who made a big song and dance about the really poor people messing up Queen Street.

    “I thought, this is not my country. These are not my people.”

    She gave several examples on this theme, including mentioning the poem she had seen this week by someone complaining about Labour going to tax their boat, caravan, etc – that Malcolm referred to as “toys”. She repeated her refrain: “this is not my country. These are not my people.”.

    But when she talked of people caring for and helping those in need, she said “This is my country; these are my people”. She said that this is what she wanted to see people voting for – to help others in need, and not in their own selfish interests.

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