"Last weekend, Nadine Mortaja, a 26-year-old Palestinian New Zealander, led 50,000 people in the historic March for Humanity through the Auckland CBD, to demand that the New Zealand government impose sanctions on Israel for its war crimes in Gaza."

👑👑👑👑👑👑👑👑 Ali & her have been an inspiration every week !

You can always rely on @etangata.bsky.social to move beyond clickbait to discuss and present issues in depth.

We're saddened by the passing of Dame Joan Metge this week, at the age of 95. In 2015, we had the privilege of sitting down with Joan to discuss her remarkable journey helping shape how New Zealand talks about race relations. Our condolences to Joan's whānau and the many lives she touched.

“This year has been about navigating the surprising layers of grief for a language I never had until now, and envying anybody who grew up with it.” — Michelle Campbell.

“Kids’ homes and schools are the top exposure zones for junk food marketing in Aotearoa. That’s not passive exposure, it’s precision targeting.” — Vinetta Plummer.

“We should not underestimate the capacity of our children’s brains, but should be celebrating and supporting all the benefits of their potential bilingual superpowers.” — Linguist Hilary Smith.

“It was a way for me to let out my frustration and to feel like I was doing something, even if it was just a little part. Chanting genuinely gave me a purpose, a way to keep going.” — Nadine Mortaja, who led last week’s March for Humanity in Auckland.

“I wanted to share something that the world could hear and see, so they could start making a better judgment of who we are. That's the goal, to basically reintroduce ourselves to the world.” — Thomas Pa’a Sibbett, co-creator of Hawaiian historical drama series ‘Chief of War’.

“It was a thrilling cacophony of joyous birdsong. A jostling, prancing throng of utterly diverse tangata whenua giving vigorous and unified voice to a new māori era.” — Tainui Stephens on the response to Kuini Nga wai hono i te po’s first speech.

“We want the best for our children. We want to be loved. And we want the best for our parents as they age. It doesn’t matter what your socioeconomic status is — we have these things in common.” — Rachel Karalus, mayoral candidate in Kirikiriroa Hamilton.

“I realised during those meetings that people who are not Māori aren’t often exposed to the ongoing effects of colonisation. They seldom take the opportunity to listen to tangata whenua.” — Catherine Delahunty on the campaign to educate voters about Māori wards.

“Increasing deportations may look strong on law and order domestically, but it will cause untold damage to our Pacific relationships.” — Henrietta McNeill-Stowers.

“She had emerged from a year of mourning for her father, and her remedy for Māori advancement was couched in encouragement to let wounds turn to scars, and to turn from anguish and protest to acceptance and new economic plans.” — A commentary on the first speech from Te Kuini.

“Generational trauma rises in me every time I think of Nana as a little girl being violently punished for speaking the only language she knew. Generational aroha pushes me forward to the mic.” — Marama Davidson on her reo journey.

“Using woke as a slur dismisses not only a word but the centuries of struggle, pain, and progress it represents. Whether intended or not, it aligns with the same forces that upheld slavery, apartheid, and white supremacy.” — Gregory Fortuin.

“In one year, the public account has grown by more than the total paid out in Treaty settlements since 1994 — that’s every single claim across three decades.” — Bevan O’Connor, candidate for Hastings District Council.

“While the Pacific Islands Forum is often described as the region’s premier political gathering, it has never been a space owned solely by Pacific nations. From the beginning, Australia and New Zealand have sat at the table.” — Sione Tekiteki.

“You can still deliver a pepeha — even if, like me, you’re Māori and don’t know your whakapapa.” — Emma West.

“I’m just focusing on Sāmoan food, instead of calling it Pasifika food or Polynesian food, and just trying to see if being specific with one’s culture is a way to success.” — Henry Onesemo, owner of award-winning restaurant Tala.

“Her farewell was her final gift. She showed us the strength of our culture, the resilience of our whānau, and the power of kaupapa Māori when it is lived, not just spoken.” — Shonelle Wana.

“Western, colonial education systems may be out of favour in 2025, but call it a ‘knowledge-rich’ system, and somehow it’s more acceptable.” — Erica Hamilton, secondary school teacher.

“As a nation, Te Tiriti, Section 4, and iwi rights and responsibilities are the strongest protections we have against extensive privatisation and commercialisation of the conservation estate.” — Melanie Nelson on proposed changes to how conservation land is managed.

“What I love about this kaupapa is bridging that gap between our community members, especially our youth, and the professional setting of the opera.” — Stacey Leilua, creative producer of NZ Opera’s ‘The Monster in the Maze’.

“Children have a human right to a quality education that equips them for effective participation in a strong democracy — not one that simply shapes them into cogs for the economic machine.” — Catherine Murupaenga-Ikenn.

“The emotional toll on tamariki Māori when their language is absent from core learning, or reduced to tokenism, is devastating. It tells them their identity is secondary.” — Te Aumoana Kingi.

“This book is for everyone. It offers a generous, wise and deeply grounded account of a knowledge system that continues to shape our present and future. It opens the door and invites us in.” — Natalie Coates reviews Tā Hirini Moko Mead’s new book “Mātauranga Māori”.

“I still have James’s letter. It became my conscience. It reminded me not to walk away from something I should be fixing. He asked me to come back, and I didn’t.” — Professor Welby Ings remembers a seven-year-old student he had taught in Ōtara 50 years ago.

“Our people need to speak the honest truth. Talk about being abused. Talk about the struggle you’re going through. Talk about being homeless. Or talk about how you can’t afford to pay for things. Because not talking about the truth is what defeats us.” — Mea Motu.

“In the early 19th century, the world of Ngāi Tahu was changing fast. As well as material and technological changes, the partnerships of Ngāi Tahu women with Pākehā men foreshadowed the substantial genetic and social changes to come.” — Professor Atholl Anderson.

“I will always treasure the memories of people who came together for a dream of justice, not just for themselves but for their descendants and for the lifeblood that is the earth and water.” — Saige England on covering the Kāi Tahu claim as a young Pākehā journalist.

“As I witness the hunger in Gaza today, I’m struck by the chilling parallels. Like Bengal, Gaza’s hunger is manufactured. And like Bengal, it demands our outrage and resistance.” — Dr Mohan Dutta.

“Seeing vowels present in Māori words grows a person’s ability to communicate and to understand New Zealand English, of which many Māori words are an everyday part.” — Vincent Olsen-Reeder and Corinne Seals.

“Alienating our Pacific whānau is not rooted in any coherent policy or strategy: it’s the product of personal grievances and political theatre.” — Jayden Evett.

“I’ve become a doctor in my 50s, which is all well and good, but I should have been a doctor 30 years ago. And the only reason I wasn’t was because of all these barriers that have been put in front of me. “ — Dr Timoti Te Moke.

“Looking back I see how fiercely stubborn she was, this 20-something woman who would not let go or go home, even when all signs were pointing to disaster.” — Tina Makereti.

“We will no longer be tasked with local service design and delivery. Instead, our job will be to ‘engage’ and ’advise’. These changes take us from active partners to passive recipients.” — Louisa Wall on changes to Pae Ora law.

“Hobson’s Pledge is terribly enthusiastic about treating all people equally, but not above weaponising ethnicity, which is what makes us distinctive, when it suits their misguided purposes.” — Richard Shaw.

“We’re left to fend for our moana by ourselves, calling for reinforcements but being given scraps.” — Nicola Rata-MacDonald.

“They are creating the illusion of a threat to justify passing legislation that would make it incredibly difficult for Māori to have their existing rights recognised.“ — Toni Talamaivao.

“It’s not actually about the time you spend in there. It’s about your time when you get out. And what you have to cope with, and deal with, and put back together, and negotiate. That was almost harder than being in prison.” — Jaye Pukepuke.

“Dismantling public housing infrastructure is short-sighted and socially damaging. It also occurs within an environment where homelessness is rising faster than our population is growing.” — Rebekah Graham.

“Our ministers have chosen carefully crafted diplomatic language buried under joint country statements to influence the situation in Gaza, while at the same time protecting relationships with allies, particularly the US.” — John Hobbs.

“It’s one thing to be out of touch with the reality of New Zealanders’ lives. But it’s another entirely to make your contempt and disregard for most of the population so obvious.” — Brian Tweed.

“Same-day enrolment isn’t a flaw in our democracy. It’s one of the few things that works for us: for Māori, Pacific peoples, rangatahi, and anyone who has ever felt like the political system wasn’t built for them.” — Eden Fusitu‘a.

“The ICJ ruling has effectively reshaped the global climate change landscape by giving more power to small states, especially those in the Pacific, to hold the big polluting countries politically, morally, and financially accountable.” — Professor Steven Ratuva.

“The more we normalise going for the top jobs in this country, the better it is for future generations.” — Kerrin Leoni, Auckland mayoral candidate.

“You have a friend who knows a love like this. You have a neighbour who knows a love like this. And I hope that you, too, know a love like this.” — Renee Karena on her mastiff mate Nīkau.

“There’s a bitter irony when those who benefit most from a racist education system are the ones deciding whether we count the data — and how we talk about it.” — Ara Alam-Simmons.

“The systems of government that run this country today were never designed with Māori in mind. They were created by colonial lawmakers to manage and control land, resources and people.” — Shonelle Wana.