Kia ora to all involved with organising the national iwi/union day of action Rā Whakamana this coming Tues 28 Oct - will be joining 12 midday Tues at Māngere Bridge - see some of you there? More info here www.together.org.nz/ra_whakamana... #nzpol #kikorangi

A question for US friends - is the Portland Frog a relation, a descendant or a deliberate counterpoint to the fascist cooption of Pepe - is there a connection? Solidarity to all of you over there across the Pacific engaged in current resistance & struggle. #nzpol

While the govt keeps proudly promoting welfare cuts for jobless 18 & 19 yos, there was Chris Hipkins (Labour leader) on RNZ this am refusing to take any position on this 'blame the victim' approach to rising unemployment. Labour friends: how can you - or we - ever trust yr party? #nzpol #kikorangi

Appalling that our govt is bringing forward their attack on 18/19 yr olds' ability to claim welfare in their own right, even though youth unemployment is rising. Big question for Labour: will you unequivocally reverse this & other welfare cutbacks if returned to power next year? #nzpol #kikorangi

Great to be out on the streets today with many others protesting our rightwing govt's sudden overturning of decades of struggle for pay equity. But - will the Labour folks out on the marches today actually ensure any future Lab-led govt will fully reinstate/improve access? #nzpol #PayEquity

Our People's Select Committee on Pay Equity starts its first hearings live in Pōneke tomorrow morning - all hearings will be available online as they happen. A huge 'kia ora' to the many hundreds of you who have made submissions despite this process not being part of govt. #nzpol #kikorangi

Unemployment & homelessness rising, health system crumbles - yet Labour seems set on a CGT as its key response - sometime. Labour friends: is there any understanding that courageous, effective income redistribution & support for public services is the only way you'll regain real respect from many?

Found myself extolling BlueSky on RNZ 'The Panel' tonight -reflecting on surviving accelerating crises (msm/sm overload) & importance of keeping up with news of resistance. Still surprised to find good folks unaware of the near demise of the bird & the alternative here. #bluesky #kikorangi #nzpol

Kia ora to all who have made a RSB (Regulatory Standards Bill) submission, or who are making one this weekend, just in time. So important to max out voices vs imposing capitalist property rights & abrogating Te Tiriti (& the rest) - as far right here mimics far right everywhere. #nzpol #kikorangi

Thanks to all the wonderful people here who have been sharing news & vids of the No Kings demos yesterday - so inspiring to see folks rising up across the States, & in other locales also. Go for it on the 3.5% - & beyond - solidarity from antifascists here & everywhere. #nzpol #kikorangi

In this morning's 'Spinoff' Marilyn Waring explains why she set up the People's Select Cttee on Pay Equity after the govt wiped out all claims retrospectively under urgency (& more). The article has a link to the submission site: closing date 31 July, we'd love to hear from you! #nzpol #kikorangi

Solidarity to all of you who are resisting ICE & fascism on the streets of your American cities right now - I'm sure this comes not just from me but from many of us here in the deep south of the Pacific #nzpol #kikorangi

A fetching juxtaposition this weekend-in a big switcheroo Rod Carr (classic NZ right wing economist) says 'markets should be a tool - not enslave us' - just as Ruth Richardson is honoured for 1990s services to breaking unions, workers, welfare claimants, selloffs to foreign capital #nzpol #kikorangi

Looking forward to joining this newly-formed 'People's Select Committee' on pay equity, alongside nine other former women MPS - providing a democratic, open process for public submission after the NZ govt slammed through a retrospective law taking out all current pay equity claims. #nzpol #kikorangi

This cause is close to my heart - please sign: our.actionstation.org.nz/petitions/pr...

Very cool to see Hands Off actions happening on an incredible scale across the US (& elsewhere). Good on you all! -while noting that here in Aotearoa, we need to be hyper-aware that the coalition parties have much the same agenda vs people & planet, & our responses are mostly way too muted, so far.

Looks like 'social investment' round 2 is going to feature large in next month's Budget - & that Coster means well. Yet this is such a deeply flawed approach - cut funding for public housing, school lunches, disability etc - while slashing ability of community to respond. #nzpol #kikorangi

NZ govt brings in a new sanction vs welfare claimants, putting 50% of benefit under income management, & forbidding its use for rent & utilities. Rent alone is often 50%+ of income & sanctions are often down to govt error in any case. Keen to hear Labour's response. #nzpol #kaihikatea

I wrote this when Trump was elected for his first term. It was first published in the 'poets meet politics' anthology 2019.

Willie Jackson is now responsible for Social Development. After 6 yrs of Labour govt refusal to take serious pro-people action on welfare do he & his party have any will to shift direction? He barely mentions welfare here, & talks the classic 'obligations' mantra-not a good start. #nzpol #kahikatea

Are there any tech-savvy types out there who can advise if there are - or are likely to be soon'ish - alternatives to Starlink as a fast reliable provider in rural areas of Aotearoa NZ? Good call on the Tesla front folks - but this seems far more difficult to resolve #nzpol #kikorangi

Kia ora & welcome to Blue Sky @counterfutures.bsky.social - a journal of left thought & practice in Aotearoa that's been a confluence of different currents for a while now - & more relevant than ever as we face the rightwing onslaught of 2025 #kikorangi #nzpol

One of the only Atlas Network goals not yet being pushed in Aotearoa is 'criminalising peaceful protests'. But now we have the IPCA advocating an offence 'to protest without permission' (& more). We're like a mini crewmate version of the US descent into darkness - eyes open folks #nzpol #kikorangi

Cool to see folks from our left/Te Tiriti-grounded networks making the jump here - welcome! It's up to us to make this work. Cheers also to all of you sharing info & analysis from the big world out there - these isolated islands are not immune from the dangers of this moment. #kikorangi #nzpol

Happy New Year to all, including those who've been sharing submissions info on New Year's - such dedication! I hope you're finding a time of peace & refreshment before diving into 2025, with all the multifarious challenges & opportunities the year will bring. A luta continua! #nzpol #kikorangi

Kia ora friends who are just finding your way here - up to us to make this place meaningful, interesting & somewhat more mature than some other zones! #kikorangi

There's something especially stark about the pre-Xmas period at a time when unemployment's going up & some workers are left without even the wages they're owed - while daily we're fed the happy news of record breaking house prices at the top end of the market. Capitalism brutal in tooth & claw.

A question for folks more adjacent to NZ Labour than some of us - is there anyone in the party who is pushing for both a capital gains & a wealth tax? Why is it apparently accepted as either/or? & do they have any awareness that a pile of other redistributive taxes are possible?

It's wrenching to watch once again as a govt that deliberately creates unemployment implements further punitive measures against those who can't find work. At the same time it's rich of Labour to criticise, given their refusal to fix welfare when they so recently had the power to do just that.

Did some reflecting on the evolution of the word 'gaslight' on RNZ's The Panel last night. It's now used in political discourse right across left & right. But is it always what we really mean? Perhaps at times we should move beyond the catchall 'gaslight' to a more precise & powerful vocab?

Pakukore 'Poverty by design' (21-23 Nov) was a real gathering of the clans - good to see you all! - but also a stark reminder of the implacable face of deliberately created inequality & poverty here in Aotearoa. Kia ora to all involved - & looking forward to further connections in times to come.

The Pakukore 'Poverty by Design' conference is in midflow now, with folks here from many strands of the kaupapa. Inspiring speakers & a raising of contradictions & challenges, incl Tracey McIntosh 'We can't just use hope as a political trajectory - we have to move beyond hope to action'. Kia ora!

Looking forward to the Pakukore 'Poverty by Design' conference in Pōneke over the next days (21-23 Nov). Will be a great chance to explore connections & ways forward in the welfare/unemployment/precarious work sector...with Te Tiriti & climate justice in mind. See some of you there!

Heartwarming in the extreme to see the numbers & spirit of the hīkoi to Parliament today. Don't think I've ever seen a bigger march. Imagine if we multiplied the numbers in Pōneke by the rest of us who wanted to be there. Toitū Te Tiriti!

Interesting to see the second big migration here from that other site, including here in Aotearoa. A huge 'kia ora' to everyone who's on the hikoi for Te Tiriti today & tomorrow, & to all who are supporting this struggle from wherever you are, locally or elsewhere in the world.

Happy Mayday! Felt a surge of hope at the FIRST/Unite union rally & march in Auckland today. Good to be back on the streets celebrating Mayday, & to be part of a new wave of resistance to the current onslaught vs people & planet. Solidarity to all union folks & families today, wherever you are.

Such devastating news from TV3/Newshub this morning - all news functions to go. My heart goes out to all the journalists & others who are directly impacted. The implications for the quality of journalism & the depth/reach of democracy & public accountability in Aotearoa are huge.

James Shaw's resignation today as co-leader - & eventually from Parliament - does feel like quite a milestone, & an opportunity for progressive renewal in a rapidly shifting political landscape. Best wishes to all in the next phase of decision making, & congrats to yet another new Green MP to be...

Kia ora & thanks for the messages of welcome & advice since I arrived here yesterday. Great to see some irl friends here, & to make new ones. We've sure got a lot of work ahead of us in 2024 as we face down (& up to) the crises of our time. See you around!

Have just landed in Bluesky in time for 2024. Look forward to lurking & learning around here. Interested in progressive connections internationally - & locally - from here in fairly isolated Aotearoa NZ.