G News - Around the Traps

This is a brief article about three or four topics I encountered in today's news.

1. Harry Tam appears on BHN ( Big Hairy news )

Harry told the whakapapa behind how indigenous gangs got going in New Zealand - and to summarise - first of all there were loads of cultural assimilation policies that stripped Maori culture and tried to make Maori more Pakeha. You know the Tohunga Suppression Act etc...then after the second world war something like this happened :

Keynesian economics lead to what we call "urban drift" where Maori left their homes and went to work in factories in the Cities.

Then there was moral panic around 1954 where the State reported that young people were out of control - disillusionment with 20 years of progressive stuff - and a resolve to get tough and start up Boys Homes and State Care.

That resulted in loads of Maori youth being institutionalised and then sexually and physically abused.

Then after the abuse and the trauma that brings - the State decided these guys should be kicked out onto the street...where they formed the first gangs and had rules like do not nark etc.

From one violent culture to another.

Some of the people modelled themselves on Biker Gangs like the Hells Angels in the USA.

The abuse had caused trauma and you know trauma hangs around and causes all sorts of emotional irregularity and control issues in behaviours - well this trauma was intergenerational and was revisited on younger generations.

Four generations now said Harry.

If you take that context and look at the National Gang Control Unit - Harry says it's a bit like repeating the moral panic of the past and ignoring the root causes - which lie in that trauma.

Where was the State Care Commission in yesterday's announcement? Nowhere. That kind of thing. Yeah so here we go again making things worse with Mr Plod and his "get tough slogans" and pretend silver bullets.

Harry also pointed out how we tend to generalise using terms like Organised Crime when it covers a vast range - and same goes for gangs - there are all sorts like indigenous vs the imports etc.

2.) Professor of Law - Jodi Gardner from Auckland University wrote a compelling article on 1 News about the energy poverty of New Zealanders while power Gentailers are making massive profits.

Jodi pointed out that Meridian, Contact, Genesis and Mercury made a combined profit of $2.7 Billion while 40,000 New Zealanders had their power cut off in 2023.

In the UK fuel poverty is defined as when you spend more than 10% of your income on heating, electricity and other fuels just to keep living areas at 21 degrees C - and other rooms in the house at 18 degrees C.

110,000 household in New Zealand could not afford to do that and 19% had trouble paying their power bill in 2023.

Yes the Neoliberal National Party wiped it's hands - thanks Sir John - and we have a very public problem in the hands of private responsibility. The Neoliberal dream - that makes people suffer, is driven by greed and is what right wingers vote for as we march on towards the climate tipping points.

3. Matt Doocey has got to be joking

Matt Doocey was blindsided when he was last to know that there was a proposal to close down the Suicide Prevention Office to pay for Nicola's tax cuts and he rushed to prevent the headlines that he was the Minister for Mental Health who had buggered this up.

Today Matt Doocey stood around with that smug grin - while the news filtered through that the Suicide Prevention Office would not close down - but it would have no full time staff.

Yes they gutted it and then said look - it is still open.

Matt Doocey - our hero.

The risky strategy is about getting six or seven workers to devote 25% of their time to the Suicide Prevention Office and report to a Group Manager who is leading other work streams.

Wow National really care. Not.

4. What will Winston tell the cookers?

Yes Winston will likely tell the cookers he has gotten rid of those covid vaccine mandates and not one of them will realise they were all gone in September 2022.

The other day - 30 minutes before my dental surgery - I ate my last cheeseburger - and Vicki and I exited the big M - to witness a cooker protest.

"End the covid vaccine mandates", read the sign.

I made a loud noise mimicking a cave troll - and mentioned the word cookers - but we did not hang around to argue with nutters.

Ain't nobody got time for that.

G News - Around the Traps

G