Efeso Collins

The last couple of months have been pretty intense as local health providers have stepped up to the plate to vaccinate the community.

These past couple of days have been filled with a lot of “sorry’s” from different people. Just yesterday the PM, top spy and Police Commissioner all apologised to the Muslim community for their offices failings that led to a massacre as people prayed.

We’re just over a week into our national lockdown in what continues to be some of the most historic developments of our time.

Over the years I’ve had gripping conversations with people who’ve said I don’t belong on the Left of politics because of my socially conservative views. Conversely, folk on the Right have said they wouldn’t welcome me because of my perceived economic liberalism.

Stories of Muslim women being yelled at to go back to their countries continue to emerge. Posts online of people yelling at ‘dark-skinned’ individuals cheering at this despicable act of last week surface. And this is just the outward manifestation of the racism in NZ. It has been insidious for years. The term unconscious bias is the nice, polite way to describe the way in which the brain reacts to difference. And in the main, difference is the colour of your skin and gender. That difference is picked up by the eye immediately and it feeds that information directly to the brain. Then judgements are made about who is in, and who is out.

Get into the lift at work in town with 3 other people.

I’ve read the PWC report and it didn’t take me very long because so many words were redacted from the version I got. But in light of a looming regional fuel tax, which hits poorer communities hardest and representing a Ward with the lowest level of home ownership… a stadium in the middle of the city to host a future Commonwealth Games and the odd Abba comeback concert, is the last thing on their minds.

A couple of dispiriting polls means one thing Labour. Fight. You’re caught on the ropes and you can put your hands up in defence or you can get the swag back into your skip and box your way out. For the people of the south; the truest support known to the Labour Party my message to you is simple and loud. Fight.