DIARY OF A CAMPAIGNER DAY 40: MATT McCARTEN'S B**S PICKS

DAY FORTY:
Wednesday 29 September 2010
The ballot papers are on the benches, pinned to kitchen boards and refrigerators. In 10 days time this great city of Tamakimakaurau/Auckland will have a new council and take on a new direction. Have you voted?

I have got my nose way outta joint! Why….because Matt McCarten didn’t name me in his Auckland Supercitypicks.com. I’ve known Matt professionally for about 7 years, we have a mutual friend, actually this mutual person is one of Matt’s closest mates, and I’m a tag along or was.

McCarten reckons he’s posted his picks out to about 50,000 people. He says he based his votes partially on the following criteria as well as other considerations:

Being pro-community and not in the pockets of business interests
A track record of political reliability, the ability and talent to actually to do the job they want
A good chance of winning

McCarten knows my work in broadcasting means I’ve got to be across all issues affecting the country and at all levels from local to regional to central. I’m a Documentary and Current Affairs programme Producer so I have the type of over view that allows for big picture strategy and micro analysis. Matt benefitted from my personal hard work and determination in an aggressive broadcasting industry. He was a regular guest on our current affairs programme ‘Eye to Eye with Willie Jackson’ where he was able to challenge opposing politicians, commentators or business interest groups. So when it comes to strength and courage against odds to not only get a job done, but to give voice to all sides, groups and interests - Matt has conveniently forgotten me. Perhaps Matt McCarten thinks I might win. He wouldn’t want that because that would split his ‘left’ leaning team and Matt’s nirvana is a left leaning Auckland City. What I find most interesting however is that for someone who champions tangatahwhenua, Matt didn’t acknowledge the Party with Maori on its ticket. When all is said and done Matt is keeping true to his political ‘faith’. He is after all a ‘leftie’ and a hard core one at that, so he’s being consistent. Let’s hope his picks are completely wrong – for the sake of our city and the sake of our future.

DIARY OF A CAMPAIGNER: DAY39 VOTE NOW

DAY THIRTY-NINE:
Tuesday 28 September 2010
We have the ballot papers. In 11 days time this great city of Tamakimakaurau/Auckland will have a new council and take on a new direction.

The voting returns are well down this year with only 17.96% or 172,272 received so far out of a possible 959,120. In my ward of Owairaka Albert-Eden out of a possible 32, 741 votes, only 5,369 or 16.4% have been received.

I’m hoping people are leaving the run till the last week although if you need to post off no later than Wednesday 06 to guarantee the vote reaching the electoral office on time. To check and see how other areas in Auckland are faring checkout the website:
http://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/EN/2010Elections/Voting/Pages/Home.

I’ve been in Wellington these last few days and being in the Capital you get a sense of Central Government issues and politicking. You get a sense that decisions here impacts on local councils around the country. So it’s vitally important Councils have the strength to act in the interests of its region, communities and people. Local boards is where the rubber hits the road in terms of personal impact and influence of policies and decisions. So it’s crucial everyone gets out and votes for the board that will act in the best interests of the people serve willingly and commit responsibly. Obviously I think the Board that can best serve this community is C&R Owairaka.
Let’s all get out and exercise our democratic right to vote. So take the papers out of the evelopes, off the fridges, out from under the stack of mail, tick those boxes and Vote now! VOTE C&R.

DIARY OF A CAMPAIGNER DAY 33 BARMY POLITICAL CORRECTNESS

DAY THIRTY-THREE:
Wednesday 22 September 2010
The ballot papers are in the letter boxes. There are 17 days until ‘D’ day decision day on 09th October.

I wanted to address a comment made by one of my Facebook ‘adds’ regarding my kids on the hustings with me. The ‘add’ said: “Keep kids safe, including from politics, until they are old enough to make their own informed decisions rather than their parent’s ones. Look at Fiji. There is a reason you have to be eighteen to vote.”
Firstly having my children on the hustings with me is part of what being Maori and tangatahwhenua is all about. This is about our future their future our rangatiratanga. This is about them being a part of the process and understanding what happened in their life time that affected their future and that of their mokopuna to come. This concept of having children campaigning isn’t reserved solely for Maori, many other people’s have done the same thing, not just here but around the world. Physical safety is paramount and at the fore front of any parents’ mind when they take their tamariki out in big crowds and particular attention is paid during hustings. But to say ‘keep kids safe from politics’ is politically-correct nonsense wrapped up in patronising religious fanaticism. It’s a holier-than-thou attitude not towards tamariki but towards a people who dare to vocalise and proudly their sovereign right to campaign to protest to activate the minds and hearts of their people and especially their children. The kind of ‘keep them safe’ the add refers to is a ‘say nothing-see nothing’ ideology usually practised by groups with something to hide. Maori are about whanau, we will include our Pakeke and tamariki, our kaumatua, kuia, tāne, wāhine in everything, all the time. All parents know that when tamariki grow up they make their own decisions, informed and ill-informed. I would hope that the informed decisions my tamariki make are based on some of the experiences I have given them and the knowledge I have imparted. I would hope that the ill-informed decisions are few and far between because of the experiences I have given them and the knowledge I have imparted. Our tamariki like many other children in Aotearoa/New Zealand and around the world have been and will always be an intrinsic part of political activism. And so it shall be.

DIARY OF A CAMPAIGNER DAY 34 DEVELOPMENTS BEGBIE AND CHEWED TO BITS

DAY THIRTY-FOUR:
Thursday 23 September 2010
The ballot papers are in the letter boxes. There are 16 days until ‘D’ day decision day on 09th October.

I door knocked streets around the back of the Westfield St Lukes Mall this afternoon. The residents there have been vocal about the extent of the development which will see the Mall expand North East and along the side of Aroha Ave. The Mall already owns many of the homes across Exeter St and Morningside Dr two streets that sit adjacent to Aroha Ave and Bournemouth Street. Indoor floor space will increase from 4.5ha to 9.2ha, eclipsing the 7ha Sylvia Park shopping centre in Mt Wellington and Westfield Albany, which is also around 7ha. This will be the largest shopping complex in the country. The residents have valid concerns regarding the development. The traffic that comes with these things is overwhelming. St Lukes would remain a vehicle-oriented centre as it’s not well served by public transport as other large centres such as Newmarket and Sylvia Park, and according to Mall Authorities the nature of shopping is such that public transport is not an ideal means of carrying more than a handful of small purchases home. As well as the concern over traffic the impact on the aesthetics of the residental properties is also very real. There would be those that champion for the development because of the economical benefits it brings to the area. A development this size will bring a significant number of jobs and for some areas within Owairaka and the wider Auckland these positions will be a ‘god-send’.

I moved a little further along Sandringham Rd and into Begbie Place. This has always fascinated me this cul-de-sac. It reminds me of Don Croot St in Western Springs, where the majority housing is privately owned flats or units. The Begbie residents are culturally diverse – Iranian, Asian (Indian, Chinese) Pasific Island, Pakeha and Maori. I spoke with many of the residents who were keen to share their concerns several coming out onto the street to talk with me. Parking seemed to the major issue for these residents. It seems the street is used as an unpaid park ‘n ride bay. In fact while I was chatting to the locals three people walked around the corner from Sandringham Rd jumped in their cars and drove off. One of the ‘parkers’ admitted using the street for several months as a ‘park ‘n ride’. Coming from Mt Roskill the gentleman said he could save time and money by driving to Begbie Ave park for free and pay a 2 stage bus fare to town. Begbie is north of Balmoral/St Lukes and Sandringham Rd intersection. The ‘park ‘n ride’ cars take up both sides of the narrow street, making coming and going by residents difficult. There is ample off street parking for residents as these units and flats are very well catered with carports, car pads and garages. In my korero with the residents they said they didn’t know who to complain to about the congestion. It’s obvious this street like countless others across Owairaka are being ignored or overlooked. I felt for these residents and I look forward to working with them.

Earlier in the day I recorded CitizenA with host Bomber Bradbury at Triangle TV. The other guest was left-wing political commentator Chris Trotter. I’ve worked with Chris, he was a regular guest on ‘Eye to Eye’ the current affairs programme I executive produced which screened on TV1 for 7 years. Trotter is well respected as an analytical, insightful commentator. He and Bomber spared me no quarter. The moment I spoke they literally tore what I said to shreds. Lucky I’m used to conflict, a weaker person would have buckled and bowled-on-outta there. But the more they ripped into me the more I felt complimented. If they thought I was a ‘flake’ and a ‘fake’ they wouldn’t have challenged me. Anyway that’s my take on the situation and I’m sticking to it!

DIARY OF A CAMPAIGNER: DAY 32 IF YOU DON'T STAND FOR SOMETHING YOU'LL FALL FOR ANYTHING

DAY THIRTY-TWO:
Tuesday 21 September 2010
The ballot papers are in the letter boxes. There are 21 days until ‘D’ day decision day on 09th October.

Someone told me or I read it somewhere that if you don’t stand for something you’ll fall for anything! I think I’m already making a difference with the work I do in television programming making. The stories I tell are about accessibility. Gaining access to sectors of the community that are difficult to enter in order to get better information to make more informed decisions about ourselves, others and our country has been the driving force of my Company FRONT OF THE BOX PRODUCTIONS LTD. I want to continue making a difference and I know working for the Owairaka Local Board is the way to go. Now that I have a little family my attention must be refocused and brought back to my own backyard. I’m doing that here in Owairaka because this is where I grew up and this is where my children are now growing up. These are the 5 issues of priority for me. I know they resonant with Owairaka locals and I’m looking forward to achieving these goals and more.

1. ZERO TOLERANCE TO CRIME
Zero tolerance to crime, littering, tagging and destruction of
public and private property. I will work with the Police, Community groups and residents to ensure all people and property are safe. Greater protection for our hard working business owners and honest shoppers will be my priority. I will work hard to ensure shopping precincts have greater security, better lightening, more parking.


2. REVOKE LIQUOR LICENCES
Revoke licences to off-licence premises. I will work
hard to ensure off-licences are removed from within a 3k radius of all schools, public parks and reserves.



3. CHAMPION LOCAL HEROES
Support Community groups and their work.
I will work hard to ensure community groups have access to resources
and facilities to achieve so they can get on with working for locals.

4. MORE BUSINESSES FOR LOCAL CENTRES
Champion a return of businesses to local areas. I will
work with Business Associations to have small businesses return to local centres
and shopping blocks.



5. PROTECTION OF WĀHI TAPU AND ICONIC LANDMARKS
To ensure the historical uniqueness of the area is maintained I will champion the
efforts of manawhenua/tangatahwhenua maintaining wāhi tapu and all those groups working towards the preservation of iconic landmarks.

DIARY OF A CAMPAIGNER DAY 31 BLAAA BLAAA BLAAA MONOTONE VOICE ON ROTATE

DAY THIRTY-ONE:
Monday 20 September 2010
The ballot papers are rolling into the letter boxes. There are 22 days until ‘D’ day decision day on 09th October.

So the most interesting thing that happened to C&R today was the ‘sign-off’ between us and City Vision. We read via Len Brown’s Twitter that CV was going to be at the cross-roads of Dominion and Mt Albert Rds so we decided to front up as well. It was very noisy I have to say, what with the traffic and the Len Brown megaphone churning out CV political messages and C&R van pumping out music – it was full on. The thing about party policy messages over megaphones in heavy traffic is that no one hears what you’re saying…because of the traffic noise. So what needs to happen is you gotta be really concise in your korero/speak and also pick your moments when there is a lull in the traffic other wise it sounds like..blah….blah….blah….blah…bla
waaaaaa……waaaaaa…..waaaaaaa – really it does!

Yes in situations like this you have to be quick, snappy, smart and savvy with the messages – you know like a 30sec ad. The only reason why I’m saying all this is because I really wanted to hear what CV were saying and even though I was just across the road and concentrating it sounded like a monotone taped voice on rotate. The thing about the monotone taped voice on rotate is that it comes across as preachy. So I’m only talking about this because in my job as a television programme producer, I have from time to time directed narrators in voiceover recording sessions. Tone and voice inflection is crucial if you want viewer or audience attention and retention. Of course scripting has to be pithy, punchy and precise too, you can’t be cluttered, verbose or unstructured, people or audiences get confused about what you’re trying to tell them. Yes delivery and scripting is vital when trying to capture the hearts and minds of people. That’s why I love Maori activists and activism. The messages from Maori leaders are always uplifting, positive invigorating – they raise the hearts, minds and spirits of the people, especially in our darkest moments. The other thing about Maori leaders when they rally to the masses is that they chant. There is a rhythm and a beat to their korero and of course there is always waiata. My Company produced a documentary Directed by Qantas Award winner Makerita Urale called ‘Waiata Whawhai-Protest Songs’ which detailed the genesis of some of our most iconic protest songs.
Earlier in the day I spent door knocking Sandringham. I covered quite a bit of ground and spoke to quite a few people. The rest of the Owairaka ward will receive their voting papers tomorrow. What an exciting time.

(Nga Mihi John Miller mo nga whakaahua tawhito)

DIARY OF A CAMPAIGNER DAY30 DITCH THE BAGGAGE

DAY THIRTY:
Sunday 19 September 2010
The ballot papers are rolling into the letter boxes. There are 22 days until ‘D’ day decision day on 09th October.
I had a great day today. Following a hui with two TV Industry colleagues and friends I went to work knocking on doors in Western Springs, Kingsland and Sandringham. I got to meet quite a few residents in Rocky Nook. It’s the area at the back of Fowlds Park. It’s an unusual place in the sense that the old Auckland Regional Authority (ARA) brought a lot of the properties that backed onto St Lukes Rd with a view that they could disappear, forfeited to the widening of the motorway. But oddly enough the homes survived and the streets flourished and it’s become an enclave. As I walked around knocking on the doors the same comment kept cropping up: ‘…you’re the only one that’s been to see us.’ It seems the incumbent councillors have taken their positions for granted, that they don’t need to go out and meet the people again or perhaps the incumbents are hoping the citizens and residents are too complacent to vote for change. If there’s one thing I’ve found as I’ve been going around the streets is that the people of Auckland are extremely interested in their city. The people are concerned about inheriting debt from other regions, they’re worried about their burms. The Owairaka C&R team is unencumbered by bureaucratic baggage all we know is that we can-do it and we will-do what ever it takes to get the job done. This doesn’t mean we’ll go naively or blindly into the local board role, on the contrary. We’re business owners in our own right and understand systems and processes, what I’m saying is we won’t let the red tape trip us up, we’ll make sure we see the trees past the wood and we’ll set realistic measureable outcomes for ourselves based n community goals and aspirations.