Wellington's October event was Decolonisation in Practice, hosted at Creative HQ as part of Mindset of Design Wellington. This event took an in-depth look at how different professions are undertaking decolonisation in everyday actions.
Panelists were:
Dr. Adreanne Ormond - Senior lecturer at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington Dr. Mike Ross - Lecturer at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington Tākuta Ferris - Politician for the Māori Party
The discussion was guided by our MC Maggie Tweedie from RadioActive.FM.
We began with the following karakia:
Karakia Timatanga
Whakataka te hau ki te uru,
Whakataka te hau ki te tonga.
Kia mākinakina ki uta,
Kia mātaratara ki tai.
E hī ake ana te atākura he tio,
he huka, he hauhunga.
Haumi e! Hui e! Tāiki e!
Get ready for the westerly
to turn into to a southerly.
Making it prickly cold inland,
and piercingly cold on the shore.
May the dawn rise red-tipped
on ice, on snow, on frost.
Join! Gather! Intertwine!
The panel discussion encouraged engagement with Māori language and culture from all New Zealanders. All panelists were strong advocates for placing more Māori in positions of power, as well as respecting Te Tiriti o Waitangi (The Treaty of Waitangi).
"You cannot commit inhuman acts without becoming inhuman." - Dr. Adreanne Ormond
"Despite colonisation, Māori continue to want to be Māori." - Dr. Mike Ross
"The creation of a culture shouldn't come at the dismissal of another." - Tākuta Ferris
There was a table set up with pens and paper, asking people to share their thoughts on decolonisation. Those who contributed their thoughts went into a draw to win a piece of artwork from Māori Mermaid.
Takeaway actions from this discussion:
• Organize a talk/training at your work
• Share what you have learnt with others
• Encourage conversations
• Recommended readings: Imagining Decolonisation, Decolonisation in Aotearoa, Decolonizing Methodologies
If you missed the event, you can find a recording of the evening on our Facebook page.
A big thank you to our sponsors Zambrero & Double Vision Brewing!
Jenn from FolkYeah captured amazing photos of the evening for us.