I’m writing this as Pride Month wraps up for 2025.
This year’s celebrations have been among some of the strongest and most inclusive I’ve ever been part of, affirmed as necessary in the face of some of the most aggressive and intentional targeting of rainbow communities in a long time.
Some of that has been driven by a self-declared apostle who lives in a mansion and drives nice cars, funded by huge tithing from people without much to spare. I mention this because I think extreme microcosms of hate, like this one, can teach us a lot about where we’re at as a society. Also, when we peel back the distractions, point to very clear solutions.
We’ve had nearly 40 years of political decisions that have put private gain ahead of the public good. People are not safer. People are not happier. In fact, the opposite is true.
There’s a lot of genuine anger swilling around and it comes from a real place. Housing insecurity. Income insecurity. Food insecurity. Straight up insecurity.
It has to go somewhere.
We all need somewhere to belong, and human history tells us there’s almost always a politician or self-appointed apostle willing to capitalise on and warp rejection and fear and anger for their own personal gain.
The only way to truly uproot this fear and hatred, which bubbles up time and again into what some commentators dismiss as ‘culture wars’, and other times into real world violence, is to address the material deprivation that allows it to fester. That means prioritising the public good.
That means we cannot give up on our fellow human beings. We can’t ostracize or alienate our way out of social fragmentation and polarisation.
When we uphold each other’s basic dignity, no matter what, we create the conditions for connection and true justice.
This is why I am so stoked to have announced very recently that in May you can expect to see a Green Budget: the economic plan we would roll out in Government. It will address all of these material insecurities and show you precisely how a different world, and a more functional, effective and accountable democracy, is possible.
We’ve heard loud and clear across Auckland Central and Aotearoa that people want an alternative to the torrent of callous cuts under the current Government. That people want something to hope for, something to sink their teeth into, a real contest of ideas. So we’re bringing it.
In the meantime though, Christopher Luxon’s Government’s cuts, especially to housing support and wrap-around services for those with complex needs, has led to a clearly visible influx of homelessness and social challenges in our city centre and surrounding suburbs. I have been working closely with many service providers on how to deal with these challenges. Beyond the immediate practical work to get the front-line joined up, more resources are desperately needed, and we’ll be taking an upcoming public campaign – which we’d love you involved in – all the way to the top.
I’ll be the first to acknowledge the truth that meaningful change and community wins can take a long time and a lot of hard work, but they’re always worth it. Take, for example, the final hurdle of the St James. We spent years working on getting the former Labour Government to commit to meeting historical council funding commitment, then a year of working through unnecessary new delays from the Mayor’s office. After pushing through all of that to this past month’s council meeting, I am stoked to confirm that work will now finally begin when the paperwork is signed.
With so much going on, please, as always, reach out to me and my office if we can ever be of service on mp.aucklandcentral@parliament.govt.nz. (Chlöe Swarbrick)
Chlöe Swarbrick, T: 09 378 4810, E: chloe.swarbrick@parliament.govt.nz www.greens.org.nz/chloe_swarbrick
