  This
is a love story from Aotearoa, the world's geographical edge; and from our
country's social edge - from within the two major Maori street gangs, the
Black Power and the Mongrel Mob. The context of the narrative is a quest
to reduce the community demand for crystal methamphetamine, 'Kiwi-crack'
or 'P', by enrolling the leadership of both gangs in a movement towards a
better future for their people. NZEDGE has invited Denis O'Reilly, social
activist, coach, businessman, to tell his story of kia whakarite - the
desire to put things right.
Briefing to the Incoming Ministers
December 2008
New leaders for tough times. Den welcomes "Mr O’Bama", and feels hopeful about Prime Minister John
Key because of his rapport with the Maori Party. He provides a briefing for incoming Ministers, outlining problematics including infanticide, high rates of crime, and high unemployment. Den proposes that Aotearoa should move into the tackle with upcoming unemployment and use downtime to improve whanau lives. He reckons that if the Kiwis can win the
Rugby League World Cup then taking a collegial approach across community
and government could also deliver a positive outcome for the tribe of
Nga Mokai.
(2,743 words)
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Tama Heihei Kaki Maro
November 2008
The Whanganui River wends its way through the lives of many people.
For Den it has been the feature of the past month as he recalls some of
its sons, Rangitihi Rangiwaiata Tahuparae MNZM, 'Tahu', and Gabe
Tawhiti, separated both by time and type but linked by their mutual awa.
Gabe was a street warrior, stabbed to death in Wellington. Then, as now,
there was anger and hurt. The River elders encouraged redress through
the law and a quest to find ways for healing and peace. The 'Gabe', a
fiercely contested Black Power rugby league trophy, was the result. Den
recounts the build up to the 2008 match up at Mamaku. Tahu was a tohunga
knowledgeable both in ancient tribal lore and the protocols of
Parliament and the Crown. He translated Winston Churchill's riposte to
Hitler, when the latter said that he would wring England's neck like a
chicken. Churchill reportedly said "Some neck, some chicken".
Tahu's rendition was "Tama heihei, kaki maro" and Den reckons
that stiff necked roosters, both sinners and saints, better get ready
for difficult times. He shares thoughts from prison reformist Kim
Workman, criminologist John Pratt and counter-terrorism expert Dr Pete
Lentini, examines the issue of free market behaviours and our
suppressive approach to those who dare to be different.
(4,231 words)
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Let He Who is Without Sin
September 2008
Portrait of the activist as a young man; Paulo Freire, Latin America liberation theology and reflective action; pro-social change, community action, personal responsibility, and making change yourself;
criminalisation of gang membership, differential sentencing tariffs; Black Power, the UN, their Waitangi Treaty claim, and Moana
Jackson — jurisprudence expert; negative expenditure in the criminal justice sector; growth of the Maori family and the gang environment; moving forward, becoming engaged, less alienated and less
marginalised leading to the end of “gangism” through a natural and sustainable process in contrast with the present "make war" suppressive approach; turning your life around and second chance education; Maori volunteerism; the political use of the court of public opinion; James K Baxter – “Ballad of the Junkies and the Fuzz”, “Ballad of Calvary Street”; “Zion”.
(3,079 words)
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Jurassic Roar
August 2008
Despite their Machiavellian crafts politicians demand presumption of innocence for themselves despite much ambiguity. The finance and investment sector is riddled with what seem to be shonky dealings yet remain kosher. One used a national icon, Colin Meads, to endorse themselves and propose that they are worthy vehicles of trust. It seems that moral panic, and prejudice-laden analysis of the behaviours of the poor and brown, has our politicians intending to attempt to overturn the test of the burden of proof and to reverse the presumption innocence for some castes in modern day Aotearoa. Sir Brian Lochore has called for an end to PCism and cited some curious
behavioural examples of times when things were better. Denis invokes the spirit of his late brother, Laurie O’Reilly, and in challenging the great man asks what being PC really is. Is it Patently Crazy as in the case of Sheriff Arapiro? Is it Politically Compliant as in the case of the Labour Party in terms of being poll driven on criminal justice issues rather than the creed of social justice in line with their core philosophy? Or is it Politically Correct in that the implicit criminal justice policies of a majority of the parties and politicians are “lock ‘em up and keep locking them up”? Denis reports from the front line on progress with the Black Power, Darksiders and Full Blooded Islanders, and tells of action research with the Mongrel Mob Notorious chapter which suggests that gang mums and dads have pretty much the same aspirations for their kids as do mainstream Kiwis. A little bit of reggae korero about Three Houses Down, House of Shem and Ragamuffin 09.
(5,664 words)
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Low Blow
July 2008
Friends and whanau of friends pass into the long night: Tam Wong
Shi, Joe Dread and Paris Magdalinos. A cross-cultural hari-mate at
Waiohiki, Jacob Scott and Para Matchitt provide sculptures, Jimmy Baxter
and Aeschylus the words. Denis reviews Te Wiki
o Te Reo Maori and likes what he hears. Asian apprehension about crime
unleashes the fury of the tiger and Mr Low invokes the threat of the
Triads. Baroness Vivien Stern claims NZ is creating criminals by
redefining problems of poverty as problems of crime. Denis believes we
need to forget about tougher sentences and rethink the destination and
application of our "justice dollars". Winter solstice means
time for planting and maybe some early crops, but like the outcomes of
our community action, "ma te wa", we'll wait and see.
(3,105 words)
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Thud and Blunder
June 2008
There is a sense of disquiet in Aotearoa and the nation is on edge over a spike in gang violence and series of vicious assaults and murders. Communities are crying ‘enough is enough’ and are looking to Government for action. Ombudsman Mel Smith
says rational debate in the sector is almost impossible. Denis reviews what’s going in England and suggests following the ‘customer conscious’ approach. While sewage continues to
pump into Hawke’s Bay the visual pollution of graffiti has the chattering classes all a twitter. New ideas that take into account the psychology of the perpetrator are required.
Heavy thinking about behavioural economics and the concept of Libertarian Paternalism.
Otatara a "Must-do" and frontline feedback from the 'Enough is
enough' march, Maatariki feasting and a little whiskey .
(7,021 words)
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War and Peace
May 2008
A review of good work in South Auckland with previously warring groups;
the system’s dilemma of how to react to pro-social gang leaders;
coping with the tough times when things go wrong (stick to the kaupapa
and say your karakia); big inflow of P-related product threatening to
wipe out progress of demand reduction strategies overnight; ANZAC has
become a day of national unity; Maori and Pakeha seem to get on better
when at war than when at peace; Napier Pilot City Trust works on this
with Unity Week and builds the Robson Collection as a resource for
building communities rather than prisons in a time when our numbers have
doubled in 20 years; Governor General Anand Satyanand gives the Robson
Lecture on the history of capital punishment and pays respects to
community volunteers; a 93rd birthday for Helen Mason.
(3,812 words)
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Easter Edge
April 2008
In a crowded and diverse Easter calendar on the edge Den encounters
suicide and resists a presiding churchman’s self-righteousness “with
a quiver of arrows, sharpened arguments based on familiarity with
biblical text”. He presents another Hui & Huilli for St Paddy’s
Day, celebrating two rebel cultures, before contemporaneously
facilitating a community arts festival and a Black Power hui, then
visiting Ngati Dread in Ruatoria to confirm the roots of reggae and
Rasta in Aotearoa.
(4,450 words)
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The
Cycle of Life
March 2008
Denis notes the cycle of life as he gathers together the memories of
those who have recently passed, Sir Ed Hillary, Hone Tuwhare, Shirley
Smith, Del Adams, Ben Dalton Snr. Then it’s on to life in Aotearoa New
Zealand with the Waitangi Day furore over gangs on marae, Shane Jones
badmouthing Josh Masters of the Tribesmen and Killer Beez, and the
Government's get tough on graffiti intentions means it must be election
time. Musical notes around Warren Maxwell, Don McGlashan and the
Ragamuffin festival; and grave concerns over body snatching "a new
twist on the consequences of miscegany". Read on.
(3,301 words)
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May
Peace Prevail
December 2007
A new change-agent workforce in the making; pro social multi-gang
meetings in Mangere at a time of raised activity; New Zealand as a
Jansenist society; a bevy of social development bureaucrats but little
progress and much procrastination; National Radio relying on television
media personalities with ‘make-up deep’ analyses; mourning the dead
and paying respects to our living treasures; Rick Bryant’s Jubilation
Choir in the Old Church restaurant, “one host and a chalice of wine
please”; Christmas Blessings.
(1,920 words)
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"Pull up, pull up": The
Psychology of Colonisation
November 2007
Let's deal with the alleged terrorism and Tuhoe issue. The last
sounds heard by those at the controls immediately prior to the airship
tragedy at Mt Erebus reportedly were "Whoop whoop, pull up, pull
up". Erebus was in part due to 'white out' and the same phenomenon
- this time 'white out' manifest as the prevalence of a dominant world
view rather than as a meteorological circumstance - seems to have
metaphorically propelled New Zealand's 'ship of state' into another
mountain, Maungapohatu...
(2,577 words)
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How to Break Out
September 2007
A headline from gangland: better employment and health; Managing
crime and punishment in New Zealand; restorative justice vs the Maricopa
Country chain-gang method; the passing of Joseph Roberts, mentor, coach
and American Eagle; gang policies in NY (community development) vs LA
(suppressive policing); recognition for Ecuador’s Latin Kings Tigilau
Ness documentary From Street to Sky; Robert Muldoon and
Rastafarianism; social rage directed into art; “music speaks louder
than words”; The coronation of Kingi Tuheitia; Bishop Paraone Turei’s
sermon affirming “whakakotahi (collective unity) and the desirability
of enabling Maori to be unique Papakainga: architecture, whanau housing
and the Hawkes Bay village settlement project.
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Looking through a kaleidoscope
June 2007
Tangis and tributes to two mates; “Maori rhythm”; the edge of
thinking and the brink of disobedience; abandoning the drive to
criminalize and imprison; Angela Davis visits Aotearoa and finds a
faithful following; social activism, and a call to an earlier way of
thinking and doing; looking through a kaleidoscope – suppression and
wasted human assets, or a criminal conspiracy?; intelligent “Kiwi”
policing, no legislation or local by-law needed; loose thinking and
moral panic; Zeppelin sightings in the South Island; the need for an
inclusive future vision; a good reason to get upset – the grand denial
of potential; gratitude, respect and admiration: a ‘celebration of
life’ party for Kaylene; prayers, rice and saki to fire up the new
kiln at Waiohiki; planting at Mataariki and the promise of a clear sky.
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"Those that have ears let them hear"
May 2007
Fire-fighting the gang issue in the wake of tumult and tragedy:
resolving a problem not mounting an apologia; a stabbing at the
courthouse sends scorched emotions tinder dry; warriors gather, tears on
tattooed faces, long nights of prayers and necessary korero as baby Jhia
is laid to rest in Te Rau o te Aroha urupa; Tipi Wehipeihana's haka
calls us to gather and return: "hold firm, hold firm"; MSD's
Wannabes report, Spergel's strategy and Baxter's philosophy provide the
strategic action headings for our collective action in Aotearoa;
"Still want terrorist legislation?" how 'bout: Divert,
Contain, Redirect; settler malaise, fear of the natives, indiscriminate
spraying of political bullets and the extinction of personal rights;
Hori, Hemi, David and Goliath, Utu, terrorism, metaphysical forces and
swirling spirits: "We are at a tipping point."
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Nga mea o te ora ("The stuff of life")
April 2007
Hui & Huilli: Respect to the twin steams that contribute to the
cultural flow of our land at Waiohiki for the global phenomenon of St.
Patrick's Day; a sparse church service and the Hamuera Ratana Silver
Band; Sir Tipene O'Regan's long and hilarious account of an historic
whanau liaison; the Governor General offers nation building words and
lays down a wero; a Maori Celtic Art Auction; Guinness, music,
whiskey, Ceili, Kai and cultural synergy; toasts "To who we
are", a call to party and an exchange full of wit and wisdom; hard
news at Wellington hospital; the tohunga and the priest; it's and/and
Father, not either/or; a hui in Jerusalem at Easter, a gathering of
apostles and "a sense of intergenerational transfer".
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Arohamai (Forgive Me)
March 2007
Feeding the soul at Parihaka a century since the passing of Tohu Kakahi
and Te Whiti o Rongomai, "the human pillars of passive resistance
in New Zealand"; a Festival with 7000 people clustered in
campsites; the formalities of powhiri and the beauty of korero and
waiata; remembrances of confiscation of land, imprisonment of people,
rape of women, looting, invasion, forcible ejection and illegal arrest
in 1881; postering about P ("beware of P and seek help if
hooked"); "start with bringing peace to your house, to your
street and onward"; meeting up with Te Ringa Mangu Dun Mihaka;
Unity Pacific, Batacuda Sound Machine and Kora; and the St Patrick's Day
Maori/Celtic Hui & Huilli at Waiohiki Marae Napier with Governor
General Anand Satyanand, Lady Thea Muldoon and Sir Tipene O'Regan in
attendance for long festivities.
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"Thrive for the days destined to
you"
December 2006
"Thrive for the days destined to you" Maori Television
building a distinctive character into the nation; Ngati Pakeha; the
passing of Dame Te Atairangikaahu, the Kingitanga of Tuheitia;
strategies for Counties Manukau (165 ethnic groups, 39% of ppn <24);
inverting the language "at risk" becomes "at
promise"; Mokai Whenua Ora advances in Wellington through health,
education, sport and abstinence; building future whanau narrative;
creating traction for life-changing behaviors; community organizations
in action; lateral thinking applied to social justice; Kapa Haka
competition; drink, detox and meditation; Parihaka 07.
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Manaakitanga and other matters
August 2006
A tribute to the life of Sir Norman Perry, friend of Maori and guide
for our tribe Ngati Pakeha; on the street, the move from an exclusive
focus on brotherhood to an inclusive focus on familyhood as an answer to
the question “what does it mean to be a Maori gang member in Aotearoa
today?”; the Maori youth bulge and the size of our prison population,
its youthfulness, its disproportionate Maoriness and its confoundly
high rate of recidivism; a $135M meth bust and New Zealand as a target
for international criminal syndicates; Matariki; the lives and deaths of
the Kahui triplets; Maori feminism, mana wahine and mana tane; the Te
Puni Kokori framework for Maori potential based around Te Ao Amuri (the
future) and Te Ao Whanui (the global economy); and the concepts of
manaakitanga (unqualified caring) and putahi (interconnectedness).
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Reo of the Nation
May 2006
From P to Parihaka and the Pentagon, Den travels the inspirations
and issues that make us lively in Aotearoa 2006: the continued exposure
to te reo Maori and the repetitive cultural rituals that refuel the
soul; the Parikaha Interational Peace Festival and a debate held on the
site of Te Whiti’s house about an alternative approach to
methamphetamine; a new sense of cultural fusion in Taranaki; new
projects at the Waiohiki Creative Arts Village in Hawkes Bay and the
Mokai Whanau Ora project in Wellington; Maori Television; media tripe;
and Kiwi or Iwi? – “will we be brave enough to use a bicultural
approach to create a sense of place and space rather than a division?”
[READ
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Crime and punishment
March 2006
9,000 New Zealanders will be imprisoned by the 2010. About a
billion dollars is being spent on building more prisons. Denis notes
Finland had a higher rate of imprisonment than NZ, but halved it. Via a
Whanganui gang scrap between the Mongrel Mob and Hells Angels, a run-in
with Mayor Michael Laws, and a salute to Robert Muldoon’s
“intelligent pragmatism and genuine humanitarianism”, Denis makes a
challenge for sustainable strategies that are inclusive, that invest in
people’s lives and help them find what is more meaningful in their
lives than substance abuse and self-defeating behaviour.
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Each Atom of that Stone
December 2005
Denis traverses the 125th anniversary of Tareha Te Moananui MP and
the continuum of Maori cosmology, the execution of Stanley Tookie
Williams, the “P-Promise” in the Hawkes Bay, Chris Tremain’s
maiden speech in Parliament, and a Massey University report into
methamphetamine use in New Zealand. “The nature of my effort is to
mitigate harm and to maximize potential, reduce drag, increase sail,
turn criminals to legitimate taxpayers, whatever little shibboleth best
sums up the current call to action. Maybe I’m tired and its
pre-holiday blues. I’ve had this notion of Sisyphus finishing one haul
with his rock up the hill and getting ready for another. On the other
hand, that’s what I do so I need to find satisfaction in my travail.”
[READ
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The Darkside
November 2005
With $750m going into building new prisons, a 15% projected increase in
prison populations, an 85% recidivism rate and 61% of all offenders
being Maori, Denis calls time to “whoa!”. There’s got to be a
better way, he says, so in tandem with NYNZer John Wareham, Denis starts
growing a cadre of change agents. He charts a debate with Wellington’s
Darkside and TelecomNZ executives on the subject that “That Pakeha owe
Maori a decent living” - and concludes with a Kevin Tamati story from
the sidelines of Hawkes Bay rugby league.
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Road
Trippin'
October 2005
Denis welcomes his new mokopuna to the world, reflects on the bedrooms
of the nation, looks up Muldoon and reminds us there’s no kiwi without
iwi. A
road trip down south for a special family occasion precipitates a
journey through family memories and New Zealand’s history. Graduation
day, Paddy O'Reilly's
Store, Operation Hurricane, Darksiders,
the communes and the co-op movement, Black Power and Baxter.
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The Things that Bind Us
July 2005
Globalisation has allowed us greater access to cheaper labour,
products and services - this unfortunately includes drugs such as 'P'.
Community and 'social' development have been identified as one way to
counter the effects of an increased domestic trade. Denis heads back to
school, hits the books, and along with the latest research findings,
outlines recent health, education and employment initiatives. And, if you
wanted a history lesson on Rugby League, look no further.
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The
Space
at the Edge
May
2005
The Tui sings for contemplation, and Denis reviews the peaks
and valleys of the past few months. The importance of attending Tangi, the
passing of a Pontif, a visit from the P-Funk Allstars, Napier's Pilot City
Trust and Policing in an election year. An indepth run down on the
attendees, readings, gang engagement, and uplifting success of March's Heretaunga
symposium “Self, Race, Drugs & Justice in New
Zealand”. A reflective poem of farewell and new beginnings.
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Self,
Race, Drugs & Justice in New Zealand
March 2005
Denis and John Wareham (NYNZer who coaches leadership in the world’s
top corporations) team up with Black Power and the Mongrel Mob, the Eagles
Foundation of America and the NZ Sensible Sentencing Trust for a
transformational symposium “Self, Race, Drugs & Justice in New
Zealand” at Te Taiwhenua o Heretaunga, Hastings, 4-6 March 2005. Plus a
tour to the frontline of methamphetamine, and to Waitangi 2005.
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Embracing
the positive
December 2004
Working the real stuff... a supported housing community at Waiohiki -
a place that might have a 'P-free whare' status... the Waiohiki Creative
Arts Village... addressing suspicion and distrust... looking for keys to
unlock a system set on assuming the worst... the Eagles Foundation
of USA... the Mokai Whanau Ora project, Aotearoa... "working for
things other than money"... working for a high traction entry
into 2005... [READ
ON…]
Joe
Walsh - The Sinners Tour
14 October 2004
"…At the conclusion of the haka two of the warrior group stepped
forward and placed upon the ground a black guitar case. They opened the
case and fell back into line. The challenger, eyes flashing, gesticulated
to the visitor to pick up the contents. He did so; it was a 12 string
Maton 425 "acoustic electric" guitar. The legendary guitarist
and rock icon Joe Walsh had just accepted the first challenge of the
'Sinners Tour' a project initiated by Mokai Whanau Ora, designed to raise
awareness about methamphetamine use in New Zealand and to bring a message
of hope, in that , with help, recovery is possible."
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Nga
Kupu Aroha Words of Love
7 September 2004
"Life was cool, busy, and pretty low stress until when, two years
ago, a friend, a Black Power leader, in a bout of methamphetamine induced
psychosis took a knife and gutted himself. His death was a shock, both in
manner and cause. When the news reached me I drove through the night and
arrived at dawn at the gates of his ancestral marae where he lay, in
state. There, beside him I stayed, in the Maori way, with his family and
child and relatives and friends, and gang brothers, for the days of
mourning, speeches and prayers, haka and song, until the time came to
return him to his mother papatuanuku, the earth. And the emotion of these
days fired my desire for action, kia whakarite, the desire to put things
right."
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