It begins with hope. The kind of hope that folds neatly into a carry-on suitcase, stuffed between passport stamps and addresses of friends, cousins and relatives on your WhatsApp who promised a sofa bed and maybe, if lucky, a job. Many South Asian migrants arrived in Aotearoa, or across the West, with little more than … Continue reading The Mirror We Avoid
politics
Beyond Appearances: Rethinking Ethnic Leadership
This blog continues the reflections sparked by reader feedback to my earlier piece: Leadership in Crisis. In that blog, I questioned how leadership across various sectors often fails those it claims to represent. Since then, conversations have expanded, particularly around the visible but often hollow performances of ethnic leadership in Aotearoa New Zealand. It is … Continue reading Beyond Appearances: Rethinking Ethnic Leadership
The Danger of Trivialising Democracy
Lately, in that strange murmur that passes for political news in Aotearoa New Zealand, there’s been talk—suggestions, really—that submissions to Parliament’s Select Committees are being churned out by bots. Not all of them, of course. Just enough to make headlines, raise eyebrows, and trigger the familiar nods of knowing cynicism. You know the tone: democracy … Continue reading The Danger of Trivialising Democracy