Hard-wired Labour.

A guest newsletter from Rob Rattenbury - on finding our tribe.

Ko Mana tōku maunga
Ko Aroha te moana
Ko Whānau tōku waka
Ko au e tū atu nei

Mana is my mountain
And Aroha is my sea
Whānau is my waka
And all of that is me

Songwriters: Jeremy Macleod / Marlon Gerbes / Matiu Walters / Timoti Karetu.

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This afternoon, I was scrolling through my phone when one post caught my eye. It’s from your fellow reader, Rob, and I thought it might resonate with others, too.

To me, it’s about finding your political tribe, the events, values, and people that lead us to “our people”.

Not an “us” vs “them,” but those who see things similarly to us and share the same priorities, though we may have high regard for friends who don’t.

So with Rob’s kind permission, it’s over to him…

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Hard-wired Labour.

By Rob Rattenbury.

I never regarded myself as particularly political until the 2017 Labour-led coalition came into power with Jacinda Ardern as PM.

I’d always bumbled along voting Labour, even National once or twice. An old mate of mine was our local MP, Chester Borrows. National, probably in the wrong party.

Before him another now-friend Jill Pettis of Labour was our MP. Two good local people who always had our electorates interests at heart.

One election at least I went on the Maori roll and voted for Dame Tariana Turia, another person I knew and admired.

All over the shop politically one might say. But I was voting for the individual first.

I’m working class through and through. Everyone in my family are. We come from very strong Labour homes. Our parents were workers. Our grandparents and further back made their livings the hard way.

The generations starting with mine also began taking higher education and less hands on jobs. We tend toward teaching, nursing, policing and trades now. Writers and artists abound including at least one poet.

Our younger generations lived with student loans.

We are all pretty happy. A real mixture in every way.

But we all tend towards the left of politics, mostly Labour. The younger ones the Greens.

Don’t know why. Most of us boomers and on never earned living from the sweat of our brows. Our kids don’t either, most are better educated than we are.

But we still identify with the working class memories of our childhoods. We know the value of a dollar. We know what its like to struggle, it ain’t fun. We’ve experienced setbacks in life, sometimes experiencing those tough times again but we are resilient. We get up again.

I can’t understand the attitudes of the right. But then my National mates don’t get me either. Despite being mates there’s a gap in the way we think.

I’m no angel, I’ll do what’s best for me and mine. But I’ll also consider others too.

I never really realised I was tribal Labour until I saw the way Jacinda was treated. I’ve never been so politically passionate. Why?

Jacinda is a police-brat like my kids. They’re of an age. Her dad was a good cop. She spent her childhood in cold police houses like my kids did. Dad was the local cop. Working class through and through.

She grew up never knowing what her dad was going to have to deal with. Missed family occasions, long hours. A steady but not remarkable income.

Through brains and ability she became PM but she has never forgotten where she came from.

That’s what makes me mad as many who gave her hell have forgotten their roots.

I admit Labour drives me mad at times but it’s my tribe.

If seems to still be many of our population’s tribe just now too.

Jacinda Ardern. Photograph: Andrew Matthews/AFP/Getty Images.

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Thank you, Rob. 🙂

What about you?

What led you to where you are now?

Do you have friends or whānau you care for deeply but don’t agree with politically?

Have a good weekend, folks, and take care, all you lovely people.

Ngā mihi,
Nick.

To end, Rob chose the lovely 'Pepeha' by Six60.