issue 10 - how (and why) I'm voting

Welcome to clipboard, a weekly newsletter about Tāmaki Makaurau and culture by Reilly Hodson. You can follow me on Twitter, Instagram, and send me an email, if you’re old school. This week, the election, and the espresso coldo, plus all the links you need this Sunday morning.

my ballot paper

The 2020 election is arguably the most important one ever. We’re in the midst of a cascading number of global catastrophes, man-made and natural, that can only be addressed by extreme, systemic change. Early voting opened this weekend, and I want to encourage everyone who reads this to vote, and do so in an informed and considered way. If you missed my suggestions to register to vote before now, you can go to a polling place and register on the day, and it’s easy and honestly fun to vote. Find a list of polling places near you here.

The issues which I care particularly strongly about in the way the world works include the catastrophic effects of climate change, the extreme and growing inequality between the wealthiest members of the world and the poorest, the fact that the poorest people in New Zealand tend not to look like me, and that the richest do.

The racial inequalities in New Zealand are, in many ways, baked into the systems which operate our country. I, for one, have benefitted, as a heterosexual Pākehā man whose family have “owned” property in this country for nearly as long as there have been white settlers in Aotearoa, in numerous ways. My parents never struggled to put food on the table, I have had the benefit of going to great schools, public and private, my teachers consistently had high expectations of me at those schools, and I often received special treatment. I’ve never worried that I would be homeless, unable to pay for the doctor if I needed to go, or that if I smoked marijuana I would go to jail. I’ll also own property one day, with the financial assistance of my landowning, Pākehā parents.

None of those things happened to me only because I’m a Pākehā, but it certainly helped. Those privileges are overwhelmingly not afforded to other people with different backgrounds to mine, and I think that’s shit, frankly.

For these reasons and more, this election I’ll be voting for the Green Party. The Greens are the only party in Parliament that acknowledge that New Zealand’s inequality problems are intensified by race, and seek to address it in their policies. They also acknowledge that what makes the rich richer is their wealth and assets, not their income, and they have a plan to redistribute that wealth by taxing the most wealthy people and giving it to people who can’t work full time, for whatever reason. This includes students, who I don’t believe should have to work up to 30 hour weeks like I did to pay rent and bills during their studies, as well as single mothers and un- and under-employed people, providing a liveable income to support them while they’re unable to work full time. I believe strongly that the best way to operate a country is to use our successes to help our most vulnerable, not to leave them behind. A government with a strong Green Party presence would do more to solve these issues than any other, in my opinion.

For similar reasons, I’ll also be voting Yes in the cannabis referendum. Functionally, cannabis is already legal for Pākehā folk, but it creates serious harm for people who are convicted for its use and distribution. Even for those who aren’t convicted, the lack of regulation of what goes into the cannabis products which are consumed every day by many New Zealanders (80% of New Zealanders have taken cannabis at some point) leads to more harm than is necessary. The regulated system created by the proposed law would create significant tax revenue for the government to support essential services, would dramatically reduce the likelihood that people are exposed to questionable substances, and it would end the racist policing of the current laws that creates yet more cycles of harm for vulnerable communities. The current way of dealing with this extremely prevalent drug has failed, and it has failed Māori, Pasifika and poorer people most of all. It’s time for a change.

I’ll also be voting Yes in the End of Life Choice referendum, because a close family member asked my family to before she passed, and I think that it affords dignity to vulnerable sick people who want agency over the end of their life. I acknowledge the issues which have been identified with the proposed bill, but we’re lucky to have a functional governmental system which should be able to address them, and I think that waiting for perfect solutions is not a pragmatic way to create positive change.

You may not agree with me, and I’m happy to have any debates over emails or DMs, but even if you don’t I encourage you to vote, and be engaged with the democratic process. It’s fun, it’s satisfying, and your landlord, racist uncle and boss definitely will, and why should they have any more say than you?

If you want more information about the basics of voting and the referenda, I can’t recommend the new election special videos of the Citizen’s Handbook from RNZ enough.

clips

• The Spinoff has another great new video series, this time dealing with the effects, short and long term, of the climate crisis, called 100 Year Forecast.

• Excellent Japanese bakery Mizu is no longer just operating out of the front of a fine dining restaurant and now has its own permanent space in Eden Terrace. The best katsu sandwich in Auckland, now without the lines.

• Jon Caramanica of the New York Times has the definitive story about Manurewa beat-maker Jawsh 685 whose song took over TikTok and who now has a Jason Derulo and BTS feature to his name. More local coverage of this guy, please!

• Metro’s launch is still a month or so off, but if you’re a subscriber (which you should be, it’s a great deal) you’ll get food editor Jean Teng’s excellent new newsletter (maybe the second best Auckland focused newsletter in the game) Metro Eats. Reason enough to subscribe, I reckon.

• The new-school hospo minds behind Annabel’s wine bar and Celeste have teamed up to open East St Hall this coming Saturday. A Tel Aviv inspired food menu, natural wine, craft beers and club nights? Sign me up.

• A great read for anyone who was also obsessed with Panic! At the Disco’s debut record, like I was.

• Imugi and Church & AP’s collaborative song is finally out, after over a year of teasing it on stage. Worth the wait.

• Ensemble have a great shoot inspired by election hoardings telling you to vote, which, I mean, VOTE!

the coffee order you should be drinking this summer

If you know what’s good for you, and the planet, this summer you’ll be drinking the most yum coffee order when the weather gets hot: the espresso coldo (shout out Ollie Simon for bestowing this name upon the humble iced short black).

Basically, it’s an espresso shot, poured over a couple of ice cubes. If you like your coffee black, and cold, it’s a brilliant way to cool off and get caffeinated. Trust me. Probably don’t call it an espresso coldo at your favourite hipster cafe, unless it’s the one I work at (if you know, you know), because they will not know what you’re talking about. Just ask for a short black over ice. It’ll be good, I promise. Bonus points if they have a fun glass or ceramic vessel.

Thanks for reading this week’s clipboard. Follow me on Instagram and Twitter (DMs open at both) and send me an email if you’re old school. If you like clipboard, share it with your coolest and smartest friends. See you next week.