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deb te kawa nō aotearoa

@debtekawa-ao.bsky.social

1.3K followers 950 following 250 posts

Ngāti Porou. Kaitono PhD, kāore i te pāti kotahi. E ū ana ki Te Tiriti, te taupatupatu whai hua, me te ōritetanga. Kei te tohe kia whakapai ake te kāwanatanga. He tautoko whakahaere: mena ka arotakengia. https://linktr.ee/debtekawa

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deb te kawa nō aotearoa @debtekawa-ao.bsky.social · Aug 14

Just a reminder for the easily triggered: this is my space. I think out loud here: testing my ideas, practising arguments, surfacing questions, working ideas in real time. Nothing is fixed, nothing is settled, nothing is yours to frame exclusively in left–right terms.

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deb te kawa nō aotearoa @debtekawa-ao.bsky.social · 13h

So the question for any politician engaging with the protesters would be: do I stand with these things: legitimising harmful behaviour; rewarding extremism; and undermining public health. I can't comment on specifics because I don't know what goes on in people's minds.

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deb te kawa nō aotearoa @debtekawa-ao.bsky.social · 14h

Also, the "protest" was a hotbed of dangerous misinformation, including conspiracy theories, rhetoric that threatened democratic institutions and anti-Māori propaganda. The presence of far-right, white nationalist, and anti-Semitic elements further complicated the situation.

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deb te kawa nō aotearoa @debtekawa-ao.bsky.social · 14h

It involved the illegal occupation of public and private spaces, widespread harassment, intimidation of locals, business being shut down, and a significant level of violence that culminated in arson and dozens of injuries to police, as well as property damage.

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deb te kawa nō aotearoa @debtekawa-ao.bsky.social · 14h

... while the principle of engagement is sound, the specific context of the 2022 Wellington occupation presented a strong counterargument. The protest was not a conventional demonstration.

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deb te kawa nō aotearoa @debtekawa-ao.bsky.social · 14h

It provides a safety valve, allowing marginalised or alienated groups to feel heard, and can offer politicians valuable insights into the sources of social discontent. But ...

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deb te kawa nō aotearoa @debtekawa-ao.bsky.social · 14h

In this context, a politician's duty is to represent all constituents, not just those who agree with them or express their views in a palatable manner. Engaging with protesters, even those on the fringes, can be seen as a core function of representative democracy.

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deb te kawa nō aotearoa @debtekawa-ao.bsky.social · 14h

The right to protest is a fundamental: a vital mechanism for holding power to account. Protests serve as an essential outlet for citizens to express dissent, bring attention to grievances, and influence public policy.

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deb te kawa nō aotearoa @debtekawa-ao.bsky.social · 14h

I am addressing the question related to the internationally directed trajectory.

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deb te kawa nō aotearoa @debtekawa-ao.bsky.social · 14h

And, frankly, I am looking forward to the Royal Commission that looks at that: and only that.

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deb te kawa nō aotearoa @debtekawa-ao.bsky.social · 14h

My point above: in Wellington, it is clear that automated and inauthentic accounts were part of the ecosystem that mobilised some bat-shit crazy divisive narratives designed to undermine trust in democratic institutions. And some locals are still using it as a weapon.

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deb te kawa nō aotearoa @debtekawa-ao.bsky.social · 14h

In all three cases, the online environment was a complex mix of genuine grassroots activism, foreign state-sponsored disinformation, and opportunistic exploitation by scammers and politicians.

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deb te kawa nō aotearoa @debtekawa-ao.bsky.social · 14h

In Ottawa, there is evidence of direct targeting by Russian troll farms and significant amplification by Russian state media. In Melbourne and Wellington, the interference was more indirect, with domestic actors playing a key role in importing, adapting, and disseminating Russian propaganda.

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deb te kawa nō aotearoa @debtekawa-ao.bsky.social · 14h

My thoughts based on OSINT: anti-vaccine protests in Ottawa, Melbourne and Wellington were influenced by foreign disinformation, but the nature of this influence differed.

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Reposted by deb te kawa nō aotearoa

"spooky sukkot" daniel s. @self.agency · 20h

the enemy is dehumanization and those who do the dehumanizing

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Reposted by deb te kawa nō aotearoa

John Denham @jydenham.bsky.social · 1d

The simple idea of the sovereign democratic nation state serving its people is an increasingly inaccurate description of the reality. National political sovereignty has been eroded, national economic sovereignty reduced, democratic states struggle to deliver and the people have been changed.

Changing and contested ideas of nationhood

This post explores how our ideas of democratic nation states can conflict with the current reality.

open.substack.com

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Reposted by deb te kawa nō aotearoa

PSA Local Politics & Governance Specialist Group @psalocalpol.bsky.social · 1d

🚨 Workshop announcement:

English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill

📅 24 Nov 2025 | Hybrid format

Join top experts to discuss the future of local governance in England.

👤 Hosted by the PSA Local Politics and Governance specialist group.

🔗 Register now: www.psa.ac.uk/specialist-g...

Hybrid Workshop - English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill - Possibilities and (Missed?) Opportunities | The Political Studies Association (PSA)

PSA Local Governance and Politics Specialist Group WorkshopDate: 24 November 2025Time: 12:30 – 17:00 GMTLocation: Online, and limited in person spaces available at the Political Studies Association, E...

www.psa.ac.uk

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deb te kawa nō aotearoa @debtekawa-ao.bsky.social · 1d

WTF. Not only the opposite of what I am saying, but WTF. Please delete.

deb te kawa nō aotearoa @debtekawa-ao.bsky.social · 1d

Feed that fire and we all own the ashes, including those who fan it. I don't condone what happened to the Rt Hon, but this ahi was accelerated during that occupation.

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deb te kawa nō aotearoa @debtekawa-ao.bsky.social · 1d

Certain politicians made a point of wandering through to placate the "protesters". When they finally left, the neighbourhood was left to clean it up.

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deb te kawa nō aotearoa @debtekawa-ao.bsky.social · 1d

Every day for four weeks, abuse was standard for anyone trying to get to work. One genius even climbed our building’s scaffolding to gawk at PNHQ and MoH.

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deb te kawa nō aotearoa @debtekawa-ao.bsky.social · 1d

I lived in Molesworth Street during the 2022 occupation. It wasn’t “peaceful”; it was filth and menace. People shat and pissed on our lawns. Emergency workers were blocked from reaching neighbours. The smell lingered for weeks.

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deb te kawa nō aotearoa @debtekawa-ao.bsky.social · 1d

Tautoko. Hoha stuff.

deb te kawa nō aotearoa @debtekawa-ao.bsky.social · 2d

👇

Kevin Carson 🇵🇸 🇺🇦 🇹🇯 @kevincarson1.bsky.social · 2d

Indigenous Nations Plan Tariff-Free Trade Corridor Across US-Canada border ino.to/agDxSX2

Indigenous Nations Plan Tariff-Free Trade Corridor Across US-Canada border

“We’re not begging for crumbs anymore. We’re demanding what’s rightly ours."

ino.to

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deb te kawa nō aotearoa @debtekawa-ao.bsky.social · 2d

I was up there two weeks ago. Three words: A bit bleak.

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deb te kawa nō aotearoa @debtekawa-ao.bsky.social · 2d

Blenheim's CBD is a car park in search of a soul. Vineyards say visitors don’t stay, but who would when the town centre is a mess? Time for local leaders to decide: an inviting tourist hub, or just a place for locals to drive to? The Chardonnay Lake won’t hold forever.

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