It is easy to get caught up in the idea that being right is the most important thing. We’re constantly bombarded with messages that tell us what to think and who to believe, and it can be challenging to remember that dialogue with those we disagree with is just as vital to the health of our society.
Last Thursday, as Brian Tamaki and his protest against “Agenda 2030” arrived in Wellington, people’s minds drifted back to the three-week-long occupation of Parliament in 2022. The police closed inner-city streets. There was a palpable sense of fear in the air.
Given how the day was covered by the media, you would be excused for not realising that at least four separate groups were converging on Parliament that day. Alongside Tamaki’s protest, there was the “Stop Co-governance” march, an “anti-fascist” counter-protest, and the event that truly caught my attention: the arrival of a hikoi protesting the gang policies of National and Act.
Among all the other events happening, why was it the 12-person hikoi that stood out?
Unlike the protesters who sought to capture attention and dominate the headlines, the families of gang members were there to engage in a different kind of activism: one based on dialogue and engagement. At a time when echo chambers and ideological fortresses have become the norm, the families of gang members and National’s police spokesperson, Mark Mitchell, who greeted them as they presented a petition, engaged in a conversation marked by disagreement.
