Karen O' Leary: "I hope the people of Aotearoa continue to learn and understand the value of diversity."
Karen O' Leary: "I hope the people of Aotearoa continue to learn and understand the value of diversity."
TV personality and comedian Karen O’Leary co-stars as so-called ‘community investigative reporter’ alongside Paddy Gower on Paddy Gower Has Issues. She recently won best entertainment presenter at the New Zealand Film and Television awards for her reports on Paddy Gower Has Issues.
Gosh, where do I begin with my wishesand aspirations for Aotearoa for 2024? I guess I will start with big-vision thinking. I hope the people of Aotearoa continue to learn and understand the value of diversity. Aotearoa in 2024 (and every year, ideally) should be a place where everyone is celebrated for who they are and as long as who you are doesn’t impinge on someone else’s happiness, then you should be encouraged and supported to live your life in peace and harmony. Everyone deserves the right to be happy and gay!
Coming off the back of 2023, and a certain election, there will be massive challenges in us achieving this, but I firmly believe in the power of people, community and positivity.
I hope that in 2024 people are kind and put others first when it matters. If you are in a position of privilege (as I know I am), acknowledge that and use it for good, not evil. I wish everyone in Aotearoa took looking after our planet seriously. I’d love it if in 2024 the people of Tairāwhiti and Hawke’s Bay had bloody good weather. In fact, let’s just hope that we don’t have any more “one-in-100-years” weather events that now seem to have become “one-year” weather events.
I hope that the children of Aotearoa are encouraged to have heaps of fun next year and that at school their interests are nurtured, and their passions are used to provide them with a great education. I hope in 2024, teachers get a massive pay rise, especially my good friends in early childhood education. I hope nurses get a massive pay rise, too. I’d love it if a man and a woman are doing the same job, they get the same pay.
I hope that in 2024 women’s sport continues to flourish and that we better support our amazing creative industries by acknowledging the massively positive contribution they make to our society. I really hope that my 12-year-old son doesn’t decide he wants to start smoking any time soon. I’d love to see every road sign with te reo on it. I hope there’s heaps of rainbows in 2024 and everyone looks at them with joy. I hope everyone has lots of laughs. Kia kaha.
