Bringing others closer
Brexit. The US presidential election. Or, closer to home, the last general election in New Zealand in 2014. When you’re left wondering who ‘the others’ are that vote this way, or that way.
When we live in our bubbles, whether it’s within our chosen circle of friends or the echo chambers of our social media channels, it’s hard to believe that there are other people out there who don’t share the same political, social or economic views as us.
In my view, this concept of ‘otherness’ seems to be the contributing factor of population groups heading into vastly directions within their own countries. We currently have political parties claiming that their policies work ‘for everyone’ when there’s a blatant crisis going on in the mental health and housing sector. But how might I ever change my view, if I’m surrounded by people who largely share a similar opinion and reinforce what I already believe? Where might I find the folks who strongly support the current economic policies and government decisions?
With a general election on the horizon—and poverty, domestic violence, obesity and other life-threatening issues on the rise —isn’t it important that we move closer together as a country, develop a more thorough understanding of who we are and where we’re coming from with our beliefs and opinions?
Enter Kai & Kōrero, ActionStation’s initiative to bring diverse groups of people together over food (kai) to stimulate conversations (kōrero) over where we’d like to see New Zealand in 2040. The setup is simple: a host, some guests, and a lightly facilitated process that helps get the conversations going.
I recently attended a Kai & Kōrero. Early on in the evening, we were all encouraged to pick a card with a value on it that spoke to us. Those values were chosen from the world of te ao Māori (the world view of New Zealand’s indigenous people) and the World Values Survey. We then went around the table to answer the following question: What might New Zealand’s political decision-making look/feel like if this value was central to the Government?
A conversation then ensued of what a different New Zealand might look like. What happens if we put kaitiakitanga at the heart of our mental health system? How might people access services, how are they looked after, and how is any treatment or care decided?
If you have ever wondered how other people arrive at their beliefs and values, then I can only encourage you to head to kaiandkorero.com and attend a random dinner in your town. Meet some strangers, whanaungatanga with some people who aren’t like you. Or host one yourself, and work out who these other people are.
