Danny – Auckland
“I’ve lived in Auckland for a very long time. I’ve seen the changes in Auckland in the last 40, 50 years.
I care for the people that are on the streets since 1995. I roam the streets feeding people otherwise homeless. So this is how I care and recently I have a break from feeding the street people. So that is how I care for the people of Auckland.
I’m originally from Niue Island, and I’ve been educated in this country for a long, long time. I was actually a scholar at the time, but what drives me to the community of Auckland is that I just love the people. My background on this type of work, in the ‘90s, I was part of the group that set up, what we called a victim of crime support. That is fairly popular now, since 1995.
For community work, I felt that we do need to contribute a lot more than what we current have, and to be more active out of those people that are in need. So what drives me most is the people that are in need, mainly the families, and I like my name that I was called through the years up till now. They call me Mr Christmas. The reason being is in the years past I visited families with little kids, and I contributed some of the food that they needed. Now they’re grown up to over 20 years old, and they still call me Mr Christmas, and that’s how I contributed in the long term humanity here in Auckland.
What drives me to do what I do is that it’s every human being in this world needs to have what you call a good life that they do need to have wellbeing and having seen somebody sleep on the road, is very difficult for anybody to put a foot on the ground and you say, let’s do something. It’s very difficult, but for me those people need more than we, than the dollar did we have in our pocket, meaning that before spending my dollar in my pocket, these people that need it, then for me to keep it in my pocket. So that’s what drives me. It’s just a passion that I need to see these people exposed more into a better life, and that’s what drives me.
My mother used to call to tell us as kids that you cannot see the world in fire by putting it out with firewood. If you can show love with compassion then you’re able to contribute something to the world, and that’s what she told us. To do something better here in Auckland, to make it more safer and an enjoyable a place to live is very difficult for such a place. It’s multi-cultural. Everybody have got their own different understanding about life, but to bring that in together we do need to go back to the families and bring it up as something that children can interact together, and say the brown skin the white skin and any colour if the groups will bring in together and see how the kids react, and make that something for the parents to understand, that we can change things into a better life for the next generation.
Overseas is totally different, but I guess Auckland alone has still got that sense of humanity. Say, hi how are you, kia ora, all the type of expression. I think Auckland still has got that drive of seeing each other by the face and say, hi how are you. I believe we can do it here in Auckland. We carry on doing what we are doing, but we do need to improve from it. It’s a lot of work, but humanity activities we do need to have a lot of support and try across the region by exactly what we are doing here now.
One area that’s seen the changes here in Auckland is the serious thing of business. You can easily tell the picture. Now, you find that they, the different cultural, particularly industry have different people operating. You notice in the banks that in the likes of East Auckland where a lot of Asian, you have front staff are Asian, and some areas, have a lot of Indian culturals in business, and then we have Indian staff, operating there. So you find it, the customers are only going into those areas and make it much more separated, and I’m only going here because we’ve got Asian here. We only go here because, but really look at South Auckland. Again, it’s another different kind of story. So, to see the difference in this cultural thing is a very difficult area that we are dealing with. Now, you realise that um, that’s where New Zealand is heading to, because the politicians are coming up in cultural ethnic groups as well.
What we are doing here, what we’re having here in Auckland going to be a lot of challenges as far as the cultural and how they interact together. Now we know that in South Auckland you will always have the media coverage on it, but it’s actual discrimination. It happens everywhere. I am very anti on racial discrimination, and I’m the type of person that I will not tolerate that, and if the service is not right just because I’m brown I just go and speak up and say, why is this not this, this is not the normal thing happened, could you explain it to me. Then immediately, the people who provide the service will understand my background, that I’m probably heading to that direction and say, look here, more discriminating me because I’m brown.
In my life of working in the corporate, that’s the challenge that I don’t use that as racial even though I’m brown, but I always say I’m brown, black and beautiful and handsome, and also have brains, and that will see the challenge on the corporate level that you are who you are. People like you because you front up for who you are. It just feel, feel better who you are, but it’s not just to take it against anybody that, no you are white, you are brown.
The downfall of cultures is that they think negatively about themselves in the different areas, but if you walk the street of who you are, and you love being a Polynesian or being whoever you are, and just be honest to the people and say, hey how are you. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a different cultures, but it’s good to show people. Your smile is very honest, and there is a reason why you say those words to a different cultural people, and they will reflect it back to you and say, hi. In that way, you’re creating that environment that you belong to where you are as a Polynesian, and everybody loves you. If you don’t love yourself and lift your head high being a Polynesian in Auckland and share your positive posture at them, say hi how are you, nice day, beautiful day. It creates a thing that is nice talking about, then move on with life. What you get after, you feel happy.
That person will feel happy too, because you acknowledge and reflect your feelings, and that’s where we all say yourself in Auckland without caring to say, I’m this and you are that. So if you’re able to create something that you’re able to have that environment, you’ll be really, really happy with your life. Then the following morning you do the same thing. You look at the mirror; oh, this is Danny,what a beautiful day, I’m going out there and make sure I make a day for that person, and if that person makes a day for another person, we’ll have a greater impact on this society. So I see that will drive us a long way. I used to say that to other people; if I do better to you, can you do better than the other, if I say these words to you, you are beautiful, would you say to the other? What will be the impact in the round of New Zealand? I may be brown and beautiful and handsome, but to say that to the other person, it creates that environment of understanding of prosperity and humanity happiness.”
