Diversity is important in Southland
Hi everyone and a big congratulations to you for your response to Covid-19. I hadn’t planned on mentioning the Covid word in this column.
It would have been nice to be in a position to say we’d left it behind and were moving forward.
However, as fate would have it, it’s back in the news because of two people who crossed our border and have since tested positive.
I know near on 5 million people stood their ground to prevent the devastation being experienced in other countries from this hideous disease and I applaud the way we banded together and played our part for Team New Zealand.
Then there was a small number of individuals who will never understand what being part of a team and behaving appropriately are all about.
What I have observed throughout the first six months of this year is that the diverse communities we have here in Southland are something to be proud of.
Let’s face it. We’ve had a terrible start to the year. 2020 vision has taken on a whole new meaning.
First we had the floods in February, described by Emergency Management Southland as the biggest natural emergency since the organisation was formed in 2010.
Southlanders responded brilliantly, setting up community hubs on the spot and taking in and feeding people who’d been stranded or displaced by the floodwaters.
Just as we were coming out of that disaster, we quickly learned about this strange new thing called Covid-19 as it swept through the Northern Hemisphere and then around the globe, reaching us here in New Zealand in March.
We started hearing words that had a new meaning, like ‘‘bubble’’ and ‘‘isolation’’, and we were asked to stay at home to help stop the disease from spreading. The vast majority of us did the right thing, hunkering down and avoiding physical contact with others.
A large number of you thought outside your bubbles and reached out to others in your communities, offering kind words and support.
This generosity of spirit took many forms, from a simple hello to a cash contribution, food parcels, and a trip to the shop for a neighbour and so on.
Whether this happened through one of the many support groups that sprung up throughout the District during lockdown or through the actions of caring individuals, there was plenty of evidence of this selfless behaviour.
It’s one of the reasons why I believe we in the south will bounce back from this adversity stronger than before.
We’ve done it before, many times, from wars, diseases, financial crises, earthquakes and terror attacks, and we will do it again.
Diversity in the face of adversity is one of our region’s greatest strengths.
Twenty years ago the word ‘‘diverse’’ was seldom heard, but now the diversity of our communities is finally being acknowledged and embraced.
Sure, we do have some in our communities who don’t understand the need for change, but they will always be in the minority.
Twenty years ago I would never have thought of my daughter being in a same-sex relationship, let alone that relationship resulting in the birth of an outstanding wee girl much loved by her parents Maria and Michelle, Lily’s grandparents and their many, many friends.
A joyous occasion such as this brings many things into sharp focus, and I am in daily in awe of this achievement. It is certainly something to be proud of.
Then as I get on with my daily and nightly duties of being a mayor I hear about the pain inflicted on some of our Southlanders by those who will never understand love, have never been loved and do not understand that caring for those around them makes us all stronger.
They are the ones who don’t read or follow the news or listen to their elders.
They use and abuse. They are not who we are.
Take care Southland, and keep saying hello to your neighbour.
Yours in Southland.