Te Ara o te Raukura - Day 31
The Path of the Feather
In a quiet Māori village surrounded by dense ngahere (forest) and flowing rivers, a young woman named Aroha sought guidance for her restless heart. Aroha was gifted with a sharp mind and quick hands, which earned her admiration among her people. But she often felt torn between her desire for material success and a deeper yearning for peace.
One day, she climbed to the peak of Maunga Tapu (Sacred Mountain) to visit her kaumātua, Tohunga Matua, a wise elder known for his connection to wairua (spirit) and mātauranga (knowledge).
“E kui,” Aroha began, kneeling before him, “I feel trapped, as if my pursuit of worldly things has chained me. Yet, I cannot let go. What can I do?”
Tohunga Matua smiled and reached into his kete (basket), pulling out a raukura (feather). He held it high, letting the wind dance with it. “Aroha, this feather teaches us the essence of life. Do you see how it floats freely when it is released to the wind, but it falls to the ground when we cling to it?”
Aroha nodded, intrigued but unsure. “But how does that help me, e kui?”
Tohunga Matua continued, “The rāhui of our ancestors teaches us the principle of balance. The mana of a person—like the feather—determines their path. If your mind clings to the material, like a bird tied to the earth, you are bound. But if your mind lets go of attachment, you rise and find freedom.”
Still puzzled, Aroha asked, “But how do I let go of the things I desire? They feel so real.”
The elder picked up a smooth stone and handed it to Aroha. “Hold this stone tightly,” he instructed.
Aroha clenched the stone in her fist. Tohunga Matua then poured water from a calabash over her hand. The water ran over her skin, but none could reach her palm. “Your desires are like this stone, moko. When you cling to them, the waters of life cannot nourish your spirit. But if you open your hand…”
Aroha opened her palm, and the stone fell. The water now flowed freely over her hand. “When you release your grasp, you allow life to fill you with wairua. You let your spirit rise.”
From that day forward, Aroha practiced the teachings of the raukura. She found joy in simplicity, cherishing her connections to her whānau and whenua (land). Her success no longer defined her mana. Instead, it was her ability to uplift others and maintain balance in her life that gave her freedom.
Years later, when Aroha became a respected rangatira (leader), she shared the lesson of the feather with her people. “Our mind determines whether we are bound or free. Let us let go of what weighs us down and rise like the raukura, carried by the winds of wairua and wisdom.”
Moral:
The story reflects the principle of “The mind is the cause of bondage and liberation. Attachment binds, while detachment liberates.” from the Srimad Bhagavatam. It teaches that attachment to material desires binds us, while detachment and spiritual focus lead to liberation. The tale highlights the importance of balance, wairua, and mana in achieving inner freedom.
Poll: Are our Kiwi summer holidays helping us recharge, or holding the economy back? ☀️🥝
There’s growing debate about whether New Zealand’s extended Christmas break (and the slowdown that comes with it) affects productivity.
Tracy Watkins has weighed in ... now it’s your turn. What’s your take? 🤔
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72.8% We work hard, we deserve a break!
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16.1% Hmm, maybe?
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11.2% Yes!
Secure your homes over summer
Police are reminding people to keep their homes secure during the summer months.
Inspector Glenda Barnaby, Christchurch Area Prevention manager, says daytime burglaries are just as common as nightime burglaries.
“Burglaries can be committed at any time of the day, and coming into warmer months there is more opportunity for thieves."
"Although a majority of burglaries involve forced entry through windows and doors, we are starting to see more incidents at insecure premises. Police deal with cases where burglaries are committed in broad daylight, sometimes even while the victim is at home. Good weather means open doors and windows, which makes homes more vulnerable to burglars.”
Inspector Barnaby says there’s a few things people can do to reduce their changes of a burglary being committed.
⚠️ If you’re going outside for gardening, relaxing in the sun, or working in the garage, take a moment to lock your doors and secure your windows first.
⚠️ Do the same at night when you go to bed - keep your doors and windows secure and close your curtains. Fitting window stays means you can get a breeze coming through, while keeping your windows secure.
⚠️ Get to know your neighbours - let them know if you’re going away and look out for one another.”
If you see any suspicious activity, people or vehicles in your neighbourhood, don't hesitate to contact Police.
If you witness or suspect any illegal activity, please call 111 if it is happening now, or make a report through 105 either online or over the phone, if it is after the fact.
What sectors are barely paying more than minimum wage?
While New Zealand might have about a dozen sectors paying at least a median $100,000 a year, there are almost as many paying barely more than the minimum wage.
Data compiled by Infometrics showed the median and mean salaries across industries throughout the country.
The data does not adjust for hours worked, and some of the workers may not be working a 40-hour week.
But it shows that on an annual basis, many sectors were not delivering incomes that were equal to the minimum wage.
The minimum wage of $23.50 an hour works out to just under $49,000 a year for a full-time, 40-hour a week worker.
Fuel retailing was paying a median of almost exactly the same amount.
Food retailing was paying less, at $45,030. Accommodation was slightly more, at $49,240, and food and beverage services was significantly less at $40,170.
Also within $10,000 of minimum wage were "other store-based retailing" at $53,220, sport and recreation services at $53,350 and personal and other services at $54,170.
Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment data last year showed that about 141,900 people would be directly affected by the minimum wage rising to $23.50, indicating they were at that point being paid less than that amount per hour.
Infometrics principal economist Nick Brunsdon said skills and experience explained a lot of the variation in incomes.
"Industries that need a more skilled workforce generally pay more - because they can get a lot of value out of their workers, and workers need a good incentive to gain those skills - for example, medicine. Industries that take in a lot of lower qualified staff, like hospitality, can get away with paying a lot less, and still get plenty of job applicants.
"There are other factors like desirability - some jobs might not have a high skill requirement but are somewhat undesirable - say underground coal mining - so higher pay is necessary to find workers."
CTU policy director and economist Craig Enney said "hours adequacy" was a big problem in many sectors.
"You've got someone who's working 20 hours a week or 25 hours, on $25 an hour, so you're earning $500 a week. Is that enough? No.
"The challenge is often about the structure of employment in some of those sectors…In hospo, in retail, in catering, in a range of other sort of service-based industries, it's wanting more hours and not getting it."
The latest labour market statistics showed the the number of underutilised people in the country had risen to 403,000.
"These are people who want more hours, want more work and can't get it. And that may be a key reason why, you know, total incomes are so inadequate for some people. And that's also partially helping to explain why the headline unemployment rate is not rising as quickly as some people had predicted."
Jake Lilley, a spokesperson for financial mentor network Fincap, said it was something mentors dealt with.
"They also help people work out what is realistic in terms of taking on hours while balancing additional childcare costs. Our latest Voices reporting recorded 31 percent of those supported by a financial mentor as having a mix of income from salary or wages as well as income support.
"It is a real juggle to navigate finances when unpredictable sporadic hours of work need reporting to Work and Income in what can be impractical timeframes. An example might be someone being asked to stay on for a longer shift by their manager and being unable to contact Work and Income when that day is the deadline to report other income.
"Someone might also not know exactly what their pay will be until a payslip is provided after the reporting date. Such situations can often result in overpayment debts from Work and Income compounding the difficulty of administering already tight finances."
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