Iwi Whakamahu: Planting lemon trees don’t fix flooded homes
A tweet from Jo The Impaler on X cut straight through the bullshit this morning:
She is absolutely right. While large parts of the North Island are dealing with storm damage, flooding, destroyed homes and livelihoods, the Iwi Whakamahu Heal the Nation tour continues its circuit of symbolic gestures. Planting lemon trees. Holding gatherings. Talking about healing in the abstract. But healing is not symbolic right now. It is practical.
People need building supplies, food, fuel, accommodation and cash. They need hands on the ground clearing silt, fixing fences, repairing roofs. They need resources directed to where the damage actually is.
If this tour genuinely wants to “heal the nation”, then surely the most obvious step is to pause the pageantry and redirect everything toward disaster relief. Stop accepting koha and kai for yourselves. Donate Givealittle proceeds. Use the travel funds, vehicles and available time to support communities that are struggling to get back on their feet.
Especially when many involved with Iwi Whakamahu are unemployed, living on the dole. Time is available. Mobility is available. Funds appear to be available. So why not put them where they matter most?
I have written about this tour several times now, and I still struggle to see what tangible, lasting outcomes it is delivering. Anyone can plant a tree. Anyone can hold a gathering. Those things might feel good, but they do not rebuild homes or replace lost income.
Then there is the optics.
This week Givealittle reportedly paid out funds related to the tour. Around the same time, @NzFubar noticed Shubz wearing a pair of Prada 09ZS sunglasses, retailing at $844 from Sunglass Hut.
Maybe there is an innocent explanation. But when people who are unemployed, are wearing $800 designer sunglasses while asking others for koha, questions are not just fair, they are unavoidable. Transparency matters. Trust matters.
When disaster strikes and donations are flowing, leaders like Shubz, do not get the luxury of shrugging off questions. They owe the public clarity. They owe their donors accountability.
Jo’s point is simple and hard to argue with. If this is truly about healing the nation, then now is the moment to prove it. Not with speeches. Not with symbolism. But with real help, delivered to people who desperately need it.
Anything less invites the question many are now starting to ask quietly. What is this actually achieving other than funding $800 designer sunglasses?
