Editorial – Summer 2022-23

Kia ora koutou,

First of all, my apologies for the lateness of this issue. We had hoped to get it to you by earlier in February, but as you will be aware, nature has intervened! Of course, we are all thinking of those impacted by the flooding in the North Island. Due to the event, I was not able to give contributors as much notice as they should have had for their pieces, and so any missing articles you might normally expect are completely down to my reduced capacity, and I apologise for that as well as the timing of this issue. As I write, the rain is continuing to pour in West Auckland, and we are all looking forward, slightly desperately, to the return of sunshine and the school term, which was supposed to be underway by this time. It’s impossible to know yet just how much devastation has been caused by these floods, and as ever, it is the most vulnerable who have been hit the hardest. This event has highlighted many gaps in our public services, not least of which is the availability of information and support for those with diverse needs, including people with Down syndrome and their families. As the emerging discussions of how we can do better next time develop, we must not allow this to fade into the background.

As always in a crisis, however, it has been heart-warming to see the generosity, kindness, and willingness to muck in from so many. In my new capacity as a local board member, it’s been truly incredible to see the number of community organisations, civil servants, neighbours, volunteers, charities, emergency services, and more stepping up and working around the clock to help those impacted. There’s the Countdown cashier spending $100 of her own money to add to the donations, the school secretary who set up staff showering facilities for disabled evacuees, our neighbour’s children rummaging in cupboards for donations, and the constant stream of updates from my fellow elected members to keep us all informed and directing the right help to the right place – calling each other from various help centres and clean-up sites. A truly phenomenal number of people, expertise, and services have been mobilised.

If you or anyone you know has been impacted by the floods, please visit aucklandemergencymanagement.org.nz to find information on where to get support. This information is available on that website in a variety of languages and formats, including Easy Read. This issue was originally going to be themed around the great outdoors but given recent events (and the number of cancelled camping trips across the motu!), the theme of the Summer 2022-23 issue is safety. Safety comes in many forms, and that doesn’t have to mean becoming the fun police! Sometimes safety means focussing on friendships, as Nikki Wilson’s article demonstrates. It’s thinking about social cohesion, which the new entity covered in this issue will encourage.

It’s being aware of our surroundings at home and online, and there are expertlead tips about both of these things in these pages as well. It’s keeping our bodies, our minds, and our social lives active, and we look at how Carlos, Luka, StarJam, Andrew, and Lucy all provide great examples this summer. Of course, you can’t have safety without talking about inclusion, and as we look forward to World Down Syndrome Day 2023, there’s lots of food for thought in this edition about how we can take small steps to make our world a more inclusive place, and therefore a safer place for all.

Noho ora mai,

Sarah Paterson-Hamlin Editor