know that MPs are taking care of each other. Chlöe and I continue to talk about the ins and outs of navigating the public eye as a young, progressive politician. The conversation moves to legislative cannabis reform. She notes the irony of being the MP to take on cannabis reform as the Baby
of
the
House
and
encouraging adult, serious debate over the legalisation of cannabis. Chlöe points out a cartoon drawn of her in the NZ Herald by Rod Emmerson after she announced the intention to reform the laws surrounding consumption.
cannabis She
is
depicted
smoking a giant bong. It’s no wonder
Chlöe
international
has
notoriety
as
the
an Opposition MP, when she’s being
somewhat
demonized by cartoonists of the Baby Boomer generation. We talk about
the
importance
of
destigmatisation around cannabis and addiction in order to have constructive
and
There’s a sombre, reflective pause before she continues.
gained
politician who said “OK boomer” to constantly
Health and Addiction Inquiry the Government commissioned, the major findings out of that – there were tons of recommendations, about 43, and we’ve implemented a number – the major drivers of mental ill health and addiction are trauma and isolation. And presently, our response to addictions, particularly in illegal substances, is to further stigmatise, traumatise and isolate people. Which, obviously, compounds the problem. So I think there’s that, and also recognising that there’s a humanity to people who – I feel weird saying “suffer” – but who deal with and work through these things.
informed
discussion.
MR: Speaking of, in your maiden speech you talked about how being open with your mental health isn’t what makes you a strong or courageous person, but what makes you normal. Because everyone struggles with mental health. With your mental health portfolio with the Green Party, how have you seen changes in the kōrero around stigma around mental illness in New Zealand? CS: I think the biggest change around stigma in the mental health space has been around addiction. I take my mental health portfolio as inclusive of addictions, whether that is in substances, legal or illegal, gambling, gaming or pornography. Addiction is primarily a form of escapism. If you look at the Mental
CS: In that maiden speech, which I reflected on not too long ago, because I was quite seriously contemplating leaving Parliament, I think I talked about how the opposite of mental ill health, particularly manifesting in problems, is community. The thing that has really resonated with me is that we talk about resilience as if it’s a commodity that can be purchased off the shelf. It’s this bizarre notion that’s, really, corporatised, that, you know, if you get a massage or do yoga that you can still work 60-70 hours a week. It’s bullshit, and it’s harmful. To talk about it like that. The reality is that we live very unhealthy lifestyles at the moment, because we have continued to force people to work harder and longer in order to worship some abstraction of what the economy is. For me, resilience isn’t an individual thing. It’s about community. Her words resonate and hit me in the
chest.
It’s
exhausting
to
recognise corporatised ideals being forced on us in every facet of our daily lives. Chlöe has described the frustration and disillusionment so eloquently and succinctly. Chlöe then begins to talk about the