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August 09, 2022
Toughen up says Jones as Uffindell faces gotcha culture
Adam Gifford
Posted On August 9, 2022
Download AudioFormer MP Shane Jones says few Māori will put their hands up for public life if they can expect everything in their former life to be scrutinised against a higher standard.
He says revelations about new National MP Sam Uffindell being expelled from Kings College because of an attack on a younger pupil is something for the Tauranga party delegates and voters to deal with.
He fears kiwis may be losing their traditional resilience in the face of changes in the way mental health is addressed.
“A lot of what passes today for either imagined slights or imagined acts of aggression, I just think a key part of our personality both as Māori and as garden variety kiwis, we were always brought up to toughen up, grin and bear it, and if we lost that in my view we are going to lose our way,” Mr Jones says.
He says people in public life also have to deal with a gotcha culture in the media.
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