Jimi Peters

If anything, it’s probably traumatic. Like, it reminds me of what our ancestors went through. The fights that people like my father – who’s one of the founders of Rumba – had to endure to get us to where we are today. But also, I’m a descendant from William Cooper’s family, because I’m a Cooper and a Briggs. And yeah, so it’s just the ongoing, continuous fight, like, and feeling not like we haven’t been heard. So, I kind of find it really heart-warming to see everyone here today because as one of the speakers said earlier, it’s getting bigger and bigger every year. I think people are getting sick of this date. Like to me, even when it’s moved and I believe it will be, it’s still going to be a traumatic date. You know, the trauma will still stay with it. But yeah, it’s just painful, if anything.

If anything, it’s probably traumatic. Like, it reminds me of what our ancestors went through. The fights that people like my father – who’s one of the founders of Rumba – had to endure to get us to where we are today. But also, I’m a descendant from William Cooper’s family, because I’m a Cooper and a Briggs. And yeah, so it’s just the ongoing, continuous fight, like, and feeling not like we haven’t been heard. So, I kind of find it really heart-warming to see everyone here today because as one of the speakers said earlier, it’s getting bigger and bigger every year. I think people are getting sick of this date. Like to me, even when it’s moved and I believe it will be, it’s still going to be a traumatic date. You know, the trauma will still stay with it. But yeah, it’s just painful, if anything.

Well, I think the importance of truth telling is letting us tell our stories the way they should be told. But I think for truth telling to happen, the people actually have to listen. So, sometimes we can talk and we say things. And we’ve been 30 doing this for around 50 years now, these marches and stuff like that. And each year someone else probably hears something else and they come and join. I think for truth telling to be fully accomplished, we have to have people that listen, and they have to understand that these are our stories and our truths, and that they shouldn’t deny us the right to be able to tell the history of what this country has done to our people

Well, firstly, if I could change anything – I’d go back in time and sink all those ships. But if I was to look at the future generation, basically what I want for our generations is I want that equality. I want them to be able to live in their country and be able to be who they want to be and not dictated to by government policies and legislation and stuff that tell us what we should be, you know, who we are. They’re the things that have killed us and – well, not killed us, but – taken away everything that we’ve had. And, you know, I’m 52 and I’m just tired of – I don’t want
my nieces and nephews because I don’t have kids. But I’m, you know, got a lot of niece and nephews out there.

I don’t want them to inherit the pain and stuff we’ve had to inherit. You know, I want to break that generational cycle. I want them to feel as confident as we’ve become over the years to really just take the lead, no one better to look after this land than us. There’s no one better to tell the stories than us. And the thing I’m loving about today is, we talk about solidarity every time we do one of these, have to do these things to inform the general public. And today we’re standing in solidarity with the Palestinian people and the Māori people. And I just think that’s really heart-warming, because that’s what society really should be about, is no judgement accepting everyone for who they are and being able to move forward as one.