Wednesday, April 24, 2024 Lifestyle Wairarapa Midweek
Golden
25
YEARS
STATE OF THE NATION: Ray and Karen’s green perspectives Midweek talked to Masterton locals Ray and Karen Stewart about the state of the nation. Now in his 80s, Ray says we are yet to find ways to live with a socially just foundation and an environmentally safe ceiling and so are committing intergenerational theft. We are consuming at such a rate that we’re driving climate change, income inequality, and social division. Democracy is being eroded. It all starts with how much we consume. Having spent his life working for global NGOs and rubbing shoulders with the UN on politico-
military, environmental, and cultural issues, Ray’s views are based on evidence. “Climate change is driven by an economic model that is no longer fit for purpose,” he says. “There must be some limits to absolute freedom.” Just one example is how our approach to food production has led to biodiversity loss. Ray refers to this as “the insidious creep of climate change”. Ray’s wife Karen is a fourth generation Wairarapian, with 40 years of teaching and leading primary schools under her belt, including at Cornwall Street, Douglas Park, and Lake View. Now in her
late-60s, Karen remains fiercely dedicated to the idea that “without the environment, we are nothing” and so children must learn about it, learn about their place in it, and learn to respect it. Locally, Karen and Ray were founding members of the Lansdowne Community Group, planting along walking trails, developing the park in Roberts Road, and promoting Lansdowne as a vibrant part of Masterton’s community. They were also founding members of Sustainable Wairarapa Inc., a group devoted to restoration projects, scientific research, public presentations, and campaigns.
The couple agrees that a framework that considers all well-beings (economic, social, environmental, and cultural) must be reinstated. And we need to find ways to keep a dialogue going so that communities can be part of the solution. “The Fast Track Bill is just one example of this government’s decision to chip away at democracy in New Zealand. There are no checks or balances to protect environmental and social priorities and will have poor outcomes,” Ray says. Karen adds, “we want to be optimistic, but it’s increasingly difficult to maintain optimism in the face of global, national, and local trajectories.”
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