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Occupy Christcurch open university

A day of free workshops on Sunday, February 12th in South Hagley Park.

An initiative of Occupy Christchurch

10am: Occupy Movement and Local Issues
How can we develop the Occupy Movement to be an effective political and social force in Christchurch and Canterbury?
11am: Situationism & post situationism
The Situationist International, having been cited as an inspiration for  OWS, deserve a second look. While aspects of the SIs’ pre-68 analysis and even modified lessons from the May-June ’68 “evenements” themselves have been seamlessly integrated into OWSs’ processes, as the general assembly, strictly mandated “working group” sub committees and so on, using information readily available on the web, I think there are lessons in the underreported years ’69 to 2010 that haven’t been looked at yet.
12pm: Cooking with Bartman
A cooking lesson from one of Occupy Corners resident chefs
1pm:Breakforlunch.
2pm:FacilitatingConsensus.
A workshop to develop skills and understanding of the role of facilitation in consensus based groups. Discussion will cover decision-making tools, active listening skills, hierarchy, participation, and working together. Facilitator – Joanna Wildish.
3pm:Feminism
The issue of the oppression of women in our society is one that every social movement should be engaging with. This workshop will be a space for discussion of feminist issues.
4pm: Mental Health
With mental illness effecting one in five people, mental health is a topic we need to engage with. Discussions on the relationship between capitalism, activism and mental health, and sharing of information to challenge stigma and discrimination onsite will be the basis of this workshop.
5pm: The Mechanics of Capitalism
How does capitalism work? Topics covered will be the class nature of society, exploitation, hegemony and more.

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Elections: why bother?

The Workers Party is supporting Mana this election, after standing down from national elections. But why do 1 in 4 young people choose not to vote? Isn’t that a rational choice given the options? Can a capitalist Westminster system really represent the majority?

A socialist perspective on why we participate in elections, followed by kai & korero.

Tonight (Friday) 7pm

Newtown Hall (opposite Mediterranean Food Warehouse)

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Christchurch Labour Day March

The Occupy movement in Christchurch has organised a march for Labour day. The occupation has being going since October 15th, an an initial march attracted 300 people. A statement on the group’s website reads “This Monday is Labour Day. A day to celebrate the workers in Aotearoa, to remember the difficult year we have experienced, and to celebrate everything that the Occupy Movement has achieved on a local, national and international scale.”
MEET AT: Occupy Christchurch – South Hagley Park (next to bus exchange & hospital)
TIMETABLE:
11am – Greetings and live music
12pm – march around the cordon
– There will be short speeches the Art Centre (builders from the CBD, Red Zone residents, University Lecturers, Students, Young Workers )
2.00 – 2.30pm – return to Occupy camp for refreshments (please bring what non-alcoholic refreshments you can), live music, performances
and a celebration of what we have achieved and look to our future.
Organisers have requested that the march not be used to promote any political party and stress that the event is drug and alcohol free.

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Christchurch event: book launch 'Remains to be Seen'

A new book by Christchurch activist Jared Davidson Remains to be Seen traces the ashes of Joe Hill — radical songwriter, union organiser and member of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) — from their distribution in Chicago to wartime New Zealand. Drawing on previously unseen archival material, it examines the persecution of anarchists, socialists and Wobblies in New Zealand during the First World War. It also explores how intense censorship measures — put in place by the National Coalition Government of William Massey and zealously enforced by New Zealand’s Solicitor-General, Sir John Salmond — effectively silenced and suppressed the IWW in New Zealand.

The book will be launched in Christchurch on Thursday June 30 at Beat Street Cafe (Corner Barbadoes and Armagh), at 5.30pm. Copies of the book will also be available for purchase. A review of Remains to be Seen will appear in the August issue of The Spark and on this website.

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Christchurch Event: Revolutionary Leaders

Come along to this seminar presented by the Workers Party on three outstanding revolutionary figures: Che Guevara, one of the central leaders of the Cuban revolution, who also later fought in the Congo and Bolivia; George Habash, one of the founders of radical trade unions in the Arab world and the founder of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and Seamus Costello, a legendary leader of the struggle for Irish national liberation, from his teens in the 1950s until his murder in 1977.

2-6 PM, Saturday the 10th

WEA, 59 Gloucester St (map)

There will be plenty of time for discussion after each presentation; we’ll wrap up with a meal and movie at 5pm.

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